Tatum Won't Call This His Team. That Says More Than the…

By the Celtics Nightly Desk · Tuesday, September 29

Boston spent September 29 talking instead of playing, with Tatum, George, Conley and Scheierman all on record across five outlets before a single preseason possession tips off. The record is still 0-0, and the first number this camp has to answer is whether a $203.9 million payroll, already above the $200.4 million tax line, was spent correctly.

Celtics Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Five outlets covered Media Day. The scoreboard stayed at zero.

CelticsBlog, MassLive, ESPN, Boston.com and Celtics.com each filed Media Day recaps on September 29, from Conley's outlook heading into his 20th season, per CelticsBlog's Ryan Paice, to Scheierman telling CelticsBlog's Bill Sy, 'We're just gonna hoop.' None of it moves the record off 0-0; camp has yet to produce a preseason box score.

Tatum drew distance between himself and the post-trade roster.

ESPN reported Tatum said he is 'comfortable' leading the new group, while CelticsBlog's Grant Burfeind wrote that Tatum isn't interested in calling these Celtics 'his team.' Boston.com quoted Brown, dealt away this summer, saying athletes are 'more than line-items or stats on a sheet.'

George described his own motive as new, not settled business.

MassLive's Brian Robb reported George revealed a 'new motive' after the trade that brought him to Boston, and Boston.com quoted him saying he used to 'despise' the Celtics but now, 'I wish I was here a lot sooner.' He joins a roster carrying $203.9 million in salary, above the $200.4 million luxury tax line.

The calendar will settle more than any quote from camp.

Preseason opens October 8 at Cleveland, then three more exhibitions before the regular-season opener October 20 at Detroit on NBC/Peacock. Last season's top returning five-man unit, Brown-White-Queta-Pritchard-Hauser, ran a plus-17.9 mark in 200 minutes, but Brown is now with Philadelphia, leaving Boston to replace that figure instead of repeating it.

When does the Celtics season actually start?

Preseason opens October 8 at Cleveland, and the regular season begins October 20 at Detroit on NBC/Peacock.

What's Boston's payroll situation entering camp?

The Celtics carry a $203.9 million payroll, above the $200.4 million luxury tax line.

By the Celtics Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.