Tag: NCAA Basketball

Celtics 2020 Draft Recap: Danny Ainge Targets the Three Ball

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I know a lot of fans wanted “fireworks” and wanted to see Danny Ainge make a huge blockbuster trade, but that was never going to happen. It’s nearly impossible to package lower picks to move up into the Top 5 in the NBA. The picks just are not nearly as valuable as they are in a league like the NFL because the rotations and the benches are so much smaller. And I know they were rumored to be in on guys like James Harden, but even if you wanted Harden you’d be silly to buy into that. The Celtics are always “in” on every big deal that they don’t actually do. Sure, a lot could change this afternoon depending on which way Gordon Hayward goes, but the Celtics did the only thing they really could do (without fundamentally changing the roster), stay pat and make their draft selections. So let’s take a look at who’s coming to Boston (or Maine) in a few weeks.

No. 14 – Aaron Nesmith, Forward 6’6″ Vanderbilt

Jay Bilas described Aaron Nesmith as the “best shooter in the draft” which is absolute porn for Celtics fans like me who have been begging for a 3 point threat on this team. Nesmith shot 52% from 3 last season to lead the nation. We do not need Marcus Smart jacking 10 threes a game with a guy like Nesmith on the team. This seems like a perfect fit considering the Celtics’ needs and their spot in the draft. A three point sniper who can provide much needed scoring off the bench (where the Celtics ranked 29th in the league in PPG and 28th in 3%) or provide spacing in run and gun lineups with Tatum, Brown, and Kemba.

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Although he did only play 14 games last season due to a foot injury…

You’re never going to get a can’t miss stud in the middle of the first round; the NBA and college basketball just aren’t deep enough. So to get a desperately needed three point threat who can be an immediate contributor is about as good as it gets at this spot. If he turns into anything more, then thats gravy at No. 14.

No. 26 – Payton Pritchard, Point Guard, 6’1″ Oregon

QUACK! QUACK! Now I could make a joke about the Celtics taking a 6’1″ white Point Guard from Oregon, but I won’t because thats too easy and I’m a blogger not an animal. Pritchard has some legit credentials as he was the Pac-12 Player of the Year while he lead the league in Points per Game (20.5), Assists per Game(5.5), 3-pointers, Offensive Rating, and he started all 105 games over 3 seasons. So he’s a pretty good player, but again take a look at the key stat; 41% from 3 last season. Danny was looking for scoring off the bench this year, not freak athlete projects like he loves to do.

And this may mean nothing to you, but the kid is tough, led the league in minutes played, won four state titles in high school and led Oregon to the Final Four. So he may be more grit and balls than elite talent, but as I’ve repeatedly said this team needs more grit off the bench.

“Boston selected competitive and they selected winner and a clutch performer…he can stretch it out and shoot it from deep, he’s strong when he puts the ball on the floor, he’s a competitive defender even though he’s not the greatest defender” – Jay Bilas

No. 30 – Traded to Memphis Grizzlies for Future Pick(s)

First let’s all agree that there was literally no room in this organization for another rookie. Theres just not enough roster spots in Boston or even Maine. I was fully expecting a draft and stash, but Danny trading out of a shitty pick for a future, unknown pick will always make me laugh.

Reports are that its not even another first round pick either.

Two second rounders! Thats twice as good as one first rounder!

It’s gotten to the point where Danny is like Bill Belichick just laundering these picks over the years so it’s nearly impossible to analyze what he actually got in return. So far it’s not great though. Danny traded last year’s No. 26 pick and Aron Baynes to the Suns for a 2020 first rounder, which was originally from the Bucks. Which he then flipped last night to the Grizzlies. So now Danny has essentially turned the 2019 No. 26 pick and Aron Baynes into two future second round picks. Now thats value.

To be honest he was probably just jealous of the Thunder now having the biggest war chest of future draft picks: a title that Ainge coveted for the last several years. After a wild ride as the king of future draft assets, he’s like Henry Hill at the end of Goodfellas. And now it’s all over.

No. 47 – Yam Madar, Point Guard, 6’1″, Israel

There’s the draft and stash! This kid is only 19 and will play at least another year over in Israel before the Celtics ultimately bring him in as reinforcements for the Red Claws. MassLive had a nice breakdown of Madar if you’re interested.

What did you think of the Celtics draft? Shoot us your complaints or wild predictions @the300sboston

Top Prep Player Jaylen Green is Joining the NBA G-League Over College as One and Done NCAA Players Could Become History

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Yahoo – With Jalen Green announcing he’s bypassing college and joining the NBA’s G League for the 2020-21 season, he’s attempting to forge a new path for elite prospects.

The five-star recruit who is ranked No. 2 in the 2020 high school class by Rivals.com has reached a substantial six-figure deal, sources said, to partner with the G League for a year before entering the 2021 NBA draft, where he’s a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick.

I know I’m in the minority here, but I just have never been a big college basketball fan. March Madness is great sure, but I just could never get into college basketball and I think a big reason is because all the best players are only around for a season, maybe two. If you play all four years of college ball, chances are you’re not going to be an NBA player unless your name is Draymond Green.

This isn’t the NFL where athletes legitimately need time to physically mature to handle the league. No, 18-year-olds can physically play in the NBA no problem. Thats not to say many of them would be elite right off the bat, but Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James proved going to college is not required to be a successful NBA player. Not to mention the NCAA looks more and more crooked each and every year as it finds new ways to screw athletes out of money. So if a kid is good enough to play professionally, then why should anyone be able to tell him no you need to go to Duke to pretend to do homework for 6 months, then you can go pro. Cut the crap.

I blogged about this back in March 2018 as the NBA has long been considering a solution for grooming young players that don’t want to go to college, but aren’t exactly floored about playing overseas. What I said back then:

If you’re going to require that players are at least a year removed from high school and the NCAA continues to be the money grubbing scheme that it is, it only makes sense to make the G-League a legitimate alternative to college. A place where players can get actual NBA level coaching and make a little coin without getting athletic directors and coaches everywhere investigated by the FBI.

Chris Haynes continues in the Yahoo article and mentions the idea of a “Select Team.”

“The G League will create a “Select Team” in a designated city with a few roster spots for elite high school players who want to play professionally instead of going to college, sources said. The rest of the roster will be made up of veteran players.”

Go hang around campus in your iSlides, get your National Championship on, take down a couple co-eds…not a bad gig. Or go pro in the States making six figures a year with nothing but a high school diploma? Ok, still not a sweet enough deal?

“The G League is also offering Green a full scholarship if he wants to obtain his college degree.“

LOL kick rocks, NCAA.

Adam Silver will go down as one of the great sports commissioners for a lot of reasons (integration of social media, e-sports, progressive views on marijuana, ousting Donald Sterling), but he may make his biggest mark in history for righting the wrong that was his predecessor’s baby: the One and Done rule. The One and Done rule has been in effect since 2005 so it’s “only” been 15 years, but Silver may have just found the solution to this tricky question. Rather than throwing kids straight into the fire that is the NBA or forcing them to go to college, Silver and co. came up with the idea of giving athletes a legit salary to play in the G-League while they level up. If you ask me, 9/10 kids are going to take that offer over playing for free at college and risking an injury.

Another huge perk to going this route is that this “Select Team” will only play about 20 games instead of the usual 50 in the G-League or 30+ in college or 82 in the NBA. Workload is probably a bigger factor than anything else as young players can gradually get used to a longer schedule.

We’ve seen a lot of guys look for ways around the One and Done rule. Back in 2018 Darius Bazley actually passed on this exact idea of joining the G-League in favor of an “internship” (with a $1 million salary) right in my neighborhood at the New Balance HQ. Bazley ultimately went No. 23 overall in the following NBA Draft so while he earned some serious money in the short term, the argument could be made he hurt his longterm career earnings by not getting the on-court experience in the G-League (or college).

None of this will really matter if Jalen Green flames out in the G-League and drops in next year’s draft, but this could be the start of something big.

Celtics May Not Have Drafted 7’2″ Bol Bol, But They DID Sign 7’6″ Tacko Fall

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ESPN – Tacko Fall, a 7-foot-6 center from UCF, will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Boston Celtics, a source told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Fall was not selected Thursday night during the NBA draft.

Fall averaged 10.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and shot 74 percent from the field over his four-year collegiate career. During his senior season, he posted marks of 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and hit 74.8 percent of his attempts.

Fall has attracted attention because of his size and because he held his own against Zion Williamson in UCF’s one-point loss to Duke in the NCAA tournament.

Exhibit 10 contracts, introduced in the NBA’s most recent collective bargaining agreement, are one-year deals paying the minimum salary. They also can be used for two-way contracts.

So technically the Celtics signed Tacko Fall to some phony bologna deal called an Exhibit 10 contract, which I have never even heard before this week.

“[Its] a one-year, non-guaranteed deal that allows teams to carry up to 20 players on their roster before the start of the regular season. If a player is waived before the season begins, he is then eligible for a $50,000 bonus if he joins the team’s G-League affiliate.” – Boston.com

What that means is Tacko will be given a shot to play for the C’s Summer League team in Vegas and then Danny will assess if he’s worth a flyer. Unless he absolutely savages people in the summer league I would not expect to see Tacko in a uniform that has anything other than a red lobster on the front next season.

If the name Tacko Fall sounds familiar to you, and like me you aren’t a giant college basketball guy, its most likely because he made you cry watching SportsCenter over your morning cereal.

So while I would not expect much from Tacko just yet, its hard to not be intrigued by a 7’6″ center. Especially since everyone and their mother has been bitching about the Celtics’ lack of a “rim protector” for my entire adult life. No doubt, we will keep you guys updated on how he does in the summer league this season.

NCAA Won’t Let Player Post His Wedding Registry Online Because Its a Violation, Lets Talk About Wedding Registries

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The NCAA just loves to constantly find new ways to be a complete and total clown show. A wedding registry is as American as apple pie. I pay $200 for you to have dinner and get drunk for free at a gigantic expensive party that I host and in return you buy me an espresso machine. Bingo bango. Thats the way it works guys. Now if Kyle Guy were asking for $10,000 cash or a new Mercedes on his wedding registry then by all means shut it down.

Outside of that? Just another example of a completely corrupt organization just going out of their way to fuck over college kids. I usually chirp at the people crying poor on behalf of college athletes getting free rides to the fanciest schools in the country, but stuff like this is different. This man is getting married, he needs nay he deserves a house dorm room full of brand new silverware, china, cooking utensils, napkin holders etc. etc. He’s far too young to need a wedding registry to be honest so maybe the NCAA is like hey bro rethink this, maybe get your Bachelors degree thats not worth the paper its printed on first before getting married?

Buuut in reality its probably just another example of the NCAA being about useful as the Springfield Police Department.

A New Way to Gamble On Sports

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March Madness is here, which means even people who don’t follow college hoops, like at all, have filled out their brackets and are watching the scores roll in. Based on the excitement and relative ease of filling out one of these brackets, I’ve developed a whole new way to gamble on professional sports. Essentially, brackets for the MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL and the field is the entire league.

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I tested this out on a small scale with some friends last year, and with a little tinkering on the MLB bracket, I think I’ve found a pretty fun and unique thing here. One of the reasons that fantasy baseball and basketball aren’t as popular as football is because there are just too many games to pay attention to. With the individual sport bracket, you place your picks at the beginning of the year, and that’s it. Just like March Madness, you have a field of teams to choose from (in this case, the whole league), and you pick winners at each step of the way. Here’s a more detailed description of how baseball works:

There are 6 total rounds, with the first two rounds checkpoints in the regular season and the last four being each round of the playoffs. The first checkpoint will be May 15th (around the 1/4 season mark). The second is the All Star Break. You get 10 points per pick in the regular season rounds (1 and 2), 10 points for picking correct playoff teams and a bonus 10 points for getting seeds right (round 3). This way, if you guess a team that makes the playoffs but you don’t get the seed right, you still get awarded something. Round 4 includes the wild card game (30 points per correct WC winner) and the teams that make the LCS (40 points). I’ve scored it this way because you have a very slim chance of guessing the team that wins the actual Wild Card game, but ultimately an LCS berth is more important. Correct LCS winners get 100 points, and correct champion picks get 200 each. First tiebreaker is correct game count, second is total runs in the series clinching game.

Football works much the same way, but with no regular season checkpoints and more of an emphasis on division winners and seeding. The scoring is slightly different just because baseball playoffs aren’t as straightforward as the other leagues. Basketball and hockey start with the All-Star Break, and also assign bonus points for seeding and division winners. All brackets in any league get submitted before the season starts, again, just like with March Madness.

LaVar Ball Starting His Own Basketball League to Compete With the NCAA

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ESPN – LaVar Ball said Wednesday that he’s launching a basketball league for nationally-ranked players who have graduated from high school but don’t want to go to college. Ball’s Junior Basketball Association, which he says is fully funded by his Big Baller Brand, plans to pay the lowest-ranked player a salary of $3,000 a month and the best player $10,000 a month, Ball said. Ball is looking for 80 players to fill 10 teams that will seek to play at NBA arenas in Los Angeles, Dallas, Brooklyn and Atlanta.“Getting these players is going to be easy,” Ball told ESPN. “This is giving guys a chance to get a jump start on their career, to be seen by pro scouts, and we’re going to pay them because someone has to pay these kids.”

The modern day Vince McMahon just continues to roll along with his idea du jour; an alternative basketball league to compete with the NCAA. It’s geared at top players who don’t want to go to college, or ya know shit holes like Lithuania. Ya think LaMelo and LiAngelo might prefer playing in this league rather than taking trains and ferrys to Baltic League games in Kiev?

I gotta admit, this guy is COCKY, and it is contagious. Because on its face, its not a bad idea. If the NBA is so stuck on its “One and Done” rule (which it may actually get rid of sooner than later) then whats the point of a guy going to Duke for 8 months and showing up to a handful of classes posing as a college student like he’s in Never Been Kissed?

The NCAA is more corrupt than a North Korean election so a little competition to maybe keep them on their toes can’t hurt. Having a league that follows pro-style rules makes a ton of sense too.

“Ball said the rules of his league will follow those of the NBA instead of college — 12-minute quarters and a pro 3-point line.”

Having wildly different rules for college and the pros has never made any sense to me. Especially when leagues like the NBA and the NFL use the NCAA as a de facto minor league system. Why make the 3 point line deeper after turning pro instead of just having players get used to it in college and judge them all accordingly? Why do college football players only need to get one foot down for a catch, but in the NFL you need two?

Quotes like this though don’t really help the perception that this is just all a marketing scheme to further LaVar’s own brand.

“Ball said since Big Baller Brand is promoting the league, all players must agree to wear only Big Baller Brand products, including BBB shoes on the court. “We’ll give it to them all,” Ball said. “They’ll be wearing our uniform, our shoes, our T-shirts and our hoodies.”

Don’t get me wrong, nobody thinks LaVar Ball is here to save the manatees. The honesty and transparency is refreshing when compared to the toxic hypocrisy that is the NCAA, but in order to succeed this will need to be more than the latest example of LaVar Ball hawking garbage at an exorbitant price.

So if you’re a high school grad that doesn’t wanna play overseas and risk going to Chinese prison for swiping some sweet shades, then the Big Baller Brand league is for you. Ya know until the NBA inevitably gets rid of the “One and Done” rule, then this league will collapse faster than an IKEA kitchen table.

LaVar Ball Continues Quest to Ruin His Kids Lives, Pulls LiAngelo Ball from UCLA

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TMZ – It’s a stunning move … LiAngelo Ball will no longer be on the UCLA basketball team and, in fact, he will not be a student at UCLA … because his father, LaVar Ball, is removing him from the institution … TMZ Sports has learned.  As you know, LiAngelo was indefinitely suspended from the team after he stole from several stores during a trip to China. LiAngelo was placed on house arrest but was sprung after Trump and others went to bat for him.

It was crazy enough when LaVar Ball took his youngest kid, LaMelo, out of high school. But at least that could kind of be defended by saying hey the family is rich and famous and he wants the kid to travel and train full-time while not being bothered by things like “studying or “learning to play with teammates.” Pulling LiAngelo Ball out of UCLA? Thats fucking nonsensical. LiAngelo, while dumb enough to shoplift in China, is still a college student AKA a goddamn adult. So pulling him out of school and off of a promising D1 basketball team is a lot different than just yanking your 15 year old son out of high school.

Its just another delusional move from the guy who thinks he can somehow mold all 3 of his kids into elite NBA athletes by himself alone. And this part?

We’re told LaVar believes the suspension was unfair, especially since the charges were dropped. LaVar’s people tell TMZ Sports the famous dad thinks, “There’s no need to break down a kid’s spirit for making a mistake.”

The kid was shoplifting in fucking CHINA. He’s lucky he’s not in Chinese prison still. I think a little suspension from UCLA was a pretty fair response.

Real question though, what’s he do with LiAngelo? Just take the time off to train? If I’m an NBA executive I’m not going near the kid who didn’t even play a game in college and just expect him to jump right into the NBA. I would say he could go play ball overseas, but if I’m him I’m probably never leaving the United States again. Part of me can’t help but think its another storyline for their reality show as LaVar looks to overtake the Kardashians for Reality TV royalty. So this should be an interesting one to watch play out.

Donald Trump Does NOT Like Getting UCLA Basketball Players Out of Chinese Prison Without a Hearty Thank You

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If it weren’t for the Donald, LiAngelo Ball and his UCLA teammates could be in a Chinese labor camp breaking rocks for the next 5-10 years.

Or at least thats how he wants people to see it.

Before we get into this, if there is one piece of advice to offer LiAngelo and his teammates, especially when traveling to dictatorial countries, it’s this:

While it has reached completely fucking preposterous levels of reality TV storylines, it is equally hilarious that the fucking President of the United States had to throw in a good word to the President of China to get this process moving along. China was never gonna imprison famous American teenagers for 10 years, but then again it is China so you never know. I distinctly remember just how difficult it was for Jack Bauer to get back from China. It even required a prisoner swap, so you mess with China at your own risk.

But Donnie is out there just wheeling and dealing getting shit done. And while actual things may not be actually getting done, at least the UCLA basketball team is whole again. But don’t you dare think you’re gonna fly home without publicly thanking the Donald for saving your bacon.

Although Lil Yachty would disagree with that.

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UPDATE: The players acknowledged and thanked Donald Trump for helping get them out of China, so we can all resume our lives now.

UCLA Basketball Players Heading Home From China

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Reuters – Three UCLA basketball players detained in China on suspicion of shoplifting were headed back to the United States on Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had sought the help of Chinese President Xi Jinping in the case…

“What they did was unfortunate,” Trump told reporters earlier in Manila. He said the trio, who have been held since last week, could have faced long prison sentences, and described Xi’s response as “terrific.”

The Donald is on the board! The effort to repeal and replace Obamacare fizzled out earlier this year. North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear weapons program. The Robert Mueller investigation is on-going. Tax reform will be an uphill battle. It’s been a tough first year in office for Donald Trump, but LiAngelo Ball is coming home!

UCLA hosts Central Arkansas Wednesday night. It will be interesting to see if Ball and teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill face any further discipline when they arrive home. UCLA head coach Steve Alford took a brave stand and benched them for the Georgia Tech game in Shanghai. As opposed to breaking them out of the hotel they were confined to and further pissing off the Chinese government.

As we said last week, this shoplifting incident had all the makings of an international incident. Thankfully LaVar Ball was right. It wasn’t “that big a deal.” Though it did make its way into discussions between the President of the United States and the President of the People’s Republic of China. I guess more serious discussions on human rights, currency manipulation and unbalanced trade relations will have to wait until next time.

It figures that Trump’s first win as president will prominently play into a reality television show plot line. I don’t know if LaVar Ball meant for the family’s China trip to go down this way, but he’s now got a hell of an act to top for season three of Ball in the Family.

 

UCF Unveils a Fire Flames New Basketball Court

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USA Today -There are plenty of positives to a life if one were to attend UCF. One of the most specific upsides is UCF’s proximity to Universal Orlando Resort; just a half-hour car ride southwest of campus, UCF students can make a day trip almost any time. Luckily for UCF’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, the Knights’ new floor at CFE Arena is bringing roller coasters — and palm trees — much closer to the hardwood. In fact, it’s putting them *on* the hardwood. UCF introduced the latest edition of its court Wednesday. Out is the old two-toned look from last season, with a gray wood center court and tan wood inside the arcs.

Wow. If there’s two things I can get behind its wacky basketball courts and of course fire flames jerseys.

We have that here in spades. Shout out to UCF for realizing that no one will give a shit about your basketball team unless you sex it up a little bit. Introducing roller coaster tycoon parquet. Pop on a couple neon and camo jerseys and you got yourself a marketing campaign.