Heated between Morris and Brown during timeout in Miami

[fairweatherfan]

This whole ordeal sort of confirms with me that Morris is likely to be moved in a deal that drops Boston below the luxury tax.

He's been too important for us this year. Unless there's a whole lot more of this happening behind the scenes I don't see any way we just dump him for payroll purposes.

[Moranis]

This whole ordeal sort of confirms with me that Morris is likely to be moved in a deal that drops Boston below the luxury tax.

He's been too important for us this year. Unless there's a whole lot more of this happening behind the scenes I don't see any way we just dump him for payroll purposes.

If Morris is too important to be moved then Boston has a whole host of problems and should definitely drop below the luxury tax.  Boston is not winning playoff series because of Marcus Morris.  He should be the 7th, 8th, or 9th best player on this team (he should clearly be behind Irving, Tatum, Horford, Hayward, Brown, and Smart and then it just depends on how you view him vs. Rozier and Baynes).  He has certainly played well so far this year, better then some of the 6 players that are better than him, but that is more a function of injuries and slow starts by those players and not some gigantic leap by Morris.  Marcus Morris, is and always has been, a bench level player.   

[fairweatherfan]

This whole ordeal sort of confirms with me that Morris is likely to be moved in a deal that drops Boston below the luxury tax.

He's been too important for us this year. Unless there's a whole lot more of this happening behind the scenes I don't see any way we just dump him for payroll purposes.

If Morris is too important to be moved then Boston has a whole host of problems and should definitely drop below the luxury tax.  Boston is not winning playoff series because of Marcus Morris.  He should be the 7th, 8th, or 9th best player on this team (he should clearly be behind Irving, Tatum, Horford, Hayward, Brown, and Smart and then it just depends on how you view him vs. Rozier and Baynes).  He has certainly played well so far this year, better then some of the 6 players that are better than him, but that is more a function of injuries and slow starts by those players and not some gigantic leap by Morris.  Marcus Morris, is and always has been, a bench level player.

He isn't too important to move, he's too important to dump for salary reasons like you suggested. Where he should be in the pecking order or to what extent his increased role is attributable to his own career-best numbers vs other players underachieving doesn't really affect that.

[apc]

Start another winning streak (that will include the Raptors) and we will forget all about this!

[Atzar]

This whole ordeal sort of confirms with me that Morris is likely to be moved in a deal that drops Boston below the luxury tax.

He's been too important for us this year. Unless there's a whole lot more of this happening behind the scenes I don't see any way we just dump him for payroll purposes.

If Morris is too important to be moved then Boston has a whole host of problems and should definitely drop below the luxury tax.  Boston is not winning playoff series because of Marcus Morris.  He should be the 7th, 8th, or 9th best player on this team (he should clearly be behind Irving, Tatum, Horford, Hayward, Brown, and Smart and then it just depends on how you view him vs. Rozier and Baynes).  He has certainly played well so far this year, better then some of the 6 players that are better than him, but that is more a function of injuries and slow starts by those players and not some gigantic leap by Morris.  Marcus Morris, is and always has been, a bench level player.

Morris is currently shooting .501/.450/.882 from the field, up from .429/.368/.805 last year and his career .434/.366/.744 averages.  His eFG% is .607, which is up from his career .504 mark.  That's the definition of a gigantic leap.  He's also rebounding at a career high rate.

He was a bench level player in the past, but he's absolutely a starter-caliber player this year.  Arguably our second-best player - more consistent than Horford and Hayward, and more efficient than Tatum.  Is that a good thing?  Probably not.  This team won't go very far unless Horford and Hayward come around, and while their unsteady play is justifiable, it doesn't change the fact that we need them to be better than they currently are.  But I think you're greatly underselling just how well Morris is playing this year.  This season's Marcus Morris isn't a 7th/8th/9th man on any team.

[SHAQATTACK]

Morris is the kind of player we need.   He is also the type of player that will get 25-30 points against Celtics if he is on another club.   He can score and bang with any club. Only the best tallest longest defenders alter his game .  Drummond , Davis , Embiid , LA .  I would not mind having both brothers .

He does not get rattled by hostile crowds or pressure . 

We need more guys like this .

[Moranis]

This whole ordeal sort of confirms with me that Morris is likely to be moved in a deal that drops Boston below the luxury tax.

He's been too important for us this year. Unless there's a whole lot more of this happening behind the scenes I don't see any way we just dump him for payroll purposes.

If Morris is too important to be moved then Boston has a whole host of problems and should definitely drop below the luxury tax.  Boston is not winning playoff series because of Marcus Morris.  He should be the 7th, 8th, or 9th best player on this team (he should clearly be behind Irving, Tatum, Horford, Hayward, Brown, and Smart and then it just depends on how you view him vs. Rozier and Baynes).  He has certainly played well so far this year, better then some of the 6 players that are better than him, but that is more a function of injuries and slow starts by those players and not some gigantic leap by Morris.  Marcus Morris, is and always has been, a bench level player.

He isn't too important to move, he's too important to dump for salary reasons like you suggested. Where he should be in the pecking order or to what extent his increased role is attributable to his own career-best numbers vs other players underachieving doesn't really affect that.

moved in a deal that drops the team below the luxury tax doesn't necessarily mean in a salary dump, at least it doesn't have to.  I would expect to get back a decent player in return, just one that is cheaper and possibly more years.  Frank Kaminsky, for example, might be an interesting trade.  I think something like that makes some sense for both teams.  It wouldn't drop Boston below the tax, but would get the team close enough that if Bird gets removed, it should. 

[RJ87]

Like Morris, but his future isn't better than Brown... Let's be honest.

Do we know that for sure?

I know some posters love Brown and are convinced he's a perennial all-star in waiting, but what if he's not? What if his max out is good wing defender/streaky offensive guy that never puts it together? Wouldn't be the first time we've seen that.

[SHAQATTACK]

i r emember that play and Jalen just giving up on the defense ,  i was close to turning off the TV at that point .  I had decided it was a losing cause to watch.  CBS should have chewed him out .  Only Lebron can get away with standing watching the other team score.

CBS is too nice . Pop does not put up with giving up on plays

[Monkhouse]

Like Morris, but his future isn't better than Brown... Let's be honest.

Do we know that for sure?

I know some posters love Brown and are convinced he's a perennial all-star in waiting, but what if he's not? What if his max out is good wing defender/streaky offensive guy that never puts it together? Wouldn't be the first time we've seen that.

We don't know, but.... Brown has always been a great defender, great size, and prototypical build+ athleticism for 2/3.

His playoffs numbers still gives me great hope.

Do I think he can reach it? Honestly, it's really on Brown himself. He seems like a player who gets too down on himself quite too easily.

I like Morris, but this season has been an outlier. He still resorts to pull up 2's, or contested mid range shots. His 3P % has been astounding, but can he sustain it consistently? We will see.

If I'm Ainge, I trade off Morris for prospects/assets/picks. I don't think we are going to re-sign him to be honest.

Hayward will eventually get back into shape, and I'm pretty confident he'll be able to average not Utah Jazz numbers, but a solid Horford contribution with mixed assists/solid defense/leadership.

[Rosco917]

Morris is in the midst of his best year as a pro in his free agent year. He's a starter on a team hopefully heading to the playoffs...a team that best succeeds when they share the ball. I don't think anyone can deny that Morris is a valuable asset on the Celtics this year. Career wise he is seeing the light.

Brown is a young player who on the offensive end, is a mostly one-dimensional player who knows that he needs to be aggressive in order to justify the degree of success that was projected for him being a number 3 pick. He hears the comments, he hears all the rumblings. He only knows one way to be effective. He is finding difficulty being useful without the ball in his hands. He isn't a good ball handler, he isn't a willing passer. He continually challenges one on one. He's getting impatient with his growth because he knows that so is Celtic Nation.

The problem is we already have one of those... His name is Jayson Tatum. Tatum with patients should become a top 10-12 player in this league. Jaylen Brown will not...not with he and Tatum being on the same team and being so much alike at the same age.

Jaylen Brown is a natural athlete, Jayson Tatum is a natural basketball player. One needs to go. 

[Moranis]

Like Morris, but his future isn't better than Brown... Let's be honest.

Do we know that for sure?

I know some posters love Brown and are convinced he's a perennial all-star in waiting, but what if he's not? What if his max out is good wing defender/streaky offensive guy that never puts it together? Wouldn't be the first time we've seen that.

I don't think you can rule out a better version Bruce Bowen or Shane Battier type career from Brown, though I would expect him to be far better than that since he has shown more then them thus far.

[Silky]

Morris is in the midst of his best year as a pro in his free agent year. He's a starter on a team hopefully heading to the playoffs...a team that best succeeds when they share the ball. I don't think anyone can deny that Morris is a valuable asset on the Celtics this year. Career wise he is seeing the light.

Brown is a young player who on the offensive end, is a mostly one-dimensional player who knows that he needs to be aggressive in order to justify the degree of success that was projected for him being a number 3 pick. He hears the comments, he hears all the rumblings. He only knows one way to be effective. He is finding difficulty being useful without the ball in his hands. He isn't a good ball handler, he isn't a willing passer. He continually challenges one on one. He's getting impatient with his growth because he knows that so is Celtic Nation.

The problem is we already have one of those... His name is Jayson Tatum. Tatum with patients should become a top 10-12 player in this league. Jaylen Brown will not...not with he and Tatum being on the same team and being so much alike at the same age.

Jaylen Brown is a natural athlete, Jayson Tatum is a natural basketball player. One needs to go.

You cannot just state that Tatum will become a top 10-12 player in the league with patience...

That doesnt make sense to me.

Can he be a great player? Sure, Maybe.
Can Jaylen be a great player? Sure, Maybe.

[kraidstar]

Good lord, the overreactions on this board are insane.

Brown has shot 43-75 (.573) in his last 7 games, and that includes last night's stinker. He seems to be turning it around and everyone jumps down his throat after one rough game. And giving up on good players too early is something I'd expect from the Sacramento Kings, not the Celtics.

This team is loaded with scorers who can create their own shot. It it really any wonder guys' numbers are inconsistent from game to game? Brown doesn't have the ball in his hands a ton, and there literally aren't enough shots to go around. In the end it should be a good problem to have, as we will be very difficult to defend in the half court in the playoffs, and will have tons of fresh athletic bodies to throw at the opposition.

The talent is there. My only concern is that the young guys aren't getting enough minutes. However, it is still a very long season, and there will be opportunities due to injuries and rest. We should be patient, we really are in an amazing, fantastic situation.

[Monkhouse]

Good lord, the overreactions on this board are insane.

Brown has shot 43-75 (.573) in his last 7 games, and that includes last night's stinker. He seems to be turning it around and everyone jumps down his throat after one rough game. And giving up on good players too early is something I'd expect from the Sacramento Kings, not the Celtics.

This team is loaded with scorers who can create their own shot. It it really any wonder guys' numbers are inconsistent from game to game? Brown doesn't have the ball in his hands a ton, and there literally aren't enough shots to go around. In the end it should be a good problem to have, as we will be very difficult to defend in the half court in the playoffs, and will have tons of fresh athletic bodies to throw at the opposition.

The talent is there. My only concern is that the young guys aren't getting enough minutes. However, it is still a very long season, and there will be opportunities due to injuries and rest. We should be patient, we really are in an amazing, fantastic situation.

TP for some sound logic.

Do you believe Morris has a future with the Celtics? What about Rozier?