Rookie is A-OK with taking day off
CELTICS NOTEBOOK
There will be no last man standing on the 2017-18 Celtics, and that’s appropriate, considering the way this team has been ravaged by injuries.
Jayson Tatum, who had the last best chance of playing a full season, returned to the lineup in yesterday’s 112-106 loss to Atlanta after being given a rest during Friday night’s win over Chicago.
He took the end of his chance at ironman status in stride.
“I mean, you don’t get an award or anything. An extra check. It’s fine,” said the rookie forward, who led the Celtics with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting. “(Coach Brad Stevens) called me Thursday and he told me he was thinking about not playing me on Friday. He saw somewhere that I had mentioned something about wanting to play every game. He just wanted to talk to me first to see if I was OK with it. I see the bigger picture.”
Stevens busts chops
Stevens has rolled out his inner comedian much more this season, with some funny, albeit deadpanned, deliveries.
The latest was his take yesterday on the reason behind sitting Marcus Morris against the Hawks. In reality, Morris needed the rest after the most injurious season in his seven-year career.
For the fun of it, Stevens took a poke at the two ejections Morris has suffered over the last week — last Sunday against Toronto and again Friday against Chicago.
“I was joking that I was going to tell you all that we’re sitting to save him money. But, no, not worried about him at all,” said Stevens, who simply wants his forward — a vital piece especially considering the Celtics’ shorthanded situation — to tamp down his emotions a bit heading into the playoffs.
“I always think, ultimately, certainly there’s things that lead to technical fouls or ejections or whatever the case may be,” said Stevens. “Sometimes you disagree with a call, sometimes you get into it with a guy like he did the other day. He knows. He’s 28 years old. He knows. Ultimately, we do talk about it, especially as we get into this time of year and we move forward next week. We have to be able to move on to the next play regardless. And that’s a big part of the game; not everything is going to go your way. I’m not worried about it with Marcus.”
No worries here
Guerschon Yabusele missed the game due to knee soreness, though the team doesn’t seem worried about finding anything negative in his MRI result.
“Clear. Nothing that stood out, but he still has a sore knee, so he won’t play,” said Stevens.
Morris aims to heal
Morris admittedly hasn’t had another year like this one in terms of injuries. He missed his 26th game — most of those absences due to knee trouble — after never missing more than three games in each of his previous four seasons.
Rest was the reason yesterday.
“We see what’s bigger ahead, so I’m giving it a rest, but I’ll still be working out back here. I’ve already done my suit sitting,” Morris said of his plan to work out while the game was being played. “Been different (this year), but at the end of the day we can’t feel sorry for ourselves because the season goes on. Definitely been different, but that’s why you have other guys on the roster.
“This is my seventh year, so I’m big on taking care of my body and eating right. The thing with my knee I couldn’t have stopped in any type of way. You have to be a pro, but I’ve been around for awhile, so I understand.”
Big Al is true leader
When Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer looks at the Celtics’ manpower issue, he knows that at least the team’s leadership needs aren’t an issue thanks to someone who used to fill that role for him — Al Horford.
“Al is willing to do anything at any time for his team,” said Budenholzer “He’s so versatile. I’ve seen him play almost a traditional point guard type of role for stretches of games. He can guard lots of different positions. He’s always doing what is best for the team, and I think everybody sees that and naturally feeds off that and follows his example. Just one of the greatest team guys I’ve been around.”