Tag: Knicks

Kyrie Irving Says He’s Going to Re-sign with the Celtics…For Now

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Last night, Kyrie Irving uttered the words Celtics fans have longed to hear: “I plan on re-signing here next year.”

At a season-ticket-holders-only event at the TD Garden on Thursday night, Kyrie flat-out told the crowd that, if we’ll have him back, he plans on re-upping with the Celtics next summer:

Obviously, that should be music to the ears of any fan of the Green. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

How many times have we heard similar “promises” issued by other NBA stars, only to watch them pull the rug right out from underneath their loyal, naive fans’ feet?

Remember when LeBron made his triumphant return to Cleveland in 2014 and adamantly stated that he would never, ever leave his precious home state again? He just “didn’t have the energy” to even fathom making another move, and he was going to be a Cavalier FOR LIFE. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!

Fast-forward four years and:

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Or how about Kevin Durant, when he was still with the Thunder in 2015, feeding us this crock of shit (h/t ESPN.com):

“I love it here, man. I love my teammates, I love the city, I don’t really think about anywhere else,” Durant told Revolt TV in a recent interview. “I hear it all the time, don’t get me wrong, and once you hear it you’re kind of like [looks up, thinking]. But for me, I love staying in the moment, and I’m one of those guys that would love to stick it out with one team my whole career.”

Just over a year later, he joined the Golden State Warriors.

I am not criticizing either player for choosing to make the moves they did, and everyone reserves the right to change their mind. I just simply refuse to take any player at their word – in any sport, but ESPECIALLY the NBA – when it comes to long-term commitment or promises of future loyalty.

NBA players are a fickle bunch, and even more so they’re very obstinate. As soon as the opportunity arises for them to team up with one of their buddies or another star who just so happens to become available, they’ll drop their old team quicker than you can say “the next big three.” There’s already been plenty of chatter about Kyrie wanting to team up with biffle Jimmy Butler, and there’s just no way that could ever happen with the Celtics. (Well, it could, but it wouldn’t be worth the effort it would take to do so.) And Thursday night we got a report, per Jay King of The Athletic, that he’s also spoken with Pelicans All-Word forward Anthony Davis about a potential team-up.

While the idea of Davis in a Boston uniform makes me feel things in certain places that I probably can’t mention on this blog, there’s no guarantee Danny Ainge could make that happen. And if there’s another team that can offer a better pathway to get the three of them together, Kyrie would be foolish to not at least consider it.

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GOOD LORD. Just imagine…

Furthermore, there’s also been plenty of credible rumors connecting Kyrie to other teams throughout the Association, particularly the New York Knicks. Besides the fact that he is from West Orange, New Jersey – which is only about 20 miles away from Madison Square Garden – the Knicks have not been bashful whatsoever about how much they covet the 26-year-old guard. Irving also had the the Knicks on his list of short teams he’d like to go to before he was ultimately traded to Boston last summer:

Even former teammates are chiming in on the speculation. Just three weeks ago, in response to an Instagram post from NiceKicks which asked about the chances Kyrie signs with the Knicks next season, Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith responded by posting the simple word: “HIGH.”

Now, to be fair, Smith may have just been letting everyone know about his current state at the time of the post, but in all seriousness the two did play together for two years, so they’re not strangers. Also, again, he is not the first to connect Kyrie to the ole Knickerbockers. Seriously, just Google: “Kyrie Irving Knicks” and you’ll see the rampant speculation out there from all corners of the NBA zeitgeist.

It’s also no secret that Kyrie is about other things than just basketball. That is not to say that he is not a competitor or that he doesn’t care about winning; all I’m saying is that the guy is an absolute ham for the camera and is not shy about self-promoting off the court. While staying in Boston with such a young, talented roster would give Kyrie the chance to compete for championships for at least the next 5-10 years, it simply does not have the marketing clout that comes along with playing in New York or L.A. (I’m talking about the Clippers; I know there’s no way Kyrie is choosing to play with LeBron again.)

Perhaps the one saving grace Celtics fans can rest their hat on is the fact that Kyrie can make way more money by re-signing here as opposed to going anywhere else due to NBA max contract rules. But again, if he can still make just as much – if not more – with endorsements and movie deals off the court, does that really even matter?

So, look, it’s OK to be happy about what Kyrie said last night; I am, too. But let’s not take it as Bible, and do understand that a lot can change over the next year. Until I hear about the T’s being crossed and the I’s being dotted on Kyrie’s next official contract, I’m not counting my chickens.

Stay tuned…

What is the Greatest NBA Jam Lineup of All-Time?

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Apparently one of the greatest video games of my generation is nearing its 25th Anniversary, which is insane because Big Z and I will still fire up a Best of 7 Series every holiday weekend. This almost always results in a clicker fired into the wall, but thankfully SEGA’s clickers were built to withstand a goddamn earthquake.

So with such a big milestone nearing for the most influential basketball game of our time we had to have the debate: What is the Greatest NBA Jam Lineup of All-Time?

Big Z: Um, I think we are forgetting about Reggie Miller and Derrick McKey from the original. Or, Miller, McKey and Rik Smits in the Tournament Edition. Miller was great for throwing up shots from downtown, especially with hot spots in play.

Stockton and Malone was always a strong lineup, too. Don’t sleep on Patrick Ewing and John Starks from the Knicks, or Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer from Detroit. Not much for dunking, but Thomas and Laimbeer had speed, could shoot the 3, and play some D. Dunks made the game fun, but the game was won from downtown.

Joey B: First off as I navigated to Yahoo to answer this my eye caught a headline that read “Could Von Miller go to jail for catching a huge shark?” so needless to say I am writing this a bit distracted. That said my answer is Sean Elliot and David Robinson.

It may go against gameplay wisdom to have a guy like Elliot, but the basketball side of my brain always got nervous not having someone who maybe could shoot. The Admiral speaks for himself. Just an absolute savage who ate double teams for all three meals.

Red:  Personally, I HAVE to go Reggie Miller and Rik Smits.

Unbeatable. I once scored 80 points with Reggie Miller in NBA Jam TE and those games are like 8 minutes long. He had a 9/10 rating from the 3 point line for christ’s sake. Rik Smits’ job was to basically stand in the corner so Reggie wouldn’t get double teamed. I would legitimately be furious when the computer took it upon itself to score and Smits somehow snuck in a 2 point game. Just get Reggie the ball and we’ll be good, Rik.

PS – NBA Jam is Tournament Edition or bust. I’m not running up and down the court doing the weave drill to score 35 points a game. Nope, I want Stomp blocks, Turbo charges, and of course an 8-point buzzer beater shot to win the game and really ruin someone’s day.

Jeremy Lin Had the Perfect Clap Back to Kenyon Martin Shitting on His Dreadlocks

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SLAM – Jeremy Lin knew that his new dreads would ruffle a few feathers, and the hair did indeed draw Kenyon Martin‘s ire. The former Nets big man accused Lin of wanting to be black.

So as we all know Jeremy Lin has hit a bit of a quarter-life crisis post-Linsanity days and has taken to filling that void in his life by sporting wacky new haircuts like every 3 weeks.

The Faux Hawk

The Dragonball Z

The Undercut Man Bun

The Cornrows

The Boys Regular

His latest cut though are some fresh new dreads.

Now I’m all for doing some stupid shit with your hair if you can 1.) grow it and 2.) not get fired for looking like an asshole. If you can fulfill both of those quotas, do your thing homie.

Lin actually wrote an extremely thoughtful article on The Players Tribune about how he wanted to be considerate about the perception of him sporting dreadlocks. He really did not want to look like he was appropriating black culture.

Welp, ever insightful Kenyon Martin, the dude who once got a pair of lips tatted on his neck, was NOT having it.

“Do I need to remind this damn boy that his last name is Lin. Like, come on man. Let’s stop this man, with these people,” Martin said in an Instagram video. “Like, there’s no way possible he would’ve made it on one of our teams with that bulls–t going on on his head.

“Come on, man. Somebody really need to tell him, like, ‘Alright bro, we get it. You want to be black.’ Like, we get it. But the last name is Lin, alright?”

Jeremy Lin clapped back though with the most polite Fuck You we’ve seen in some time. Basically told Kenyon, “Bro you have Chinese tattoos, but big fan of you’re work, Mr. Martin.”

In other words:

 

UPDATE: Kenyon Martin said he was joking and he meant no disrespect. If you’re

Hoodie Melo Has Been Spotted at OKC Thunder Media Day

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Knicks fans everywhere just pounded their desks with their fists when they saw this photo because as we all know, Hoodie Melo is as close as Melo will ever get to Olympic Melo, who is one of the best players in the world. And I mean if James Jones can rock a hoodie under his jersey and dominate the NFL then who’s to say Carmelo Anthony can’t do the same thing in the NBA?

Carmelo Anthony Traded to OKC; How Does This Affect the Celtics?

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Something I wanted to touch on as it does directly affect the Boston Celtics was Carmelo Anthony getting traded to the Thunder over the weekend. Now obviously Melo’s trade value has plummeted over the years, especially with the $54 Million he’s due to make over the next two years, but it was still a pretty measly return for the Knicks. I guess they just wanted to close that chapter and move on and rebuild (AROUND DOUGIE MCBUCKETS!)

But hats off to Sam Presti. This guy has been getting roasted for years, rightfully so, for blowing up the Thunder and trading away “bench players” like James Harden who has only grown into a Top 5 player in the league. So getting Carmelo Anthony and Paul George this offseason for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, a 2018 second-round pick, Victor Oladipo, and Domantas Sabonis is the definition of pulling a rabbit out of your ass.

Now how does this affect the Celtics? Well its always good to see an elite scorer not land with your biggest rival in Cleveland, which is where a lot of rumors had Melo going. Problem is GM LeBron has gutted this team of assets so the Cavs don’t really have much to offer anyone aside from that brand new Brooklyn pick, which was obviously never gonna happen. But, Melo on the Cavs was a scary thought. Say what you want about the guy, but if he’s the second or third option and can just hang out in the corner waiting for his shot, thats lethal. So him going to OKC helps Boston avoid an even larger uphill battle against the Cavs.

Remember when LeBron said Super Teams weren’t a thing? Welp, What is dead may never die. There are now like 4-5 teams (read: Golden State) that have a real shot at winning the title, which is bad for the league, but great for NBA2K because OKC just became a must play team.

Also, hopefully Carmelo, Paul George and Russell Westbrook don’t murder each other when they’re all gunning for the last shot. Hopefully it works out because I NEED Russell to win a title in OKC soon just to see him essentially host the Haters Ball in his victory speech. I don’t think Kevin Durant would ever recover from the things Russ might say in that speech. Need to see it.

PS – While Carmelo on the Knicks was basically a dumpster fire for the better part of six years, let us never forget that trade spawned one of the best sports commercials of all-time. I’m not even a Knicks fan and that commercial still gives me goosebumps.

The NBA Offseason is the Offseason We Deserve

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The NBA Offseason is a goddamn rollercoaster of emotions and its the only thing keeping me entertained until football starts up again. We got Chris Paul to the Rockets, Paul George and Gordon Hayward possibly to the Celtics, Carmelo Anthony trying to get a buyout from the Knicks, the Porzingis trade rumors, the Celtics trading the No. 1 overall pick, the Lavar Big Baller Brand bullshit, and not to mention Phil Jackson getting shitcanned by the Knicks.

The NBA offseason is literally overflowing with storylines and gives us the juice we need. It beats the hell out of every other sport’s offseason where big moves are few and far between.

I don’t really care to get into every team in the NBA’s salary cap situation because that is a goddamn rabbit hole. So I know half these teams either don’t have the cap space or the assets to bring in max guys, but now we got teams like the Rockets reportedly trying to bring in Paul George. Ya know, the same Paul George that the Celtics are trying to trade for and pair with Hayward, IT, and Horford.

Basically all the reports are saying that the Celtics need to wait until the start of free agency to sign Gordon Hayward before they can (or would even want to) trade for George. So I guess I’ll just sit here with my dick in my hand until July 1st.

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The 300s Drive Time

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Don’t have time for a full podcast? Then we’ve got some bite size content for you in the first episode of Drive Time. Are the Knicks really gonna trade Porzingis? Is Danny gonna sell the farm or trade *down* again? Why is the entire NBA losing its collective mind right now? Tune in, its good for you.

We Are On Porzingis Watch High Alert!

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Whether its early onset dementia or Phil Jackson just hates Kristaps Porzingis with a fiery fucking passion for blowing off his end of season meeting with the Zen Master, either way Phil just went nuclear.

There is absolutely no good reason for a GM to go on TV and trash his fucking franchise player unless he’s already decided Porzingis is gone.

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So I don’t know why he’s doing it, but as everyone has said every offseason for 3 years – the Celtics have enough assets to make any trade they want as long as a player is available. Anthony Davis ain’t available so we’re not gonna pretend we’ll trade 7 first round picks to New Orleans like its 2K. Porzingis is available though, so make it happen. Don’t sell the farm, but get it done.

There’s so much smoke and disinformation out there that nobody knows what the hell is gonna happen. But I am on full alert.

The NBA Offseason is the Best in Sports and its Not Even Close

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The amount of juice the NBA has provided since the season ended last week is just insane. Its been more entertaining than the NBA playoffs and even more so than the Finals. The NBA offseason is hands down the best in sports as GM’s continue to look around the league, see teams like Golden State, and just say fuck it lets reload.

In the immortal words of Ricky Bobby: “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

I think that needs to be the new slogan of the NBA. If you’re not Golden State then your franchise might as well punt on the next 3-5 years. It sounds like a joke, BUT THATS WHAT TEAMS ARE DOING. Sure, there are teams like the Celtics who are technically within striking distance so I applaud Trader Danny’s efforts to improve this team as long as it does so without mortgaging the future. But even LeBron and the Cavs, the team thats been to the NBA Finals the last 3 years IN A ROW, seem to be panicking. Cleveland has been in talks for all the big names like Paul George and Jimmy Butler all sandwiched around kicking their own GM to the bricks.

As much as it sucks there is a goddamn Super Team standing between the Celtics and a title, I’m glad it at least gives the rest of the league the motivation to either completely blow things up and rebuild or just stockpile as many assets and big name players as possible.

It’s like the Elite Four at the end of Victory Road in Pokemon. An absolute nightmare to deal with so don’t even both walking down the road if you’re not ready. Level up, get your shit together and then go after the top dogs.

So yesterday we had Woj Bomb after Woj Bomb. Paul George told the Pacers after next season he’s out so now they’re looking to get whatever they can for PG-13. The Knicks are listening to offers for 21-year old stud Kristaps Porzingis and the Celtics are one of the teams in talks with NY. Jimmy Butler saying he’d rather not play in Cleveland so the C’s are still in on that rumor too. Dwight Howard got traded, minutes after dropping some fire jokes about NBA trades on his own Twitter account.

Then we got the Lakers trading D’Angelo Russell, the Clippers looking to deal DeAndre Jordan, all while we still have the NBA fucking Draft on Thursday night. God knows how many more trades there will be and how much more hot, hot heat Woj is going to be dropping on Twitter.

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The only one drooling more than me right now is probably Ainge. No sleep til Brooklyn.

Are the Celtics in on a Trade for Kristaps Porzingis?

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So just about an hour ago, Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted out this bombshell about the Knicks and Kristaps Porzingis.

Confirming what every Knicks fan wakes up in a cold sweat worrying about every night; Phil Jackson might actually trade Porzingis. The only bright spot for that dumpster fire of a franchise is coincidentally the only good move the Zen Master has made since taking over the Knicks. And now Woj puts it out there that the Knicks aren’t ruling out dealing him. Man, if I’m a Knicks I’m probably just putting on my Carmelo Jersey and jumping off the fucking George Washington Bridge.

But that brings me back to the Celtics, who have been stockpiling assets for years, basically just waiting for a young stud to become available.

And after Danny traded the No. 1 overall pick the other night (whether you agree with the logic or not), everyone in the media seemed to agree that this looked like the first step in a series of moves Danny would make. There’s a sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Is Porzingis that other shoe? Talk about a great fit for the Celtics if its true. The C’s need size. Porzingis is 7’3″. The guy is a goddamn giraffe. They also need big men who can shoot to really thrive in Brad Steven’s system. Last year KP averaged 18.1 points per game, shot 45% from the field, and 35.7% from behind the arc. Check, check and check.

Honestly, who the fuck knows what Trader Danny is ever really thinking. Does anyone doubt Danny Ainge could pull one over on this guy though?

But, I do know one thing. I am anxiously awaiting a Woj Bomb dropping. Notifications. On.