Kyrie Irving

On this day exactly one year ago the Boston Celtics traded for Kyrie Irving. The trade was Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets 2018 first round pick (which ended up being the 8th overall which they used on 6'2" point guard Collin Sexton from Alabama).

The trade was a big win for Danny Ainge and the Celtics (despite what others predicted).  Looking back I stand by my immediate assessment of the trade.

The Celtics have Kyrie under control for this season and then he becomes a free agent. Even if he leaves Boston has Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier as back-ups. My big fear, however, is somehow Knicks find the cap room to sign both Irving and Kevin Durant to add to Kristaps Porzingas. That's a potent Big Three but realistically I don't see it happening. More likely Kyrie re-signs with Boston.

The Celtics will be very good this season. And Kyrie Irving will be their best player.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Reminder - the New York City radio station that was carrying the liberal talk radio Air America actually saw its ratings increase when it switched to an all Gospel music format... Youth is not a time in life... The "no touch" Ohio stripper laws help explain why the Cavaliers have such a hard time signing NBA free agents... The five types of wealth - 1 financial wealth (money), 2 social wealth (status), 3 time wealth (freedom), 4 physical wealth (health) and 5 spiritual health (wisdom)... In the great Twitter purge looks like I actually gained 2 followers - unlike Ray Lewis...  I can't understand the mindset of some vegans who think "meat is murder" but who can simultaneously support abortion... Geez it's almost as if the more government got involved with something the more expensive it becomes to the consumer. Who would have thunk it?...

LeBron James

So LeBron James has signed with the Lakers as a free-agent for $154 million over 4-years. Who could have seen this coming? Oh yeah - everyone!

Last year I suggested that Cleveland should be trading LeBron James and not Kyrie Irving. I still stand behind that.

If the Cavaliers had traded James last season this year their core would have been Kyrie, Kevin Love and Brandon Ingram. Any half decent GM would be able to make that core into an Eastern Conference contender.

Instead Cleveland will be in shambles for the foreseeable future. They might not even have their own draft pick this year having traded it for Kyle Korver (Top 10 Protected).

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Get the feeling that JR Smith is never going to live this one down

- Benedict Cumberbatch real-life hero

- Am I a bad person for laughing at this?

- Sorry Mr. Einstein Edit - I agree with Borepatch that the letter is most likely a fake.

- TBS could literally get better ratings showing reruns of The Andy Griffith Show

- Evidence of actual man-made climate change

- Cool - how we found the giant squid

State of the Celtics

The Celtics are up 2-0 against the Cavaliers and are just 2 more wins away from being the biggest surprise team to ever make the NBA Championship. And they are doing this without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Haywood who both will be back full strength next season. And they have a pile of high draft picks in 2019. So I guess you could say the State of the Celtics is GREEATTT!!!

How are they doing this? Well according to one "rival front office guy" Boston finds themselves just 2 wins away from the NBA Championship because;

"They are a team full of killers. Some are loud like [Marcus] Smart and [Marcus] Morris. Others do it quietly like [Al] Horford, [Jayson] Tatum and [Jalen] Brown. And the best, quietest killer of all is on the sidelines because you never see it coming."

That's right - Brad Stevens the quietest killer of all. His nickname should be Brad "Hypertension" Stevens because he's such a silent killer. Celtics fans appreciate that Stevens is the best coach in the NBA despite not even getting a single friggin' vote for NBA Coach of the Year. And if you hear anyone point out that Brad is just .500 in the playoffs (21-21) you can be 100% sure that the person that said or wrote that is a jackass who knows nothing about basketball.

And let's not forget the front office led by Danny Ainge. Trading what ended up being the 8th pick in this draft for Kyrie Irving was a trade Red Auerbach would have been proud of. And no disrespect but when's the last time you heard any Celtics fan mention Avery Bradley?  Ainge traded him for Morris who has been the best defender in the league on LeBron James.

You could go right down the starting line-up:

Al Horford - signed as a free agent to a max deal and worth every penny. It should be remembered that at the time Horford signed Ainge was also pursuing Kevin Durant who had narrowed his choice between signing with either Boston or Golden State. That says a lot about how players are viewing Boston as a desired destination these days.

Terry Rozier - taken with the 16th pick in the 2015 draft. A pick that was roundly criticized by "experts" who are now seeing what Danny Ainge saw back then in Scary Terry.

Jaylen Brown - taken 3rd overall in the 2016 draft. A pick that was booed in Boston!

Jayson Tatum - also taken 3rd overall but in the 2017 draft. Ainge said he would have taken Tatum first overall but instead got a potential 2019 lottery pick from Philadelphia for basically waiting a half hour.

Marcus Smart - taken 6th overall in the 2014 draft. His stats don't come close to explaining how much Smart means to this team. I hope he doesn't leave as a free agent after this magic run is done this season.

That's a lot of talent on the court right there. Talent that can hold their own against anyone in the NBA as they are showing against Cleveland. And hopefully they can show against either Houston or Golden State in the next round.

The State of the Celtics right now and for the foreseeable future is excellent!

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Good recap of the defensive scheme the Celtics used to dismantle the Cavs yesterday.  Look for Cleveland to try to make adjustments to their offense to counter. Also look for Brad Stevens to be ready for it.

- Frank Sinatra died 20-years ago today. That's meaningful for some but many don't even know who Sinatra was at this point. In 20 more years he'll be all but forgotten. 100-years ago Al Jolson was the most famous person in America and called "the world's greatest entertainer". How many people do you think remember Jolson today? Carpe diem!

- Got to admit Trump is winning me over.

- EU statement opposing US Embassy move to Jerusalem blocked by "New Europe" coalition. The US Embassy is opening today.

- 10 US commercial drone services given green light

- RIP coach Chuck Knox

- Heh Heh

Kyrie Irving

Last night the Celtics beat the Cavaliers 102-88 and yesterday Jackie MacMullan had a tremendous article on Kyrie Irving and the trade that brought him to Boston. Well worth the read.

After you read that - listen to this audio from Kyrie Irving immediately after the game. He gives some great insight into his relationship with his dad and his personal motivations. Well worth your time.

As good as the Celtics looked last night some have said that Cleveland will have the edge in the playoffs once Isaiah Thomas is healthy. I don't necessarily disagree with that but to those folks I would remind that Danny Ainge still has the $8.4 million injury exception to use to further improve the Boston roster.

And to Isaiah Thomas - we love you right back!

Labor Day Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations on this beautiful Labor Day!

If it was widely known in the NFL that QB Jacoby Brissett was available from the Patriots then Jacksonville should have made the best offer for him. Brissett immediately would be the best QB on their roster... Heh heh this is true!...  If Lonzo Ball doesn't license AC/DC's song Big Balls and alter the lyrics to Big Ballers - he's missing a huge marketing opportunity... Heh heh... It should be noted that if Cleveland called off the trade with the Celtics and Kyrie Irving refused to report to training camp then the Cavaliers would have had ZERO leverage moving forward. They would have had to accepted a deal worth less than half what Boston was offering... Metabolic Cascades of Dysfunction would be a good name for a fantasy football team. It's also a fancy way to say "concussions"... A rant from the past - how the teacher's unions have ruined Labor Day...

Cavaliers and Celtics Trade Official

The deal that's sending Kyrie Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, the Nets 2018 first round pick and now Miami's 2020 second round pick is finally official. All that delay and anxiety for a lousy second round pick. Cleveland gets a "sweetener" but comes off much worse in the end.

The extra second round pick probably doesn't mean anything to Danny Ainge (another asset he basically picked up for nothing) but I bet he's pissed that Cleveland pulled this move when he thought the deal was agreed upon and announced to the public. It will probably be a long time before Ainge calls Cleveland about another deal. That's probably true for a number of NBA GM's. Even when they think they have a deal the opposite GM is probably going to ask for confirmation that owner Dan Gilbert has publicly signed off on the deal. The deal with Boston netted Cleveland an extra second round pick but the way they did it is probably going to cost them much more than that in future deals. The Cavaliers are going to have to pay a Dan Gilbert jerk tax going forward for the foreseeable future.

That might be unfair to say but I think it is true. Sure Cleveland could have had legitimate concerns about Isaiah's hip moving forward but the way they handled the situation insinuated that Danny Ainge and Boston were less than forthright about the severity of Isaiah's injury. The way Cleveland handled this has painted Isaiah Thomas as damaged goods which isn't exactly going to be helpful when it comes time to try and re-sign him after this season. The way the Cavaliers acted will make people think Dan Gilbert is an interfering ass who's not worth the aggravation.

That's the perception right now and in life often perception is the reality. And the reality is that the Cavaliers are worse off today than they were a week ago and they have nobody to blame but themselves. All for a lousy extra second round pick.

No wonder LeBron is in such a hurry to bolt for Los Angeles.

Photo from @Steve_Hewitt

Revisiting the Kyrie Irving Trade

It's been a few days to digest the trade that brought Kyrie Irving to Boston and sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and the Nets first round 2018 pick to Cleveland. The best analysis of the trade I've seen so far was by Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo! Sports.

And why did Kyrie Irving want to be traded in the first place? Well this is one explanation that makes a whole lot of sense.

My apologies to Jae Crowder. I thought he'd be happy at the news of the trade. Little did I know he was dealing with the passing of his mom. My deepest regrets and condolences.

Danny Ainge has it 100% when it comes to what Isaiah Thomas gave to Boston. Amen indeed! The jackasses burning Isaiah Thomas jerseys? Attention whores and shame on any of you who gave them any attention (one of the big problems in today's society but that's a post for another time). And those unnamed NBA sources who said Thomas wasn't well liked in the Celtics locker room? My guess is they work for teams interested in signing Thomas when he's a free agent and are subtly trying to drive down the asking price.

Celtics fans have nothing but gratitude for Isaiah Thomas. He gave us everything he had. He gave us fourth quarter victories we had no business to expect. He gave us smiles on our face from watching his pure joy on the basketball court. Nothing but gratitude. Anyone who says otherwise is not a Celtics fan.

Celtics Trade for Kyrie Irving

Let me first say it is entirely possible to love Isaiah Thomas but also still love the trade for Kyrie Irving. I'm guessing a large number of Celtics fans in Boston feel that way.

Last night the Boston Celtics traded Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets 2018 1st round draft pick for Kyrie Irving. I like this trade very much for Boston but by the same token this may be the rare trade that benefits both teams.

Cleveland needed to trade Kyrie Irving after he publicly asked for a trade and his rift with LeBron James also became public knowledge. I still say Cleveland would have been better off forcing a trade of LeBron to the the Lakers but that ship has sailed. The Cavaliers front office did not want to do a deal with Boston but no other trade with similar value was available. So Kyrie Irving finds himself this morning in Boston.

Make no mistake - this trade was really Kyrie Irving for the Nets 1st round pick. The rest, including Isaiah Thomas, was salary match filler. It is so fitting that Paul Pierce is having his number retired by Boston on a night they play Cleveland next season because this trade could really be called Kyrie Irving for Paul Pierce when you consider where the Celtics assets in this deal came from in the first place.

For Cleveland they get an All-Star caliber point guard to team with LeBron James and Kevin Love for one more run at a title next season before James bolts for the Lakers. Thomas is a proven 4th quarter scorer who would still rather create for others. A very likable human being who will be a fan favorite and who could be a staple in Cleveland for years if the Cavaliers decide to back up the Brinks truck for Thomas after this season. I just wonder how the dynamic with the newly signed Derrick Rose will work out.

Jae Crowder will prove to be a valuable contributor for Cleveland. He's a defensive specialist on a team that really needs such a player. Plus he has one of the most reasonable contracts in the NBA. For Crowder, with the signing of Gordon Haywood, there wasn't room for him in Boston anyway. So he's potentially the happiest player being dealt last night.

On the Boston side - I'm a firm believer of the idea that when you trade a quarter for two dimes and a nickel - the team getting the getting the quarter is almost always the winner. Irving gives Boston a better point guard and a more stable health and salary cap contract situation moving forward.

It is amazing when you consider where the assets on the Boston side in the deal actually came from. The 1st round pick Boston used to acquire Thomas in the first place originally belonged to Cleveland! The Nets pick was a robbery in the best Red Auerbach mode and don't forget that Jae Crowder was basically a throw in to the Rajon Rondo deal.

I'm really sorry to see Isaiah Thomas go but if Boston fans are honest it looks like Danny Ainge traded him at his peak value and many are afraid that between his hip and his age that a max contract was a big, BIG risk that's now no longer the Celtics problem.

As much as I like this deal for the Celtics - the Cavaliers are still the team to beat in the NBA East next season. The season after that? Well that's a different story.