Brown has HOF support
Young Celtics star gets guidance from Detroit great Thomas
Jaylen Brown has acknowledged things have been different for him this year as Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward have returned to the rotation and his offensive opportunities have at least changed, if not always diminished. Fortunately, a friend and advisor saw this coming and has been discussing it with Brown. And it’s been some Hall of Fame guidance. “We actually talked about this before the season started,” said Detroit legend Isiah Thomas, who has been a supporter of Brown through their mutual ties to Cal. “The thing that I kept emphasizing to him is that, you know, ‘As many shot attempts as you got last year, with Kyrie and Gordon coming back, you’re going to have less shot attempts. So the way you’re going to have to improve is going to be at the foul line. You’ve got to become a better free throw shooter.’ “And we spent the whole summer just talking about foul shooting and trying to get better at the foul line and not measuring yourself on whether you get 18 points or 19 points, but how much are you contributing to the win? “I told him, ‘If you can be the Celtics’ best defender, their best perimeter defender, and you can be a good foul shooter, then you’re going to be on the floor at the end of the game.’” Brown had games of 27 and 25 points against Cleveland in the playoffs and 34 and 30 point nights in the Milwaukee series. But it’ll be hard for him to get that many looks now. Thomas just wants him to stay engaged. “He’s got to stay aggressive,” he said. “I think what I see him constantly doing is he’s got to keep driving the ball to the basket. Although the 3 is good, he’s got to go in there and get the feel-good points. Because the feelgood points are going to help you with your confidence, and then everything will be there for you. He has to just stick to his practice habits and his routine.” By the way, Thomas’ routine has been altered in recent months. Through his holding company, Isiah International, he’s widened his portfolio to include Cheurlin champagne, which dates back to the 1700s in France. He’s recently introduced it into Massachusetts through Horizon Beverage. “There’s been a lot of celebrating going on there, so I figured that would be a good market for champagne,” Thomas said with a laugh, referring to the most recent success of the Red Sox and Patriots. “It seems to be happening a lot.” Thomas’ own introduction to champagne came when it was being poured over his head as the Pistons won their championships in 1989 and 1990. “It took me a while after that to realize I loved drinking it,” he said. “Then I had this opportunity, and it seemed to be fun and a really good fit. I love being involved with a great product.” It’s also noteworthy that Cheurlin has partnered with the NBRPA and a portion of sales is given to help the NBA’s retired players. And while Thomas will always be a Piston at heart, he’s expressed his respect for the Celtics numerous times on these pages. So he’d be more than happy to provide Brown with some Cheurlin bubbly if the C’s can again join the Boston title train.
Celtics timeline
Sunday at Portland, 9 p.m. -Eight days after beginning their five-game, three-timezone road trip in Indianapolis, the Celtics end it here against the Trail Blazers. It will be the Celts’ third game in four nights, and the fact they’ll have to chase around the backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum makes this an exceedingly difficult task. The C’s will need a lot of defensive help from their bench to keep up with the rested Blazers, who are completing a six-game homestand and haven’t played since Thursday. Wednesday vs. Chicagogo, 7:30 p.m. -- Monday will be given to rest and errands for the Celtics after a long flight home from Oregon. Tuesday will be a shake-out-the-cobwebs practice. Then they get to play the battered Bulls. Chicago can hit you with the explosive Zach LaVine, but not much else has gone right consistently here. Friday vs. Toronto, 7 p.m. -There was a lot of hype for the Celtics-Philadelphia opener, but the Raptors are the team about which the C’s have to be most concerned in the East. Kawhi Leonard has played as Toronto hoped -- and as the rest of the conference and, indeed, league feared. And he’s made Kyle Lowry and others better. It was all on display when Leonard had 31 and Serge Ibaka added 21 in a 113-101 win over the Brad Boys the first week of the season in Toronto. It will be interesting to see how the Celts deal with this team at the Garden. Saturday vs. Utah, 7:30 p.m. -- A rare home back-to-back for the Celtics, and it’s against a tough opponent. But they can’t blame the schedule if things don’t go well, because the Jazz had to play the night before in Philadelphia.
Motor City Morris
Marcus Morris was happy to see the Pistons get off to a good start -- albeit it one that was halted by consecutive losses to the Celtics. “I’m happy when they’re doing well,” said the Piston of two years. “I’m a big fan of Detroit. I loved it there. I’m happy they’re moving in the right direction. “It’s a whole different scenario, but there’s something about Detroit and the way that they embraced me. I’ll never have anything bad to say or have any negative feelings about Detroit. I’m just grateful for the opportunity that they gave me.” One of the reasons Morris was so enamored of the Pistons was his coach there, Stan Van Gundy, who has since been replaced by Dwane Casey. “Stan was up front,” Morris said. “I like guys that talk to you straight up, and Stan was definitely one of those guys. “I love Stan. He’s crazy, but I love him. That craziness... some players can take it, some players can’t. And I’m one of those guys that can take it, and it was great. It was good for my career.”