Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

John Wayne once said that every young man needs to let the badger loose every once in a while. On Saturday I let the badger loose in a big way. And I'm not a young man... Conor McGregor had a blast Saturday at the Bruins game... I know that stereotyping is bad but if I see the back of your car has 10 or more bumper stickers and two of them are for Coexist and Bernie Sanders - I'm going to go ahead and assume your home smells like cat piss... Heh Heh... According to Snapple Facts #117 - "The starfish is the only animal that can turn its stomach inside out." Obviously Snapple has never been out drinking on St. Patrick's Day weekend with some of my Irish friends... People don't seem to use the word "famished" anymore. Is that because people's vocabularies are getting smaller or because it's not OK to use a word that comes from "famine"? And speaking of famine - when's the last time you've heard about a famine in the news? Was Sally Strothers that successful at ending hunger or have things been improving in the world to the point where famines are so rare?... When Isaiah Thomas returns to the TD Garden tonight I expect him to get one of the biggest ovations from Boston fans that I've seen in my lifetime... 

Linky Links

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

- I really want this bobblehead

- The guy's a badass

- Heh heh - meanwhile in Peru. Maybe it's an emotional support llama?

- Absolutely a Green Deal I could get behind

- Heh heh

- Social Security does need some changes to make sure it is viable long term. But I think any plan that doesn't include gradually increasing the retirement age to reflect increases in human longevity is just ignoring reality.

- How can you not root for Isaiah Thomas?

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!

State of the Celtics

The news that Isaiah Thomas is about to start a rehabilitation with the Cavs G-League team got me thinking about the NBA and in particular all things Boston Celtics.

I'm still amazed that Danny Ainge turned the assets from the Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo trades into Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. And don't forget that he also turned Doc Rivers as coach into Brad Stevens as coach. There's not a single NBA team that would rather have Rivers over Stevens as coach at this point. Not one single NBA team.

Rivers didn't want to stick around in Boston because he didn't want to go through a rebuilding process. Since leaving the Celtics - Rivers has been 18-22 in the playoffs with the Clippers. Meanwhile in that same span the "rebuilding" Celtics have been 11-17 but poised to greatly improve on that playoff record this season and in the years to come.

Whatever the Celtics do in the playoffs this season is pure gravy. Fans are really interested in what can be accomplished next season with the addition of Gordon Haywood for a full season and another first round pick (or two) plus the probable absence of LeBron James from the Eastern Conference.

Speaking of draft picks - currently Brooklyn (11-18) has a better record than the Lakers (10-18). Hope that continues and somehow LA falls to between 2nd and 5th in the draft.

Good luck with the rehab IT4! Boston fans are pulling for you!

Linky Links

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

- Incredible the difference a week makes. Even though the waters may have receded the damage caused will take months to fix.

- Interesting - scientists discover new form of black hole at heart of Milky Way

- Heh heh - we've all been there Hulkster. And we've also made this vow (only to later break it)

- Footprints suggest mankind may be much older than previously thought

- Insane workout!

- I really do wish Isaiah Thomas full health and nothing but the best. I hope Cleveland loves him as much as Celtics fans

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.

Isaiah Thomas

After Isaiah Thomas dropped 53 points to help Boston beat the Wizards in game two of their NBA playoff match-up last night - I thought it was timely to remind people just how the Celtics came to have the All-Star point guard.

In 2015 Danny Ainge as part of a 3-team trade sent Tayshaun Prince and Marcus Thornton plus a 1st round pick out and received back Isaiah Thomas and Jonas Jerebko back. Talk about highway robbery. Prince didn't even play in the NBA this season and Thornton had a total of just 219 points all season for Washington (or 80 less than Jerebko). Did I mention highway robbery?

As an aside - is "Pizza Guy" really a nickname for Isaiah Thomas? Nobody calls him that.

Linky Links

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

- Nice profile of Michael Keaton

- Edward Snowden is not a "whistleblower" - he's a traitor and wannabe James Bond.

- Interesting - was the Isaiah Thomas deal a "better" trade for Danny Ainge than the Kevin Garnett trade?

- Some fairy tales may be 6,000 years old.

- In 2017 I want to be "the man in the arena"

- Interesting reference guide.

- WTF! A Caffeine DUI?

Linky Links

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

- Jake Tapper makes a good point.

- How can you not like Isaiah Thomas of the Celtics?

- Best photobomb ever!

- If it's only for one night in October - why the hell isn't that one night Halloween?

- Worth another read - Anthony Bourdain's Life Advice

- This still blows my mind - half of Earth's water might be older than the Sun

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

RIP James Arness who was best known as the star of the TV show Gunsmoke but lesser known for being a WW II vet who was wounded at the battle of Anzio. I have to admit that I cannot think of the show Gunsmoke without thinking how much Randy Johnson looked like a giant Festus... This point has been made elsewhere but it bears repeating - the biggest winner if the New York Knicks bring back Isaiah Thomas in any capacity will be the Nets who are moving into a new arena in the Bronx. The presence of Zeke will get thousands upon thousands of Knicks fans to switch allegiances to the Nets.... Why Penn Jillette doesn't drink or do drugs... I was surprised to see that the Astros have released Bill Hall. I know Hall has been awful this year but it doesn't seem like the Astros to release a player they owe seven figures to... I could go for a Dicken's Cider right about now... Ed Sullivan was once the biggest name in show business. That makes me wonder if 50 years from now if Oprah will be remembered chiefly because some late-night show is in her theater... Jose Iglesiasis is supposed to be wizard with the glove - the second coming of Omar Vizquel. That's why it is so strange that he leads Pawtucket in errors with 7... On my TV electronic program guide I keep reading Law & Order UK as Law & Order CK. My mind thinks it's Law & Order starring Louis CK. That would be a much better show.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

By my count - including states with former CBA teams - Isaiah Thomas has directly alienated the people of 19 states (and counting)... What historically will prove to be the worse investment? A fund run by Bernie Madoff or the Spiderman Broadway show?... I hate Isaiah Thomas! I hate him too! I hate him! He destroys cities! *Please*! This isn't your fault. I'll get you some pants... Sugar Bear was the Post Super Sugar Crisp mascot who spoke just like Bing Crosby. Kids today don't know Bing Crosby, Sugar Bear or Sugar Crisp. I'm old... I wonder if Cam Newton is getting his public relations advice from Isaiah Thomas... I've had perhaps over 100 different types of cereal but I'd be hard pressed to tell difference between Sugar Smacks and Honey Crisp... Remember, what happens in negotiations with Isaiah Thomas stays with Isaiah Thomas. Except for herpes. That shit'll come back with you... I've seen commercial for dieting product called FullBar several times now but every time I see it I hear "Fubar" instead of "FullBar"... Just a reminder - Leo McGarry knew how to correctly spell "Qaddafi". The NY Times crossword editor did not... Also as a reminder - in 1798 George Washington was the largest single producer of alcohol in the US... Who knew - William Petersen (Gil Grissom from CSI) was offered the role of Henry Hill in the movie Goodfellas but turned it down... Speaking of commercials - I saw a Jenny Craig commercial that talked about measuring calories in and calories "out". Does that mean what I think it means? Gross... Off your rocker means crazy but I haven't been on a rocker in years