ESPN – LeBron James directed a cease-and-desist order of sorts on Tuesday to LaVar Ball, the outspoken father of three — including star UCLA freshman Lonzo Ball — who said earlier this month that his children are set up better for future success than those of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ star. “Keep my kids’ name out of your mouth. Keep my family out of your mouth,” James said of LaVar Ball to ESPN on Tuesday
“Seriously Dad, stop. LeBron is going to make a point out of posterizing me when they play the Celtics next year.” Something like that is how I imagine the Ball household right now with LaVar talking shit non-stop. Lonzo must be loving this. Your father just chirping the two guys who have won 6 of the last 8 MVPs in LeBron and Steph Curry. Because I’m sure next fall when they see the rookie on the court they’re not going to make it a point to try and stuff Lonzo in a locker just to spite his loudmouth father.
LaMar basically said LeBron’s kids are gonna be bums because their father was too good. And LeBron rightfully so told LaMar to shut the fuck up. I mean, I get riled up when someone says something about my dog so LeBron and I are basically on the same page here. Godspeed Lonzo. Do not be surprised when LeBron is targeting you with off the backboard slams because of some shit your dad said.
The Undefeated – “Just like Rajon Rondo used to set up the fast break for the Boston Celtics, he is setting up a vacation with his former Celtics teammates from the 2008 NBA championship team to celebrate the nearing of the 10-year anniversary of their title. This party, however, doesn’t include an invite to ex-Celtics star guard Ray Allen. “I asked a couple of the guys. I got a no, a no head shake,” said Rondo to The Undefeated when asked why Allen wasn’t invited.”
If there’s anyone that can hold a grudge it’s Rajon fucking Rondo. It’s been five years since Ray Allen ditched the Celtics to chase a ring with blood rival Miami. And Rajon still wants Ray dead.
“It will be a long story about that, but it is what it is,” Rondo, who plays for the Chicago Bulls, told The Undefeated. “I don’t know a good analogy to put this in. It just wasn’t the greatest separation. It wasn’t the greatest thing that could’ve happened to us as a team, a bond. We were at war with those guys [Miami]. To go with the enemy, that’s unheard-of in sports. Well, it’s not so unheard of. It’s damn near common now.”
I actually find it refreshing. Everyone is friends in the NBA now. It’s the AAU generation, all these guys grew up playing on teams together and then once they’re playing against each other in the NBA they just publicly opine about how they wanna play together or in Miami’s case massively collude to get it done. We need more venom in this league.
Now I’m sure all those stories over the years of how Rajon and Ray just didn’t ever get along contribute to this. For whatever reason they just always kind hated each other. Kinda like Jesus Shuttlesworth and his dad really, but I digress…
It’s not only Rondo though. Garnett and Pierce are like old college roommates, they’re still boys. But Ray never seems to be included in that circle of trust. It sounds like he always kind of kept his teammates at arms length, even in the good old days. I remember a story of how Ray was the only guy not to show up for teammates’ charity events like a total asshole. This isn’t football where theres like 50+ guys on the roster. This is basketball where you only have to deal with 10-12 guys.
Even Pierce let some venom slip in an old interview. This seems more like someone who got dumped w/o explanation and harbors resentment for the way it ended.
“That was a tough situation because we thought it was betrayal,” Pierce said. “That’s why the whole thing evolved like it did with us not talking to him. Ray didn’t really have the best relationship with Rondo anyway. That was nothing. [Rondo], me and Kevin, he didn’t have any talk with us [before his Miami decision].”
And don’t forget when KG basically told Ray to go piss up a rope when he came back as a member of the Heat and tried to dap him up. Denied.
It’s a shame the Celtics didn’t win another title when Garnett, Pierce and Allen were all here. Seems like they definitely should’ve won 2 if not 3 rings together. Ray did exactly what he set out to do though. He jumped ship and singlehandedly saved LeBron’s ass and pretty much delivered him a ring with that corner 3 in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, which is probably what hurts his former teammates the most.
Episode 005 of The 300s Podcast is straight fire flames. We talk the early mayhem that is NFL Free Agency, Jimmy G on the trading block, Bruins surging after canning Claude Julien, the Celtics making zero moves at the trade deadline, Red Sox Spring Training and why the World Baseball Classic is a disaster.
CSNNE – “Appearing on “In the Zone with Chris Broussard,” the former Celtics big man expressed his frustrations with Doc Rivers, under whom he won the only NBA title of his career…Because what Doc had in ’08 was special and he was lucky as hell. Lucky as hell. The year before that, they was wearing trash bags. [He could have gotten fired and] nobody would [make] a peep.”
There is one reason and one reason only that Glen Davis is ripping Doc Rivers and that is because of his nickname; Big Baby. I always liked Big Baby, he was a decent player, a key bench guy for the 07 championship team and he was a ton of fun to watch back in the Shrek and Donkey days with Nate Robinson:
But this just sounds like the sourest of grapes. I think I can actually pinpoint the exact moment that Baby snapped and turned on Doc.
Now I also think that its fair game to question and criticize Doc. Back before the Big 3 era Doc wasn’t an up and coming genius of a coach. In fact I remember Bill Simmons had a near crusade to get the guy fired. Then once the Celtics had 3 Hall of Famers on the squad he was all of a sudden a better coach. It’s a lot easier to coach 3 HOF talents hungry as hell to win, but I think thats selling the guy a bit short because how many talented teams do we see implode, especially with older players. The argument is there though. Especially when you look at Doc’s Clippers and how they’ve never gotten over the hump despite being loaded with talent. And the Celtics have been just fine post-Doc with Brad Stevens at the helm.
But then you read quotes like this:
“I would play good games and Doc wouldn’t even give me, ‘Hey, what up?’ I’d play a great game and he’d be, ‘Go do it again.’ You know, you want to hear that, ‘Hey, great job, kid. Good job, man. Keep it up,’ but not, ‘Go do it again.”
And it sounds like Glen Davis is pissed because the coach never took him to Denny’s for a Grand Slam after a game.
Never forget the good times though, like when he hit that game winner against Orlando in the playoffs and almost truck sticked a little kid celebrating.
I’m as frustrated as the rest of you that the Celtics didn’t make any trades, not a single move, but at the risk of sounding like a Green Teamer did we really want to blow up our team for another guy? If you believe the rumors of what Larry Legend wanted for Paul George (both Brooklyn picks and 3/4 of Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder) then there’s no way in hell you make that deal.
I don’t even need to leave the Atlantic Conference to point out the last blockbuster trade a team gutted their roster to acquire a new stud; the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony.
The Knicks sent Wilson Chandler (16.4 ppg that year), Raymond Felton (17.1 ppg that year), Danilo Gallinari (15.9 ppg that year), Timofey Mozgov and a 2014 first-round draft pick and two second-round picks to the Nuggets. All this when Melo was set to become a free agent like 4 months later. So say what you want, but the Knicks did themselves no favors in gutting the roster. “Felton, Gallinari, Mozgov and Chandler were four of New York’s top six players,” this 2011 ESPN article reminds us.
Since making the trade the Knicks have finished:
2011: 36-30 (lost in the 1st round)
2012: 54-28 (lost in the Eastern Conf. semis)
2013: 37-45
2014: 17-65
2015: 32-50
Not great. And with exactly two playoff appearances, never making it past the second round. My point is just taking every asset you have and throwing it against the wall to get one player doesn’t guarantee success. In fact its the main reason Carmelo is so untradeable now, he’s got an albatross of a contract that is weighing down a team’s cap so much that they can’t justify giving up much of any assets for him at all. Oh the irony.
I didn’t mention Boogie Cousins because I 100% wanted him but for whatever reason the Celtics were never in on him. They just flat out did not want the guy. So as shitty as it sounds, Trader Danny will continue to lay in the weeds waiting to bite some unsuspecting GM in the ass. Or the price of Paul George or Jimmy Butler goes down.
PS – Regardless of the fact the Knicks still aren’t any good, that Melo MSG “Coming Home” commercial still absolutely BANGS 6 years later.
Maybe that means the next big Celtics trade is imminent? Or maybe it means Isaiah’s kids got a hold of his phone? Or maybe IT just wants to watch the world burn. But the last time Isaiah tweeted out the cryptic eye balls emoji the Celtics signed their biggest free agent ever.
Not saying it means anything, but…
Another time Isaiah Thomas tweeted the eyes emoji: right before the Al Horford signing. pic.twitter.com/MNmZ2qFRbR
So who the hell knows, but now I’m checking my phone every 30 seconds like a goddamn junkie waiting for a call from his dealer. Need my fix from Woj. Drop the Woj bomb, Adrian. Drop it.
Isaiah Thomas just continues to play ball like a grown ass man. Another 44 points last night, with 19 in the 4th quarter to top the Raptors. Guy has scored 20+ points in every game but ONE this season. Got screwed out of the All-Star Game starting lineup, but today was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January. The last Celtics player to win that award? That would be Paul Pierce in 2012. That’s five fucking years ago. Kids have gone through college without seeing a single Celtics player win a player of the month award.
So the fact that Isaiah at 5’9″ (allegedly) can continue to put up 40 burgers and carry this team you have to start wondering when is the MVP talk going to be taken seriously? It’s not hyperbole anymore guys. If you think it is, you’re not paying attention. He’s the best player on the No. 2 team in the conference scoring 30-40 points a night and the Celtics would probably be a 30 win team without him. What else can the man do? How about half-court shots that hit nothing but net?
CBS Boston – The Knicks desperately seem to want to move [Carmelo Anthony] and the Clippers are reportedly interested. The problem? The Clippers don’t really have the valuable assets necessary in order to make a deal happen. That’s where the Celtics come in, according to the Boston Globe...Well, there haven’t been any reports of specific players rumored to be involved, but CBS Sports.com’s Matt Moore has a breakdown of a trade the could work for everybody involved using ESPN’s Trade Machine. In Moore’s trade, the Celtics would get: Guard JJ Redick, small forward Paul Pierce, and forward Luc-Richard Mbah Moute. The Knicks receive: Forward Amir Johnson, forward Jonas Jerebko, and guard Austin Rivers. The Clippers receive: Forward Carmelo Anthony
Soo the Celtics can, in theory, give up Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko to get JJ Redick, Paul Pierce and Luc-Richard Mbah Moute?
JJ Redick would be *deadly* on this Celtics team. Isaiah driving to the hoop and dishing out to a legitimate 3-point specialist? Buckets. And Paul Pierce would get to retire a Celtic. Granted I don’t know much about Moute, but I love that trade. Always been a huge Redick fan and all we have to give up is Amir and Jerebko? Best of luck guys. All just to help facilitate the Carmelo to LA for another first round playoff exit? Sure, sign me up.
Trader Danny is always lying in the weeds just waiting for shit like this. Oh you NEED to move a disgruntled, overpaid player? How can I be of assistance? Melo to the Clippers, lock it up. Draft Pick Danny doesn’t even have to give up any coveted second rounders!
Here we go. Logos on NBA jerseys have arrived. I talked about how disastrous this would be for jersey guys last April and I haven’t changed my mind. One little GE patch isn’t the end of the world, but guys come on…you just slapped a washing machine logo on one of the most iconic jerseys of all time.
But my point is, this won’t be the end of it. The NBA isn’t going to just stitch one logo on a jersey, pocket the money and move on. No, no, no. In fact according to Darren Rovell, a bunch of owners already asked Wyc Grousbeck how much GE paid to have that logo on the Celtics jersey. I believe it was reportedly $7 million. So yea, I’m sure owners will just do that once and be done with it.
Nope, sooner than later the NBA is going to look like a goddamn La Liga game or a NASCAR race with all the advertising vomited onto jerseys.
And that is the No. 1 thing I hate about soccer; you don’t even know what the freaking team name is by looking at the jersey. That’s insane. If you weren’t a soccer fan, what would you think the name of this team is?
You’d think it was the Chevys or something. You would not know this is Manchester United OR a team from Manchester at all. So a quick preview of what to expect from NBA jerseys sooner than later:
PS – If anyone thinks that adding logos to jerseys will stop or even reduce the onslaught of commercials during an NBA game you are outside of your mind. Teams and owners will continue to squeeze blood out of a stone because we are all sheep who will sit through 12 commercials in the last 2 minutes of a game.
This is it. The start of the 300s media empire. Unless you’d rather listen to guys scream at each other on the radio about why Drew Pomeranz should be coming outta the bullpen. This is a podcast from real fans who talk the way you do; no hyped up hot takes or mock outrage. Just shooting the shit. In the very first episode of The 300s Podcast we talk about how Los Angeles has too many football teams, NFL coaches getting fired/hired, the Red Sox rotation vs the Mets, how the Islanders ended up with a bastard dragon as their mascot and is it possible to buy season tickets without having a panic attack? Subscribe today!
The 300s 