Tag: Danny Ainge

Anthony Davis NOT Traded Before Deadline. Lakers Now Salty as Celtics Are Very Much in Play.

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Good. I for one am tired of the Lakers just getting superstars in their prime simply because they want them. I have dealt with players not wanting to come to Boston for my entire life because its cold like 9 months out of the year. So for a team in the Pelicans to just flip the bird right in Magic and LeBron’s face brings me great joy.

And now the Lakers are saltyyy.

HAHAHA

You can literally hear LeBron’s voice coming through Windhorst’s face with this nonsense. For the Lakers Windhorst to act appalled that the Pelicans didn’t want to do business with the Lakers is hilarious. It’s a holier than thou take from a tampering franchise because as I said last week there is no more powerful motivator than spite and the Lakers Anthony Davis’ agent Rich Paul essentially planted a poison pill in the New Orleans locker room a week before the trade deadline after publicly requesting a trade and then leaking reports that Davis only wants to play in LA. If I’m the Pelicans I would 1000% do the same thing. I might even take a lesser deal if I had to purely out of spite rather than gift wrap another superstar in his prime to the Lakers.

Now as a Celtics fan we’ve heard all kinds of packages and proposals and potential deals. They all make me nauseous because I don’t want to trade Tatum and Smart and whoever the hell else gets thrown in. Buttt, I also didn’t want to trade Big Al Jefferson and look how that worked out for the Celtics.

Am I concerned with trading a boatload of assets for potentially one year of Anthony Davis? Absolutely. But I just cannot see how AD could come here and play alongside Kyrie (more on that in a second) and most likely go on a deep playoff run, if not win a title, and then say nah I still would rather go play on a bum ass Lakers team with a LeBron James that is closer to 40 years old than 30. Cannot see it.

What if Kyrie jets? Well thats your doomsday scenario right there. The Celtics trade a bundle of assets for Davis and Kyrie leaves anyways because then there is a zero percent chance Davis re-signs with Boston to be a part of that lottery team. You’d basically be left with the Time Lord who hopefully could send the team back in time to avoid the entire thing.

But, I also just cannot see Kyrie leaving. If he wants to be *the* guy, then thats what he has here. From all accounts he wants to play with Anthony Davis too, who is a megastar, yet is a pretty quiet, unassuming guy.

So that would be perfect for Irving; Kyrie would be the man even if he’s not technically the best player on the team. But if he truly wants to be the guy scoring 40 a game, the hands down best player on the team, surrounded by a bunch of deferential no names, then he can be 2006 Paul Pierce on a lottery team somewhere. I don’t think he wants that though. I think he wants to win, albeit his way, but Kyrie wants to win. If the C’s can get AD to pair with him then it locks this team into being a co-favorite to win the NBA title for the next several years. Plus, you would have to be a total sociopath to grab a microphone and announce to a crowd of people that you plan to re-sign with the team only to say PSYCH like 6 months later. I think Kyrie’s council of wise elders would advise him to stay in Boston.

I remain cautiously optimistic at the house of cards our lord and savior Danny Ainge has built.

What Celtics Should Do Before Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline

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What a crazy past week in the NBA, huh?

It all started with last Monday’s huge news that Anthony Davis doesn’t want to stay in New Orleans, which immediately caused a whirlwind of trade rumors, future roster predictions, and A LOT of false hope being doled out to desperate NBA fans around the country. It’s also caused some other soon-to-be-free-agents’ names to be dragged through tireless speculative “reports” – many of which are based on literally ZERO evidence – regarding where they will all go to create the new “superteam.” And it all seems to hinge upon Davis. On top of all that, we also got a major blockbuster between the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks involving Kristaps Porzingis just before the weekend.

(It was actually tough to keep up with everything, but for those who need a more in-depth refresher on last week’s events, Red’s got you covered with a great roundup on all of it here.)

The NBA trade deadline is this Thursday, and teams have continued to make even more moves this week, with many others sure to come before tomorrow afternoon.

In what amounts to awful news for the Celtics, the 76ers acquired forward Tobias Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night in exchange for a criminally overrated veteran shooter (Wilson Chandler), a decent backup center (Mike Muscala), and future draft picks. So, Philly just got significantly better, adding a 20-point-per-game scorer to an already loaded lineup, and they did so without having to give up virtually anything for this season. Yeah, it’s definitely not good news for Green Nation. (The Pistons also traded former first-rounder Stanley Johnson to Milwaukee for Thon Maker on Wednesday. But, honestly, this move means zilch for anyone in the grand scheme of things.)

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The 26-year-old, Harris, is one of the most underrated players in the league.

So what should the Celtics do?

First, just to reiterate, the Celtics are not able to trade for Davis until at least after July 1, 2019, so we already know he’s not coming here this season. However, the team could potentially do a bit more to put themselves in an even greater position to acquire The Brow this summer if New Orleans decides to stand their ground and wait for what they know will already be the best offer out there. Much has been made about everything the Lakers have allegedly offered to the Pelicans over the past week, but they still can’t match the level of talent and future assets the Celts currently possess.

If the Celtics were to trade someone like Terry Rozier – an impending restricted free agent – for, say, another first-rounder, they could sweeten the pot even more. They’d also be getting at least something in return for someone who is very likely to leave in the offseason. But, they’d also be leaving themselves desperately thin at the position, especially if Kyrie Irving were to get injured, and this team is still right in the middle of contending; even after the frustrating loss to Golden State on January 26, the team has won five straight and vaulted up to third place in the Eastern Conference. Furthermore, there really just aren’t many teams who’d be willing to trade such a valuable future asset for a guy who could walk in five months. So, Scary Terry ain’t going anywhere.

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Terry’s time will come soon enough. He’ll have to tough out just being “one of the guys” for a bit longer.

Or – and make sure you’re sitting down for this one – the Celtics could trade Kyrie Irving. Much like Rozier, Kyrie is also a free agent this summer; unlike Rozier, Kyrie is an unrestricted free agent, meaning he can go wherever he wants and there’s nothing the Celtics can do to stop him.

Just to set the record straight: I do not think the Celtics should trade Kyrie right now. However, I can see some logic in doing so, especially after his pretty frank comments last week regarding his commitment to the team’s future. In case you missed what he said, here ya go:

To be fair to Kyrie, I think he was just getting frustrated with the incessant “rumors” and “predictions” of where everyone was going to be next season, himself included, and we still haven’t even reached this year’s All-Star break! It’s actually pretty ridiculous, and to be entirely honest I’m getting sick of it myself. Slam Magazine also made sure to focus on other things he said during the interview, which pretty much back up what I just surmised and also points out the fact he still views the Celtics as the lead dog in the race. Finally, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald, Danny Ainge is refusing to take calls from any team that’s even tried to start the conversation anyway.

Were Kyrie to actually up and leave this summer, though, the Celts’ title contender status would immediately evaporate. And then, even if they still somehow traded for Davis, there’s no way he’d re-sign for the long term without at least one more superstar. So standing pat on Kyrie does not come without risk. But, keeping Kyrie right now at least gives you a plausible scenario which could see both he AND Davis here next season; trading him now does not give you anything close to that. In sum, the Celtics need to keep Kyrie and hope for the best.

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The Celtics need to do everything they can to keep this man happy for the next couple of months.

OK, so they can’t really trade Rozier or Kyrie at the moment. So what else should they do?

Honestly, nothing. Sure, maybe they could use some help in the rebounding department from time to time, but this team really doesn’t have any glaring issues. As I’ve said multiple times this year, I just believe there’s actually too much talent on the roster, and they just need to learn how to play better together as one unit.

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Or maybe a little more playing time for Robert Williams and his 10.0 rebounds per 36 minutes could provide a big help, too!

Again, while this team has certainly struggled much more so than I thought to this point in the season, they’ve still shown the ability that got them within minutes of an NBA Finals appearance last year. They’ve also quickly jumped up two spots in the standings after ripping off five-straight victories, and they’re still a top-five defensive team.

Brad Stevens has also started to refine the rotation a bit more in recent weeks, which will hopefully help guys settle into their roles for the stretch run and provide a bit more consistency. This team can still do some damage, as evidenced by their sound victory over the Raptors three weeks ago followed by a close defeat to Golden State, and I don’t think a major shakeup would be helpful right now in any way.

So, for the first time in years, I will be perfectly content with Ainge & Co. deciding to pass on doing anything at the deadline. Seriously, shut the phone off, Danny. Just bide your time and let the rest of the league continue to tire themselves out. Our golden opportunity still awaits.

Soon. Soon.

The Celtics’ Robert Williams AKA Time Lord Put on a Show Last Night

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Update: Buy Time Lord shirts here!

With pretty much everyone of note sitting last night (Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford) there were plenty of minutes to go around. Enter Robert Williams AKA Time Lord, who got his first taste of legit NBA time with 26 minutes last night and boy did he put on a show. The Time Lord finished with 7 points and 11 rebounds, but for a young, raw player he was a force on the glass. Before last night Williams hadn’t played more than 8 minutes in any game this year so it was great to get an extended look at the 1st round pick. He was even a couple of inches away from being No. 1 on SportsCenter as he muffed an alley oop attempt. The highlight of the night for my young neighbor in Brighton though was this absolutely devastating block of arguably the best player in the game Anthony Davis.

Davis still finished with 41 points so nobody was shutting AD down, but that block was Williams making a statement. He actually had 3 blocks on the night as he made his presence known.

The kid can play and he may be the “rim defender” the Celtics have been looking for all these years.

Should the Celtics Bring Back Kendrick Perkins? Time for a Hit of Nostalgia!

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So apparently Kendrick Perkins called Danny Ainge just to check in and see if the Celtics had any interest in signing him. Imagine that? Just call up a company that you want to work for and ask hey do you want to pay me? No resumes, no interviews, just straight cash homie.

Normally I would sigh at the thought of a beloved, yet aging Boston athlete looking for one more shot at glory. I LOVE Perk, but we all saw him last year with Cleveland in a suit. The guy would make a phenomenal coach or more likely a corrections officer, but we all understand his playing days are over.

Except my 14-year-old brother was asking me about Perk wondering when was he really good, what he did well, and it dawned on me. 1.) How fucking old I really am and 2.) It’s easy to forget just how great Perk was for the Celtics back in the day. So lets dive in.

If Kendrick Perkins was born 20 years earlier he might be in the Hall of Fame today. I’m not joking. The guy was straight out of the 1980’s NBA. Bill Laimbeer would have been throwing hands with Perk twice a season. He was just an absolute force in the paint; a real old school bully. And that was exactly what the Celtics needed in 2007. A bodyguard for Rondo, a No. 2 to KG’s crazy, a guy willing to do the dirty work while the Big 3 handled all the scoring. He was the perfect fit for that team and both teammates and fans alike adored him.

I mean just look at this clip from the recent Celtics documentary that aired on NBC Sports Boston.

Never change, Perk.

Except Perk was actually born in 1984 and is really still only 34-years-old. Think about that for a second. He is literally just 40 days older than LeBron James. He’s 6 months younger than Carmelo Anthony. He’s two years younger than Dwyane Wade.

But, the sad fact is that the NBA game just passed Perk by. It passed a lot of guys by as the evolution of the game exploded so fast that the old school big man became a dinosaur in less than five years.

Perk’s last season with the Celtics was 2010-11 when Danny Ainge traded him to the OKC Thunder for Jeff goddamn Green in a move that I will still argue cost the C’s a legitimate shot at the title that year. I think if you got a couple warm milks in him, Danny would likely agree. But less than 5 years later the Golden State Warriors kicked off potentially the greatest dynasty we’ve ever seen built entirely on three point shooters, including the big men.

If you’re a big man who can’t shoot in 2018 you almost certainly are in the unemployment line these days. The Celtics have, and actively encourage, Aron Baynes to jack up multiple 3’s per game for fucks sake (averaging 6x 3PA per game than his previous career high last year). That was never Perk’s game so as the NBA turned into a video game with everyone pulling up from half court his role diminished a lot faster than anyone ever expected.

Did you know Kendrick Perkins has never made a 3 pointer in the NBA? Hell he’s only taken 14 attempts in 14 seasons!

To put that into context, from Perk’s last year with the C’s in 2010-11 the average 3 point attempts per game around the league have nearly doubled from 18 attempts per game to 31.3 per game this season. In the previous 8 seasons before that, average 3 point attempts per game had only increased about three from a low of 14.7 in 2002-03. So no one could have predicted the game completely changing the way it has.

As every Celtics fan my age will tell you, the C’s *never* lost a playoff series when their championship starting 5 was healthy and playing together. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, and Kendrick Perkins. Never. Lost. A. Series. Incredible. If Perk doesn’t blow out his knee in the 2009-10 NBA Finals there isn’t a doubt in my mind the Celtics beat the Lakers and win their second title in three years cementing their legacy as one of the greatest teams of all time. Instead we’re left with one championship and a bunch of what ifs, but goddamnit I don’t want to go down this dark road again because I could blog 10,000 words about the 2007-2011 Celtics.

So it sounds like despite all the great times they had together in green, Danny is gonna pass on the former big man.

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.

 

In An Attempt To Actually Be On Time, Celtics Rookie Robert Williams Buys Apartment Next to Practice Facility

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Yahoo – Robert Williams’ NBA career did not get off to the best start. The day after he was selected by the Celtics with the 27th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Williams did not wake up on time for his conference call with the Celtics’ beat reporters.

After that, he missed a flight and was was absent for his first practice with the Celtics’ Summer League team. For a player with lottery-level talent who fell due to reported concerns with his maturity, he certainly confirmed those concerns early.

Now it seems he has taken a step in the right direction. During the rookie photoshoot Sunday, Williams said he bought an apartment right next to the Celtics’ brand new practice facility.

Welcome to Brighton, Bob! Can’t wait to get steaks with ya at the Stockyard, go on Dunkin’ runs down the street, maybe shop for some fresh New Balances, and if you’re interested my softball team plays across the street and could use a power hitting first baseman.

This is a smart move, whether it was self imposed or not who knows. Perhaps Danny Ainge gave him an ultimatum; either move to Brighton or move to Portland, ME and play for the Red Claws. You’re choice, Bob. Either way it’s a great idea as Williams will now be 100 yards from everything he needs, whether its getting in some extra shots, treatment, film etc. It has the fingerprints of the Bruins all over it too as they famously had top rookies move in with veterans right by the Garden rather than live on their own in booze fueled bachelor pads.

Today Marks the 5 Year Anniversary of the Infamous Boston Celtics Brooklyn Nets Trade of Pierce and Garnett for ALL the Draft Picks

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So Facebook reminded me that today marks the 5 year anniversary of the Celtics-Nets trade of Paul Pierce and KG for a BOATLOAD of draft picks. At the time I was a young’n living in Allston still holding onto the heyday of the Celtics. Hell, that 2012 NBA playoffs commercial for the Celtics is still my favorite NBA commercial to this day.

Young, athletic teams are exciting, but in my opinion nothing is more fun to watch than the old, proud, savvy veterans making a last stand.

I still vividly remember when the trade was first announced on ESPN because I was sitting at White Horse crushing some $2 Coors Lights. At the time I was pretty bummed because I loved Paul Pierce and KG is my favorite Celtic of all time. Cue the Facebook memory!

This was the best Celtics squad of my lifetime finally broken up, and probably a couple of years too late. But don’t tell that to former Nets GM Billy King, who was more than willing to pay top dollar for guys entering their age-36 and age-37 seasons in Pierce and Garnett.

Just look at the fucking quotes from King and former Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

“Honestly, did I think we could pull something like this off? No,” Nets general manager Billy King said during a Friday conference call. “… But (Celtics GM) Danny (Ainge) and I just kept working at it and got to the point where we both were comfortable.”

“Today, the basketball gods smiled on the Nets,” team owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement. “With the arrival of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, we have achieved a great balance on our roster between veteran stars and young talents. This team will be dazzling to watch and tough to compete against.”

Laugh out loud funny looking back.

Obviously that trade has been roasted in the years since and while it seemed like an overpay at the time, it wasn’t completely outlandish. People, Sports Illustrated included, thought the Nets were going to be awesome.

So the thinking was, “welp whats a few late first round picks?”

As we joked on the podcast the other day, the Celtics drafting this year at No. 27 overall is house money — just draft an absolute scrub or roll the dice on an asshole. Late first rounders in the NBA are rarely game changers.

Except, as we all know, the Nets experiment bombed miserably. Historically bad. I joke with my buddy who is a Nets fan that this is going to be the greatest 30 for 30 ever.

For the price of FOUR first round picks the Nets got 75 games out of Paul Pierce and 96 games out of KG. In those two years the Nets went 44-38 and 38-44.

The Nets then blew it up and proceeded to go:

  • 21-61 (2015-16)
  • 20-62 (2016-17)
  • 28-54 (2017-18)

Holy. Shit. What a bad deal.

Meanwhile, with those Nets picks the Celtics went on to draft and/or acquire via trade:

  • James Young – No. 17 overall (2014)
  • Jaylen Brown – No. 3 overall (2016)
  • Jayson Tatum – No. 1 overall (2017) *Celtics traded down to No. 3 to take Tatum and in the process picked up the following piece below
  • Kings 2019 1st round pick
  • Kyrie Irving – via trade of the Nets’ No. 8 overall pick, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a second round pick

So we actually get one more bite at the apple due to Danny’s draft day trade last year. As long as the Kings don’t get the No. 1 overall pick it goes to the Celtics and that will officially wrap up this debacle of a Nets trade.

Thanks again to Mikhail, Jay-Z, Billy King, and the borough of Brooklyn for fast tracking the Celtics rebuild and putting us back on the brink of the NBA Finals in just 5 years! If Jayson Tatum becomes the 1st-Team All-NBA player like I think he will then Nets fans probably have no choice but to become full blown Celtics fans. I mean when you think about it, this is basically the Bizarro Nets. God its good to be a Boston fan.

 

PS – Oh yea, Jason Terry was part of that deal too, but the Jet only played one season with the Nets as well. Terry is *still* playing by the way as he just wrapped up his 18th season with the Bucks.

Double PS – Lets go back and look at some of the reactions to this trade when it was announced because with hindsight being 20/20 these are some of the worst takes you’ll ever see.

The 300s 2018 Celtics Summer League Update

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Editor’s Note: I’m sure you’ve all seen him on The 300s Podcast with such hot takes as “Uncle Drew was good,” but this is the first of many posts for the one and only Mattes. Lets gooo!

Now that we’ve reached the end of the 2018 NBA Summer League “regular season,” ya boy Mattes is here to update you on what’s been going on with the Boys in Green on the day of their MUCH ANTICIPATED (catch the sarcasm?) matchup with the New York Knicks’ summer squad in the first round of the league’s playoff tournament.

New Bird in Town

Larry Legend he is not, but youngster Jabari Bird has continued to make a name for himself this summer. I say that he has “continued” to do so because this guy isn’t actually entirely “new” – Bird was selected by the C’s with the 57th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and has already made his NBA debut, which came as early as last October.

Bird then snuck onto the court quite a bit at the end of last season as well, averaging 16.0 minutes, 6.8 points, and 3.0 rebounds per game over the team’s final five regular-season contests, on 63 percent shooting from the field.

As if those numbers aren’t impressive enough, I was actually there, in the flesh, at the TD Garden on April 6, when Bird went off for 15 points in 24 minutes against the Bulls – with three rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block, to boot. Bird was freakin’ relentless with his energy and intensity throughout the entire game, wowing the crowd with his quickness and INSANE athleticism (seriously, this kid can FLY and throws down some pretty gnarly dunks!), leading me to keep looking over at my nephew and asking the question: “Seriously, WHO THE FUCK IS THIS KID??!!” (Relax. He’s 14. He’s heard profanity before, all right??!!)

Though he didn’t receive any burn in the playoffs, Bird has undoubtedly been one of the stars of the summer league, averaging 18.0 points and almost five boards per game through three contests. Coach Jay Larranaga, Brad’s top assistant who was chosen to lead the team’s summer league squad, has continued to rave about Bird’s play and seemed to imply the other day that the 23-year-old could potentially see some more action this fall if he works a bit more on his defense.

That is…if Bird is actually on the roster.

Bird is currently a restricted free agent this summer (that was fast!) and has already garnered some interest from teams like Minnesota and Philadelphia, per the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn. The Celts, though, may be unwilling to pony up anything more than the $77,250 qualifying offer they’ve already extended to Bird earlier this summer.

Also, particularly if Marcus Smart does return, there may not even be a whole lot of minutes available for Bird in the rotation this upcoming season. Regardless of what happens, this kid deserves some recognition, and here’s to hoping he can be a nice end-of-the-bench secret weapon for the Green in 2018-19.

Bad Start for Bob

If you listened to Sunday’s podcast, you heard Red and I briefly discuss the Celtics’ newest member and only 2018 draft pick, Robert Williams, to whom I am affectionately referring as “Bob” for the time being.

You see, Bob is super talented. He is a 6’10”, 240-ish-pound athletic freak who could really serve as a force the team has been lacking down low for quite some time. In fact, ESPN thought so highly of Williams as a player that he was ranked as their 12th overall prospect (ESPN Insider subscription required) in the draft, which is amazing because the Celtics got him with the TWENTY-SEVENTH pick in the first round, leading many to believe Danny Ainge has duped the league again and obtained the steal of the year.

“But, Mattes, why would a guy who supposedly should’ve been a lottery pick fall all the way to the end of the first round, just three picks away from missing out on being drafted in the first round entirely?”

Well, my friends, that is because perhaps we should be more aptly referring to him as “Fred,” or rather “Forgetful Fred,” as the kid seriously needs to start getting his shit together.

After already being flagged by many scouts for effort and motor issues – hence the fall from grace on draft night – he then missed what was supposed to be his first conference call as a Celtic the very next morning after he was drafted because he overslept. Oh, AND THEN he missed the team’s flight out to Vegas a week later, subsequently missing the team’s first summer league practice.

Way to start off with a bang, Bob!

He was able to play in the team’s first summer league game on July 6, piling up four points and two rebounds in seven minutes of action…before exiting the game in the first quarter with what is being considered a knee contusion. Williams then sat out the rest of that game, and he was not able to play in either of the team’s two other summer league contests so far.

NOW, we get the news, first reported by Fred Katz at MassLive, that the rookie has an artery condition in his legs which can cause cramping, fatigue, and calf pain when being active. It’s being described as “not too serious,” and apparently the team was aware of the condition on draft night. However, it’s still not the most comforting thing to hear about your 20-year-old rookie stud.

Woof!

Look, I’m not saying to sound the alarm yet. I’m just saying it hasn’t been the most glorious start for the young fella.

But hey, I wasn’t completely ready to start adulting at 20 years old either, and at least he’s not getting in brawls or being a creep off the court. Also, the team doesn’t seem too worried about the other health-related stuff, so I won’t sweat it too much yet either.

You got the talent, Bob, and we’re all sure as hell rooting for ya. It can only go up from here.

Smart STILL Waiting

After a WHIRLWIND first few days of free agency throughout the NBA – which included the King choosing to flee Cleveland for the Land of Angels, Paul George deciding to stay put in OKC, and DeMarcus Cousins effectively ending the point of even watching the NBA next year by joining the damn Warriors – it seems as though some of the other premier free agents slipped through the cracks a bit, which includes our friend Marcus Smart.

I, for one, am a BIG Marcus Smart fan, and I believe his tough, grit-and-balls style of play WILL win us a championship in the next year or two. While his offensive numbers don’t pop off the stat sheet – and while he has taken maybe one-too-many three pointers (or 90) in his career – there are very few players in the league that can make as much of an impact on a game defensively as Smart. The guy gives a MILLION-percent effort every night, every play, and I think people are really overlooking the value he brings to this team.

Alas, the NBA is a business, as they say, and poor Marcus feels a bit slighted that he isn’t receiving the type of offers he expected to get once he hit the market as a restricted free agent this summer. Even worse, he claims the Celtics have barely tried to work with him at all throughout the negotiation process, and now he feels unwanted. (Considering the fact that Dante-FREAKIN’-Exum received a three-year, $33 million deal for being pretty mediocre on the bench in Utah for the past four seasons, one of which he missed entirely, I can’t really blame Smart for being so butthurt.)

It seems as though the Celtics aren’t willing to offer anything more than a one-year qualifying offer at this point, and if Smart wants to remain in Green this year then that’s what he’s going to have to accept. He could then simply play his balls off this year and hope that the market’s better for him next summer, when he’ll also be unrestricted and have way more freedom to go wherever the hell he wants.

However, per NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakely, perhaps Sacramento is interested in paying up for Smart after offering Zach LaVine almost $80 million this offseason (barf!), only to see Chicago match the offer and bring LaVine back to the Windy City. If the Kings were to offer the same, or even $20 million or $30 million less than that, for Smart, the Celtics would have a very difficult time matching and would most likely end up losing a key rotation piece.

I understand that money rules the world, and if the Kings offer that much money then the Celts are going to need to let Smart walk.

But come on, Danny, figure something out. And quick. We can’t lose this guy.

So there you have it! Your mid-summer report on the Green. Be sure to keep checking in with The 300s for more updates throughout the rest of the offseason, and subscribe to The 300s Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and now Spotify!

Till next time…