Tag: Brian Windhorst

ESPN Ranks Jayson Tatum as the 23rd Best Player in the NBA and I Feel Some Sort of Way

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So the Celtics have been getting a lot of love on ESPN’s Top 100 Players ranking they’ve been slowly releasing over the past couple of weeks with 6 (and counting) players cracking the list. But, what has me all jazzed up is the hype around my boy Jayson Tatum. After an excellent rookie season, Tatum looks ready to take the next leap into superstardom and ESPN seems to agree.

A quick explanation of how ESPN ranks these players:

“NBArank is a prediction for the coming season. Dozens of panelists from across ESPN, The Undefeated and FiveThirtyEight — TV analysts, reporters, editors, producers and researchers — voted to forecast which players would be best in 2018-19, taking into account both the quality and the quantity of their contributions.”

Before we get to Tatum, lets take a look at the full breakdown of every Celtics players that made the list. (ESPN has yet to release the Top 20 players yet so obviously Kyrie Irving is in there somewhere.)

  • Terry Rozier – No. 82
    • Rozier went from fans complaining Danny Ainge wouldn’t throw him into trades for rentals like Serge Ibaka to a lethal scorer off the bench that even spawned an iconic nickname in Scary Terry.
  • Marcus Smart – No. 55
    • Smart is the ultimate enigma as a player that is an average to awful shooter who doesn’t put up big scoring numbers, but is a defensive savant and is the energy guy to end all energy guys. It’s tough to rate a player that makes all the little plays, but the Celtics sorely missed him when he was out last year.
  • Gordon Hayward – No. 40
    • This is a 20 spot drop for Hayward, which seems like a bit much, but thats almost entirely due to uncertainty after missing all of last season. How will Hayward mesh with the Celtics was an interesting question last year and that was before the emergence of Tatum and Jaylen Brown. A good problem to have indeed.
  • Jaylen Brown – No. 37
    • A HUGE jump for Jaylen as he wasn’t even on the list last year. With a career best 39.5% from 3-pt range, 18 PPG in the playoffs, all while becoming an elite defender, Brown will be a huge factor for the C’s this season. He just may need to adjust to less playing time with the explosion of Tatum and the return of Hayward.
  • Al Horford – No. 34
    • Say it louder for the people in the back, ESPN. “Average” Al is the 34th best player in the league according to this survey. Horford may thrive this year as he’ll be asked less than he already is to be a leading scorer, which should allow him to facilitate until the cows come home.
  • Jayson Tatum – N0. 24
    • Obviously last year was Tatum’s rookie season so he wasn’t on this list before because he was still playing at DUKE. To go from playing for Coach K to being ranked the 24th best player in the NBA at the age of 20 is unreal. This truly has me feeling some kind of way. As I said over and over again last year, Jayson Tatum is a future 1st Team All-NBA player and he only got better as the season went along.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about Tatum as we gear up for his sophomore season.

“Tatum evolved from role-playing starter into playoff closer, calmly averaging 18.5 PPG in 19 postseason games, looking like a longtime star in the process. With Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back, it will be interesting to see if Tatum is asked to take a backseat.

Given Brad Stevens’ willingness to put his five best players on the floor regardless of position, I wouldn’t expect Tatum’s minutes to decline. He can play some small-ball 4 and has proved he can remain efficient without volume. With that said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get fewer opportunities given Boston’s multitude of weapons”

Now before we all crown the Celtics champions lets remember it’s still September so anything can happen. Guys can take a step back, players can shatter their ankles, or another Super Team could rise out of the ground, but this Celtics team looks special. Not only are they chock full of talent, but they are so, so flexible that its scary. Just about every guy in their starting 5 can switch onto almost any position on defense. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could probably stand next to each other and cover the entire width of the basketball court. Or just give them the ball and get out of the way as we saw in the playoffs last year. Horford is the ultimate facilitator and we haven’t even seen this team play with Gordon Hayward yet.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe is even more hyped about this team‘s potential than I am:

“This quintet is the most exciting group since Golden State stumbled into the Death Lineup: Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford.”

Them fighting words. The Death Lineup is essentially the most efficient lineup in NBA history by most metrics. The Death Lineup is just lethal from any position as it features a starting 5 of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green. So to be compared to that?

Still not enough Celtics love for you? Alright lets pump their tires even more with these excerpts. Anddd go!

Brian Windhorst: “I’m bullish on Jayson Tatum’s future. (I know, join the club.) I think he has an outside shot to be a top-10 player next season.. I think the guy is an absolute stud in the making…I think he’s still ranked too low. I see him and the Celtics as having huge seasons.”

Kevin Pelton: “Tatum is nearly [a top 20 player] at age 20, making him a safe bet to reach the top 10.

Not to mention Tatum has been studying and practicing with some guy named Kobe Bryant so that may help him improve even further. Kobe has embraced the mentor role much better than I thought he would in retirement and thats a game changer for Tatum who has essentially modeled his entire game around the Hall of Famer.

Just a quick reminder that the Celtics are back on the court and playing organized basketball once again in just seven days. Then the regular season, and the sky high expectations that go along with it, kicks off October 16th at home as the 76ers come to town.

 

Lets Review Celtics vs Cavs One More Time, It’ll Be Cathartic I Promise

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Before I even write one word, I will admit this is all coming from a Celtics fan that just got got by LeBron James…again. So I may not be the most objective person in the world, but, the ball washing of LeBron that we are now witnessing is unprecedented. Its the number 1 reason a lot of people just cannot get on board as a fan of LBJ, despite being a once in a lifetime talent.

It hit its peak during this Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron James won the series with a herculean performance no doubt. In the 2018 playoffs he is averaging 34 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Thats bananas, but going into this series how many people actually picked the Celtics to win while being lead by a bunch of guys in their early twenties?

Lets go to the board!

Oh look three people.

Of the 22 ESPN “Experts” polled, all but three picked the Cavs to win the series, two of whom are Boston writers. And only 5 predicted the series would even go 7 games, so we can’t just turn around now and say it was some miraculous effort that LeBron willed this team to a win after you all picked him to win outright 2 weeks ago.

Hell ESPN said the same exact thing before the C’s played the Sixers too, giving them almost no shot of winning.

So is this a young underachieving team that got exactly as far as it possibly could? Or is this LeBron the savy vet, the all-time great somehow, some way getting past a Celtics team MISSING THEIR TWO BEST PLAYERS.

Its just recency bias.

Going into this series no one gave the C’s a shot because they were too young and inexperienced. Then the C’s win the first two to flip the script and put the pressure back on the Cavs. After battling back and winning the series though people are legitimately saying this is LeBron’s greatest achievement ever. The guy who has won three titles and is going to his 8th straight NBA Finals, beating the Celtics WHO WERE MISSING THEIR TWO BEST PLAYERS in 7 games is his greatest feat.

So while most of us still feel like this:

You gotta remember once Kyrie Irving went down we all said if the Celtics can get out of the first round then the rest is gravy. So while this loss stings, I know this team will be right back in it and competing for a title in a few months. This team took LeBron James, the greatest player of our generation, to 7 games on the back of a 20 year old rookie in Jayson Tatum.

So for the national media to come out as if this is some grand upset for LeBron and the Cavs to beat the Celtics WHO WERE MISSING THEIR TWO BEST PLAYERS is laughable.

Too many people are pointing to the Cavs supporting cast and saying LeBron has no help. Well, first off this is entirely his doing. If LeBron had committed to staying in Cleveland beyond dinner time then this team would be able to build around him with the security in knowing he won’t be jetting this summer. Plus most of these bums that people point to are guys that LeBron the GM forced his team to acquire and overpay for, whether its Tristan Thompson, JR Smith, or even Kevin Love himself. LeBron has forced this team to trade No. 1 overall picks, overpay aging role players, and had such a toxic relationship with a 25-year-old stud in Kyrie Irving that he forced a trade. All of that combined had a Cavs team constantly scrambling and slapping band-aids on a team that was generally building for right now rather than striking a balance and building for the long term. Thats how teams get old and supporting casts get slow. Thats on LeBron so I will shed no tears for that one.

Have we also forgotten the national reaction to the Cavs shaking up their entire roster at the trade deadline? The Cavs were not lighting up the world and Isaiah Thomas wasn’t a great fit so they hit the reset button on their roster and brought in Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, and Rodney Hood. The national media all said the Cavs were the team to beat hands down after that.

Now to pretend like the Cavs weren’t always the favorite in the East and this is some grand magic trick by LeBron is just dishonest.

So, no I won’t build a statue for him because his team, who was the favorite to win the series, won the series in 7 games while the Celtics…say it with me…WERE MISSING THEIR TWO BEST PLAYERS.

I must tip my cap to the man though. After torturing him during the early years of his career and chasing him from Cleveland, LeBron has poetically paid the Celtics back year after year. The guy is incredible and as much as he drives me nuts, he is a joy to watch because he’s just that good. Gotta give credit where it’s due, and as Brian Windhorst points out, the guy is money. He may have imploded more when he was younger, but LeBron James just doesn’t choke these days.

“James has won six straight Game 7s over the past 10 years, two of them on the road. He has won seven of the past eight elimination games he’s been in, including three this postseason. And he has now come from 2-0 down to win a series three times in his career. That has happened only 20 times in seven-game series in NBA history.”

We’ll see you guys next year, until then best of luck to LeBron as the Cavs are a -1000 underdog to the Warriors in the Finals. Godspeed.

 

What’s Funnier – Stephen A. Smith Saying Lebron Wants To Beat Up Kyrie Or The Notion Of Lebron Being In A Physical Altercation, In General, Ever?

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You’ve by now no doubt seen this little story regarding Stephen A. reporting that Lebron wants to beat up Kyrie. Now add to that Lebron angrily denying it and their ensuing cat-fight. I think Smith actually threatened Lebron today a la the same way he did Kevin Durant awhile back. whatever.

Now, I hate Lebron James with every fiber of my being and I admit that. I think he is an overrated, pretentious, narcissistic asshole. However, I will pay him a compliment. I think he probably does the best “hold me back” in recorded human history. He is a solid actor, as evidenced by all the flopping he does and shocked faces he makes. I can absolutely picture him, standing 6’8, seeing Kyrie Irving from across the nail salon and shouting for his bodyguards, standing 6’9, as a 6’8 man tends to need, to hold him back, or else.

Let’s call it like it is people. Lebron James has been coddled, insulated, and treated like a princess since he was in High School. He, as a product of a single mother, single income household, famously rolled up to St. Francis-St. Mary in a Hummer. At 32 years old, caring more about your #brand than anything else on earth, when your knuckles are part of your livelihood, you don’t decide to take up solving your problems in a physical manner, at least not personally. It would do too much damage to both his d-bag image and possibly his career if he hurt his hand.

Now I’ll say this is also a another one of a growing number huge losses for Stephen A. . He is more and more being called out for the lack of substance in what he says and since Brian Windhorst has the Lebron lapdog market cornered, Stephen A. is grasping at straws when it comes to breaking stories about Queen James.

Overall though this is still a bigger Lebron loss, as he looks like he’s playing Tommy Toughguy. You could tie Kyrie’s hands behind his back and I doubt LBJ would swing. WEST ORANGE, NJ STAND UP.

In Ultimate F-U to Fans, Warriors Will Sell 30-Year-Long “Seat Licenses” Just for the Right to Buy Season Tickets

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ESPN – The Golden State Warriors are bringing the personal seat license to the NBA. Officials with the defending NBA champions acknowledged Wednesday that to get season tickets at the team’s new privately financed $1 billion Chase Center, which is slated to open in 2019, fans will have to pay a fee for the right to buy those tickets…The Warriors would return the money the fan paid for the right to buy tickets after 30 years. That essentially means the personal seat license, which will be called a “membership,” is acting as an interest-free, tax-free loan to the team for three decades. Fans can transfer or give back the license before the 30 years are up, so they aren’t required to commit to the full term, but they won’t get their money back until Year 30.

What. A. Scam. A Personal Seat License? Look as a business this is brilliant. Especially if people are dumb enough (and they are) to pay for this. Oh you want the right to buy tickets in this stadium we just built? Well thats gonna cost you. You need to pay me money for the right to pay me money. Genius.

But as a fan? Fuckkkk that. Again, Im sure the Golden State Warriors will have zero problem selling these in Silicon Valley, but I’m still pissed if I’m a fan. I essentially have to write you a check that you hold onto for 30 YEARS just so I can pay you thousands more per year for season tickets. This is like Ticketmaster on steroids. I despise Ticketmaster for this very reason. They’ve charged bullshit “convenience fees” and “maintenance fees” for years. $15 so I can print out one ticket at home? Kick rocks, Ticketmaster. I’ve been calling shenanigans on them for a decade. And now an NBA franchise is going to take this model and just RUN with it.

But, this is what happens when you have a $400M bill looming. The Warriors, by the grace of tax cap god, were able to fit Kevin Durant under the cap along with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, plus ya know the other 10 guys to fill a roster. Except what comes with massive amounts of payroll and multiple max contracts? Luxury taxes. What happens when you consistently go over the luxury tax? The League RAPES you on more taxes.

I saw a graphic on ESPN where Brian Windhorst and the crew were talking about how in 3 or so years, with all of the luxury taxes, if the Warriors keep their team together as currently constructed, their overall payroll would be $400 MILLION DOLLARS. Even for billionaire professional sports franchise owners, thats a tough pill to swallow.

So, as usual, might as well pass the buck along to the fan so he’s the one holding the bag. For 30 fucking years.

LeBron Littlefinger James Continues to Pull the Strings and Gets Cavs GM Fired

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ESPN – The Cleveland Cavaliers have parted ways with general manager David Griffin, the team announced Monday. Griffin’s contract was up at the end of the month, and after extensive talks with owner Dan Gilbert, no agreement on an extension was reached..Cavs star LeBron James, who sources said was not consulted on the decision, tweeted out support of Griffin.

Jesus christ, ya drop 2 out of 3 NBA Finals and all of a sudden Cleveland is turning into a complete shitshow. Canning the GM days before the draft, while the guy is also balls deep into trade discussions just reeks of an impulse decision. Or who knows, maybe Griffin was sick of hearing shit from both ends, getting badgered by ownership and by LeBron, and just said FUCK THIS I’m out.

Either way, this is classic LeBron “I’m not the GM”  James through and through. Griffin built the second best team in the NBA and did just about everything LeBron wanted. He traded Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love. The No. 1 overall pick and LeBron said send that teenager packing I need the white boy who can hit some 3’s and Griffin did it. He gave a max contract to Tristan fucking Thompson.

LeBron bitched the team didn’t have enough talent so Griffin traded for Andrew Bogut (who actually got hurt) and brought in guys like Kyle Korver and Derron Williams. Then the Cavs just happened to run into an all-time team in the Warriors and it wasn’t good enough. Instead of sitting down and figuring out, okay how the hell are we gonna beat these guys in Golden State, ya know, like a competitor would do – instead LeBron throws a bitch fit and gets the GM fired.

LeBron is basically the Littlefinger of the NBA. GM’s getting ousted, coaches getting fired, nonsensical trades and deals being made. The guy just loves the chaos.

LeBron’s little buddy Brian Windhorst can report all he wants how LeBron was “surprised” by the move:

But everyone knows whats up. Griffin was just LeBron’s latest fall guy. He’s the new Mike Brown. The new David Blatt. I’m not the coach, I’m not the GM, you guys built this shitty team not me so I’m gonna throw a temper tantrum and threaten to leave unless you axe this guy.

And that is why we don’t negotiate with terrorists. You pamper these guys and give them everything they want and then they turn around and throw everyone under the bus for making the exact moves you wanted them to make. Sorry LeBron, the Cavs are literally barren of assets to trade for a guy like Jimmy Butler or Paul George because of all these fucking moves you wanted the Cavs to make over the years.

Welp, godspeed to the next guy who’s got to take that job and get cucked by LeBron every day. Rumors are picking up steam now though that Chauncey Billups may actually take the job, which is probably the best thing for the Cavs despite Chauncey Billups having zero experience in the role. Billups can be the Ty Lue of the front office. Ty Lue, the guy who legit told LeBron to go fuck himself, was the best thing for LeBron. So there’s your blueprint Chauncey, godspeed.

LeBron James Complains Cavaliers Aren’t Spending Enough; Have Actually Spent the Most Money in the NBA

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ESPN – Tension between LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ leadership is centered on payroll spending, multiple sources told ESPN. Gilbert paid $82 million in salaries and $7 million in luxury tax in 2014-15, when the Cavs reached the NBA Finals. Last season, when Cleveland won the championship, Gilbert paid $107 million in salaries and $54 million in luxury tax. The Cavs (30-14) are currently committed to $127.5 million in salaries and $27 million in luxury taxes for this season. They have spent more than any other NBA team over the three-year span.

How bout this fuckin guy? Less than a week after throwing all his teammates under the bus, LeBron is now coming after management! Dude is a child. Things aren’t going his way and he is lashing out at everyone else. Windhorst, watch your back.

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But the worst part is he’s subtly ripping the team for not spending enough, when in reality the Cavs have spent THE MOST MONEY IN THE NBA over the past 3 years. Dan Gilbert probably secretly wants this guy dead. Gilbert paid $50 million in luxury taxes last year. Hey Bron Bron, even the guy who owns Quickens Loans is saying pump the brakes on opening the checkbook.