Heated between Morris and Brown during timeout in Miami

[gpap]

Yeah, if someone twice his size got on Morris every time he dogged it getting back... he'd go to HR.

But I don't see a future for Morris here. He's a selfish contract year chucker. The shots are falling and he is playing hard, but if I could pick someone to sacrifice shots and minutes so Rozier/Brown/Tatum/TimeLord can get more reps, he's first on my list.

If there is a consolidation trade to be made during the season to get under the tax, it must be done, and he should be one of those out (with Theis, who has so obviously lost his hops post-injury) We could hopefully return a legit backup C to Baynes.

Not sure what Marcus Morris you've been watching, but the one I've been watching has helped reshape our starting lineup for the better and has been one of our most consistent players.

Me personally, I like guys who can play well (crazy huh??)

[gpap]

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.

Wrong. He's been a starter on every team he's been on before Boston and if he keeps playing this well, I would strongly consider giving him an extension.

[nickagneta]

Didn't see it as a big deal. Jaylen shouldn't dog it back on defense while he pouts or complains about a call or no call. Just shouldn't do it, but young players do what they see being done by players across the league, old and young, on his team or not, complain to the refs and dog it getting back on defense after a missed call or bad shot.

My guess is Jaylen and every youngster on the team has seen Morris, Kyrie, Smart and other vets on this complain to refs while taking their time to get back on defense or dogged getting back after a miss. So maybe Morris getting vocal in front of the crowd wasn't looked at as veteran love given Jaylen has seen Morris dog it a lot...... and he definitely does.

Overall, it's no big deal. Brown definitely needs to not take his time getting back on defense and Morris probably needs to be less vociferous with the youngsters when he tells them to not do things he does a lot.

[keevsnick]

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.

Not true at all, he has been terrible on D this whole year as general despite physical advantage and it frustrates his teammates, to a point they have to yell at him on the court to try to wake him up from being lazy on D

What r you talking about? His defense hasn't been as good as last year when it was borderline all NBA, but it certainly has not been bad let alone terrible.

[blink]

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.

Not true at all, he has been terrible on D this whole year as general despite physical advantage and it frustrates his teammates, to a point they have to yell at him on the court to try to wake him up from being lazy on D

What r you talking about? His defense hasn't been as good as last year when it was borderline all NBA, but it certainly has not been bad let alone terrible.

+1

[gouki88]

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.

Wrong. He's been a starter on every team he's been on before Boston and if he keeps playing this well, I would strongly consider giving him an extension.

Unsure why Moranis has some personal bone to pick with Mook, but it’s clearly clouded his judgement lol

[tstorey_97]

Two things to add here.

Morris is a veteran player having his career year. If he thinks Brown needs a bark? Bark a way.

Smart yapped at Brown a couple of times last year when I was watching the game.

Last season Brown was often put on the opponent's top player...he knows how to play defense.

About last night...the starters coughed it all up late in the second and the start of the third...each one of them looked awful with missed shots and turnovers. They had to get rescued by freaking Bob.

My guess is Morris/Brown has been brewing and Morris did it for Brown's own good. What I mean is, it was calculated.     

[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.

Wrong. He's been a starter on every team he's been on before Boston and if he keeps playing this well, I would strongly consider giving him an extension.

Morris has started right around 50% of the games he has played in his career.  He started every game in Detroit for his 2 seasons, but other than that has been a bit starter in Houston, Phoenix, and even Boston often just starting when other players are injured (which is what moved him into the starting lineup this year).  He is a bench level player that starts occasionally, it doesn't make him a starter level player.  He is playing very well this year, but this far into a career it seems far more like a fluke then something sustainable.  Maybe he proves me wrong and keeps this up for the rest of the year and into the future, but if I was going to bet on it, I'd bet his second half will be him reverting more to what he has always been, which isn't a bad player, but isn't the player he has been through 37 games this year either.

Given his salary and how close Boston is to dropping under the luxury tax, I think there is a very good chance he gets moved in a trade where Boston drops some salary so it can get below the tax. 

[Big333223]

The thing I haven't heard anyone talk about is how Smart's great defense extends beyond the court. See him step into the fray before Morris puts a hand on Brown, because Smart sees where this is headed and calmly places himself in the middle to stop anything from escalating too far. For a guy who struggles so much to keep his own head on straight, Smart is a great leader who knows how to defuse a situation when teammates start to loose theirs.

The altercation itself doesn't both me much. Morris probably shouldn't have shoved Brown. Brown needs to keep his head up and stay focused on the next play.

[Monkhouse]

The thing I haven't heard anyone talk about is how Smart's great defense extends beyond the court. See him step into the fray before Morris puts a hand on Brown, because Smart sees where this is headed and calmly places himself in the middle to stop anything from escalating too far. For a guy who struggles so much to keep his own head on straight, Smart is a great leader who knows how to defuse a situation when teammates start to loose theirs.

The altercation itself doesn't both me much. Morris probably shouldn't have shoved Brown. Brown needs to keep his head up and stay focused on the next play.

That was the case the past few years, but he's been pretty levelheaded as of recently.

[gpap]

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.

Wrong. He's been a starter on every team he's been on before Boston and if he keeps playing this well, I would strongly consider giving him an extension.

Morris has started right around 50% of the games he has played in his career.  He started every game in Detroit for his 2 seasons, but other than that has been a bit starter in Houston, Phoenix, and even Boston often just starting when other players are injured (which is what moved him into the starting lineup this year).  He is a bench level player that starts occasionally, it doesn't make him a starter level player.  He is playing very well this year, but this far into a career it seems far more like a fluke then something sustainable.  Maybe he proves me wrong and keeps this up for the rest of the year and into the future, but if I was going to bet on it, I'd bet his second half will be him reverting more to what he has always been, which isn't a bad player, but isn't the player he has been through 37 games this year either.

Given his salary and how close Boston is to dropping under the luxury tax, I think there is a very good chance he gets moved in a trade where Boston drops some salary so it can get below the tax.

Why does it matter if they get below the tax or not? This another way of saying "we're cheaping out and not caring about the product on the court"

That's the wrong way to go and an insult to the fans. If they trade Morris for a bunch of crap (or some like to call "assets") it signifies the Celts care more about pinching pennies than winning a championship. I don't see that happening and Wyc just recently said he's willing to go into the luxury tax.

Trading a defensive but injury prone guard like Bradley for Morris was a good trade. Just let it be.

[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.

Wrong. He's been a starter on every team he's been on before Boston and if he keeps playing this well, I would strongly consider giving him an extension.

Morris has started right around 50% of the games he has played in his career.  He started every game in Detroit for his 2 seasons, but other than that has been a bit starter in Houston, Phoenix, and even Boston often just starting when other players are injured (which is what moved him into the starting lineup this year).  He is a bench level player that starts occasionally, it doesn't make him a starter level player.  He is playing very well this year, but this far into a career it seems far more like a fluke then something sustainable.  Maybe he proves me wrong and keeps this up for the rest of the year and into the future, but if I was going to bet on it, I'd bet his second half will be him reverting more to what he has always been, which isn't a bad player, but isn't the player he has been through 37 games this year either.

Given his salary and how close Boston is to dropping under the luxury tax, I think there is a very good chance he gets moved in a trade where Boston drops some salary so it can get below the tax.

Why does it matter if they get below the tax or not? This another way of saying "we're cheaping out and not caring about the product on the court"

That's the wrong way to go and an insult to the fans. If they trade Morris for a bunch of crap (or some like to call "assets") it signifies the Celts care more about pinching pennies than winning a championship. I don't see that happening and Wyc just recently said he's willing to go into the luxury tax.

Trading a defensive but injury prone guard like Bradley for Morris was a good trade. Just let it be.

Because paying the repeater tax for more than a season is untenable.  It just makes the commitment to great.  I mean just look at the Warriors this year.  They couldn't match a 3 million offer on Patrick McCaw because it would have cost them 11.3 million more in luxury tax (in addition to his 3 million salary).  So they lost a usable cheap bench player because the cost to keep him was astronomical.  And the Warriors aren't even a repeater tax team yet. 

Delaying when Boston is paying the tax, delays when Boston becomes a repeater tax team, which is actually optimal for creating and keeping the team together.  I'd much rather have Boston delay the tax so that it can better afford a team that is better suited to win the title, as even if this teams gets out of the East the odds of it actually beating the West team is very small.  That is of course if Boston even gets out of the East, which looks less likely by the week as Boston still wouldn't even have homecourt in any playoff round right now.  I mean at Philly, at Toronto, at Milwaukee doesn't look like a great road to getting out of the East.

[Big333223]

I like what Morris has to say about it:

“Nothing major,” Brown said, via The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “Let it go. Move on.”

Morris went into far more detail.

“We moved past it after the timeout,” Morris said, via Himmelsbach. “I know everybody wants to catch everything on camera, but catch the stuff that happens afterward, when we sat right beside each other and it was over. I know social media is going to make a big deal about something like that, but I feel as though I’m one of the leaders on this team, so if I have an engagement with any of my teammates, we all know that it’s basketball-related and it goes nothing past the court. It’s just two guys that both care about the game, and that’s all it was.”

Morris also added that teammates have to be open with each other, and that if it leads to a little physicality it’s not a huge deal.

“When you’re as competitive as we both are, tempers can get hot,” Morris said, via Boston.com. “That’s all it was.

https://nesn.com/2019/01/heres-what-jaylen-brown-marcus-morris-had-to-say-about-timeout-skirmish-vs-heat/