Cup of Joe. Could Marcus Smart get the starting nod?

Good morning! Welcome to CelticsLife's morning column, Cup of Joe. Each morning we feature a few quick-hitters from the previous night; the important stuff, the not so important stuff. The weird, the wild, the in between. A nice, mindless morning column to start your day off with. So pull up a chair, grab your Morning Joe, and find out what happened last night while you were sleeping.

Could Marcus Smart getting the starting nod sooner than later?

While there hasn't been any communication from Celtics management that this'll happen, one certainly has to wonder. Especially when you consider that Smart is coming off his best assist game ever (9), and got the starting nod over Turner in the second half after the Celtics came out as flat as could be (highlighted by the Celtics starters combining for 18 points in the first half).

It certainly feels like the time is right for a shift in the guard. The Celtics have been among the worst teams in pace since trading Rondo, and it has really, really shown.

Nets and Nuggets discussing Brook Lopez trade

The Denver Nuggets included a first round pick in their trade offer to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez.

The Nuggets were also offering J.J. Hickson and JaVale McGee in their trade package for Lopez. Denver recently acquired two first round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Timofey Mozgov.

The Nets have elected to decline and keep Lopez for now.

Source: Marc Stein, ESPN

As much as I'd love to say this is the Nets being the Nets, this probably makes sense - all three of the players involved are under contract next year (Lopez has a player option he's most likely to exercise), so it's not like this would free up any money for the Nets. And while I personally am pretty low on Brook Lopez, he's big and he's skilled, there's always going to be a team whose willing to part with a late first rounder for him.


100% necessary.

Vintage WTHHT: What the Hell Happened to... Blue Edwards
authored by TB727

Theodore was called "Blue" by his sister when he was little because his sister saw him turn that color while choking. (I suppose it's better than being named Anfernee.) He was drafted by the Jazz in the first round of the 1989 draft after having a stellar college career at East Carolina University. Maybe you remember Blue Edwards.

His rookie season for Utah, Blue made the All Rookie 2nd Team, which is the same honor current Celtics Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace attained their rookie season in 1996. His first 3 years in the league he played with the Jazz alongside Stockton and Malone. After the 1992 season, he was dealt to Milwaukee along with Eric Murdock for Jay Humphries (some foreshadowing) and Larry Krystokwiak. His first season with the Bucks he would lead tie the team in scoring, at 16.9 ppg, actually with Frank Brickowski.

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