Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The first use of napalm in a bomb wasn't used in the jungles of Vietnam, nor in the bombings of either Dresden or Tokyo - it was used on the soccer fields of Harvard University on July 4, 1942. And it wasn't even an MIT prank... This was a fantastic proposal... The CFL franchise formerly known as the Edmonton Eskimos is now the Edmonton Elks. I was hoping they'd go with the Edmonton Football Team as part of a trend (and yes the plural of "elk" is still "elk" not "elks" - silly Canadians)... The Boston Celtics season was disappointing all the way around. Making it worse is the "what if" scenario of what if Gordon Hayward had decided to stick around. What could this team have accomplished? And yes if Haywood and Jaylen Brown were both still hurt the results would have been the same... The Sad Truth About Traditional Environmentalism. Good question - who is more anti-science an anti-vaxxer or an environmentalist who is anti nuclear power? Yet only the anti-vaxxer gets publicly mocked...  

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Osmium is a member of the platinum family and the densest element. The second densest element is sports radio discussions in Boston regarding Gordon Haywood signing with the Charlotte Hornets. Jeez give it a rest... Dave Chappelle explains why he asked Netflix to stop streaming The Chappelle Show... I may print up business cards with the title "Director of Harlotry" - I just like the sound of that title... Maskachusetts - sadly this is true... Yes AC/DC has a formula and this is pretty much it. The funny thing is the band knows this and has been amazed it has worked for so many years. Still doesn't take anything away from their great music... Elon Musk passes Bill Gates to become the world's second richest person. Good for Elon Musk! Interesting that the three richest people in the world are all Americans (although Musk was born in South Africa) and that the two richest people now also own rocket companies with the goal of getting to Mars... 

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

For all the angst about the Celtics losing Gordon Haywood - Las Vegas still has Boston tied for the third-best odds to win the NBA East (tied with Miami but behind Milwaukee and Brooklyn)... Velvet Yoda would be a good name for an Elvis cover band... Back when men were men... Yesterday was the anniversary of Edwin Hubble's discovery in 1924 that the Andromeda "nebula" was actually another galaxy outside of the Milky Way. The ramifications were as big as Galileo saying the Earth was not the center of our solar system... There was an old lady who swallowed a horse. - She's dead, of course... When's the last time you heard anyone bring up George W. Bush? You certainly don't see those "George W - miss me yet?" billboards. It's like his 8-years in office have been washed away with only John Roberts as the Chief Justice as his only "accomplishment"... Just when you thought 2020 couldn't get any stranger - Mysterious monolith found among Utah rocks. The first step to making "contact?" Or just perhaps a rogue art project?... 

State of the Celtics

 Free agent Gordon Haywood signed a 4-year $120 million dollar contract with the Charlotte Hornets and suddenly some people are calling for Celtics' President Danny Ainge to be fired. Of course if Danny Ainge had matched the offer to Haywood these same people would have been calling for Ainge's firing even louder. 

The Celtics should have done a sign and trade with Indiana they say. What part of the "sign" in sign and trade do these people not understand? Indiana probably rightly wasn't willing to go to a 4th year so Haywood went to the Hornets who put a huge offer on the table. 

And BTW - of all the people criticizing Ainge in the media or on Twitter - how many of them predicted Haywood would be going to Charlotte? I'd set the over/under at ZERO.

Looks like the Celtics had about $9 million to sign a player after losing Haywood. They used that money to sign free agent center Tristan Thompson (2-years $19 million) and back-up point guard Jeff Teague. This is a young team with lots of depth. I like this team.

The starting five of Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jason Tatum and Daniel Theis can play with anyone. With Jayson Tatum signing a five-year $195 million extension it should also be remembered that three of the starting five are Danny Ainge draft picks. 

The bench is a good mix of young players and veterans. The key to success this season (besides actually having one and players staying healthy) would be for one of the three of Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith, and Grant Williams stepping up to be key contributors or valued sixth men.

I do admit that I was hoping to see Aaron Baynes coming back to Boston but in Danny I trust.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Serious question - who had a better NBA season Gordon Haywood or Jae Crowder?  I mean at least people think Haywood is still a starting player in the league... Cool - man who escaped Alcatraz writes letter to the FBI telling them he's still alive... Before coffee this morning I started thinking about the death of Cranberries lead singer Dolores O' Riordan. It's been almost 3 months since her death. Cherish life and live in the moment... I was amused by this stat. I was amused because I immediately wondered if those numbers are giving credit for the explosion in polar bear population to Al Gore somehow. I mean do those numbers also include the half bear-half Gore ones too. Even briefly thought about writing a screenplay Al Gore - The Man Who Slept with Polar Bears (my mind works differently than most)... Heh heh - it's funny because its true... I get a kick out of Brad Marchand. He's like the reincarnation of the great John L. Sullivan "I can lick any sonofabitch in the house!"...  They still haven't announced O'Riordan's cause of death...

State of the Celtics

Boston fans were saddened by the trade of Avery Bradley to Detroit but it was something that had to happen (no matter how much we tried to delude ourselves that it did not). The Celtics were not going to be able to pay him next year when he's a free agent and they needed to move part of his $8.8 million salary this year in order to make cap room for Gordon Haywood's signing. It had to be done and Danny Ainge did a good job of making the best of the situation by getting Marcus Morris back in return.

Think of it this way - the Celtics traded a guy who is hard on Stephen Curry to get a guy who gets under Lebron James skin defensively.

So the Celtics offseason basically comes down to a defacto trade of Kelly Olynyk (who signed a 4-year $51 million contract with the Heat) and Avery Bradley for Gordon Haywood and Marcus Morris plus the drafting of Jayson Tatum (and picking up another lottery pick for next year).

Boston fans should be very happy with that.

All the best to Avery Bradley who if he continues to make strides offensively (and stay healthy) will rival anyone as a top free agent next season.

Gordon Haywood to Visit Celtics Today

Hopefully the Celtics don't let him leave until he agrees to a contract.

Photo via

State of the Celtics

The next few days will be huge for the Boston Celtics. Free agency starts July 1st and the Celtics will be making a big play for Gordon Haywood who will be visiting Miami, Boston and Utah before making his decision. Vegas odds have the Celtics as the favorites to sign arguably the top free agent available.

That's Step One.

Step Two is a trade for Pail George from the Pacers. I would send Jae Crowder plus the Celtics 2018 first round pick plus the Memphis 2019 first round pick to Indiana. If the Pacers want Jordan Mickey as a throw in - fine. If the Pacers want the conditional Lakers 2018 first rounder instead of the Celtics first rounder I would say OK but only if Paul George signs an extension with the Celtics. If no extension then only offer the 2018 Celtics pick.

If Paul George does sign an extension then the trade to move from the first pick in the draft to the third would have been basically in exchange for Jason Tatum and Paul George. That's robbery by Ainge (who doesn't get enough credit). I don't think that happens though. Why would George give up on his dream of playing for the Lakers prior to knowing how he fits with the Celtics? The extension talk is just posturing by the Pacers.

Some like the Boston Globe's Chad Finn have speculated that if Boston does trade for Paul George then it will be the end of Avery Bradley's career for the Green. I disagree. Paul George will make $19.3 million this season. If the Celtics shed Jae Crowder and Tyler Zeller then that's $15 million right there to cover the cost of the new acquisition. I'm no capologist but I trust Danny's folks will make it work.

I like the idea of Paul George as a one-year rental. Adding him and Haywood to the roster make Boston the best team in the East while still giving flexibility for the 2018 roster when Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart are due new contracts. Plus the Celtics would have two lottery picks in the next NBA Draft!

It's all good!

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I predict that the Celtics' Danny Ainge signs free agent Gordon Haywood AND trades for Paul George BUT also somehow does not win NBA Executive of the Year... The Yellowstone Super Volcano still undergoing a swarm of earthquakes (and still scaring the bejeezus out of me)... Isaac the Bartender from The Love Boat is my spirit animal... Cool new plane (but what would it be used for - doesn't look like it's built for passengers)... I love these... Just as a reminder - "Britney Spears" is an anagram for "Presbyterians"... This is impressive... In September call-ups the Atlanta Braves should add "the Freeze" to the roster as a pinch runner. What a great way to support his Olympic sprinting dream (and sell a shit ton of his jerseys)...

State of the Celtics

The trade that will send the overall number one pick in the NBA Draft from the Celtics to the Sixers in exchange for the third pick in the draft is expected to be made official today. Everyone is asking, "What is Danny Ainge thinking?" Some ask the question derisively thinking he's crazy to be gambling on "assets" when "sure thing" Markelle Fultz is just sitting there at number one. And he's trading him to a Division rival? Crazy!

Others are asking "What is Danny Ainge thinking?" because they think/know that another shoe will be dropping. Put me in this camp.

My guess is Ainge is fine with trading the number one for the third pick because Fultz wasn't at the top of his draft board anyway. If that's the case why not pick up another great asset like the 2-5th pick in next years's draft or the unprotected Kings pick in 2019 and still get the guy you had listed at number one on your draft board? Remember Ainge was the guy who saw the potential of Isaiah Thomas when nobody else in the NBA did and used a draft pick he got basically for free to trade for him. Ainge is an excellent talent evaluator.

So what does Boston do with all these assets Ainge has accumulated? Paul George? How about the Lakers pick next year (or Kings 2019 1st), Jae Crowder and the Celtics 2019 1st rounder. Does that get it done? Or does it raise the stakes to weaken the other contenders who match the offer? Paul could be a one-year rental or he could love Boston like Paul Pierce (another LA native who dreamed of playing for the Lakers). At the least George would allow Jaylen Brown another year to grow into the position.

Jimmy Butler? Another possibility but what price would the Bulls want for Butler? And how would that effect Jaylen Brown's development (Brown is basically just a younger Butler). My guess is the price is judged to be too steep for Butler.

How about the unhappy Kristaps Porzingis? Ainge has already shown he's not afraid to deal within the Division. Why not make a Godfather-type offer to the desiccated husk that is Phil Jackson?

Anthony Davis? This is the Holy Grail and Ainge now has to pieces to make a really attractive offer to the Pelicans.

What about Free Agents Gordon Haywood and Blake Griffin? Haywood has been the most mentioned because of his ties to coach Brad Stevens but Utah can offer more money and now that it's clear that the Pacers will be trading Paul George they will need a marquee player replacement and and the Indiana native Haywood fits that bill to a tee.

Blake Griffin has health concerns but he would fit the Celtics needs the best. The team needs rebounding help. A starting five of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Paul George, Al Horford, and Blake Griffin would be tough to beat. And just think on how deep the bench would be with Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Kelly Olynyk, Terry Rozier and the third pick from this draft would be. Griffin loves stand-up comedy so the Celtics should put Bill Burr on the recruiting trail.

Lots and lots of questions. And don't expect any answers until Ainge actually acts because like Bill Belichick - Ainge doesn't give away any hints to what he's actually thinking. The Boston press (and fans) having decades of experience with Ainge and Belichick should know this by now.

But apparently not.