Kemba 2021: The Jour-knee Begins

Sam Ray Not

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Admit it. You only linked to that page because of the Ben Simmons for Wiggins and a first trade.

Sexton to Boston because he doesn’t get along with his teammates seems backwards. Doesn’t Altman keep Sexton and trade everyone else in that scenario?
Ha. Well, hand raised partially in that I only found the site in the first place cos of the Wiggins-Simmons "rumor." But I actually thought Sexton was one of the more interesting targets I've heard as future running mate for the Jays. That'd be a killer young core, imo. Whether it's remotely realistic that the Cavs would move him for that package is another question, to which I suspect the answer is "no."
 

benhogan

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Someday we will look back on the traditional media and the newspaper industry with nostalgic appreciation. Watching it flail around for clickbait, trying to stay alive for the last few years is like watching Ali's last couple of fights.
well played

still can hear Cosell pronounce every syllable of An-gel-o Dun-dee
 

Lazy vs Crazy

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Is there any indication Love is pulling a Blake Griffin and he's actually still good? Because if not he's more cooked than Kemba.
 

Cellar-Door

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Is there any indication Love is pulling a Blake Griffin and he's actually still good? Because if not he's more cooked than Kemba.
Yeah, I mean he has had inconsistent effort, but also... he's less healthy and less good than Kemba at this point. The small salary difference isn't worth a trade
 

pjheff

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Is there any indication Love is pulling a Blake Griffin and he's actually still good? Because if not he's more cooked than Kemba.
I think it’s a combination of factors: guys his size tend to age more gracefully than smalls; he doesn’t seem to have a degenerative condition like Kemba; and the lineup might be improved by replacing Walker as the #3 scorer with someone bigger than Tatum and Brown.
 

Cellar-Door

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I think it’s a combination of factors: guys his size tend to age more gracefully than smalls; he doesn’t seem to have a degenerative condition like Kemba; and the lineup might be improved by replacing Walker as the #3 scorer with someone bigger than Tatum and Brown.
I mean, my general takeaway would be.... big guys who can't defend anyone on the court or protect the rim are bad. Also... he's played 58% of his team's games over the last 5 years. He's absolutely cooked and has way less on-court value to the Celtics than Kemba.
 

pjheff

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I mean, my general takeaway would be.... big guys who can't defend anyone on the court or protect the rim are bad. Also... he's played 58% of his team's games over the last 5 years. He's absolutely cooked and has way less on-court value to the Celtics than Kemba.
I‘m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just saying that, moving forward, the ability to defend and availability might not be arguments made in favor of Kemba.
 

Cellar-Door

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I‘m not saying you’re wrong. I’m just saying that, moving forward, the ability to defend and availability might not be arguments made in favor of Kemba.
Maybe, my general feeling though is... you take the guy who might be good for part of the season that you already have over the guy who is even less likely to be healthy and isn't good when he is.

I don't mind Kemba trades, but you need to either bring back something useful or save a lot of cap in 2 years... Love does neither.
 

pjheff

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Maybe, my general feeling though is... you take the guy who might be good for part of the season that you already have over the guy who is even less likely to be healthy and isn't good when he is.
I think it’s debatable who is less likely to be healthy over the next two years.

I don't mind Kemba trades, but you need to either bring back something useful or save a lot of cap in 2 years... Love does neither.
It’s possible that Love is going to be useful and unlikely that Kemba is going to bring back a guarantee (either as a player or as a trade chit).
 

JM3

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It's hard to find many contracts bad enough to flip for Kemba.

Things I learned in the process, though:

1) Kemba & Jimmy Butler are tied for the 18th highest average salary next year at exactly $35,197,650.

2) One of John Wall's nicknames is "Optimus Dime".

3) I did a double take when I saw there was a player named "Edrice" making $32.6m.

4) The Warriors & Nets combine for -$118m of cap space next year.

5) It's too bad the Kings are probably not run by buffoons anymore.

6) I have dreams of dumping Kemba into space to the Knicks for Mitchell Robinson & having him or Timelord on the court at all times due to Thibs irrational hatred of (consults notes) The Block Ness Monster which I just made up & irrational love of Kemba Walker which I'm sure is a thing.
 

Swedgin

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I think it’s debatable who is less likely to be healthy over the next two years.



It’s possible that Love is going to be useful and unlikely that Kemba is going to bring back a guarantee (either as a player or as a trade chit).
A PG who is a sieve on defense is a challenge. A 4/5 who is a sieve on defense decimates your defense unless the roster is perfectly constructed around him.
 

Cellar-Door

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I think it’s debatable who is less likely to be healthy over the next two years.



It’s possible that Love is going to be useful and unlikely that Kemba is going to bring back a guarantee (either as a player or as a trade chit).
I don't buy the first. Sure Kemba could be hurt more, but Love hasn't had a healthy year in half a decade and is an aging big, there is zero reason to think he'll be healthy for the next 2, Kemba will likely also miss games managing the knee, but there is no reason to leap to the assumption that he'll be less healthy than one of the least healthy guys in the league.

As to the 2nd... all we can look at it what we know... Kemba was decent for much of last year, better than Love. Kemba is no guarantee, but at the same time, if you're betting on which aging player with injury concerns is going to be more likely to play decently over the next two years, I'll take the one who has played more often and better over the last few. For Kemba what you need for him to be more valuable than Love is to only decline some and only miss some games. Love you need him to get better, which given his age and history is unlikely.

Edit- also... I know what Kemba can still do... he can score and he's pretty decent at running and offense. His defense isn't good, but it really only kills you in the playoffs. Love I also know what he is... he's a defensive system serial killer, and he does it in the regular season too. He's a good rebounder, but declining, his scoring efficiency is in decline... He's just not good. I'd rather have Kemba, or Horford even. Love does nothing for you, he makes the team worse and doesn't even save much money.
 

pjheff

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A PG who is a sieve on defense is a challenge. A 4/5 who is a sieve on defense decimates your defense unless the roster is perfectly constructed around him.
Assuming that the other four players are static — RWilliams, Tatum, Brown, and Smart — who do you think would be more ruthlessly hunted in a postseason series: Walker or Love?

I don't buy the first. Sure Kemba could be hurt more, but Love hasn't had a healthy year in half a decade and is an aging big, there is zero reason to think he'll be healthy for the next 2, Kemba will likely also miss games managing the knee, but there is no reason to leap to the assumption that he'll be less healthy than one of the least healthy guys in the league.
I don’t think comparisons going back five years are relevant given Walker’s age and condition and Love’s situation on a moribund franchise.

As to the 2nd... all we can look at it what we know... Kemba was decent for much of last year, better than Love. Kemba is no guarantee, but at the same time, if you're betting on which aging player with injury concerns is going to be more likely to play decently over the next two years, I'll take the one who has played more often and better over the last few. For Kemba what you need for him to be more valuable than Love is to only decline some and only miss some games. Love you need him to get better, which given his age and history is unlikely.
All we’d need is for Love to decline less precipitously and fit better with the existing talent.
 

Cellar-Door

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Assuming that the other four players are static — RWilliams, Tatum, Brown, and Smart — who do you think would be more ruthlessly hunted in a postseason series: Walker or Love?



I don’t think comparisons going back five years are relevant given Walker’s age and condition and Love’s situation on a moribund franchise.



All we’d need is for Love to decline less precipitously and fit better with the existing talent.
Hard to say... if you play Love at PF... I think he gets ruthlessly hunted, worse in many ways than Kemba, Love needs to play C at this point in his career I think. Williams helps Kemba more than a he helps Love, probably Brown too. Love has been a guy who was hunted in the playoffs for many many years. Also... Love hurts your regular season defense way more than Kemba. Kemba was adequate in the regular season, Love is bad at all times.

5 years was actually being generous, last 1, 2, or 3 make it worse. Love can't stay on the court, he has a bad knee that flares up ever since he had surgery, intermittent back issues, last year he had recurring calf and achilles issues. The guy's legs are going.

He's got a significant head start on the decline, he was much worse than Kemba last year, and he's a worse fit because he brings nothing the team needs, where Kemba intermittently does bring the ability to run the offense, and create off the dribble.
 

128

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Is there any indication Love is pulling a Blake Griffin and he's actually still good? Because if not he's more cooked than Kemba.
Small sample size and all that, but in the most recent Boston-Cleveland game, Love had 30 points, 14 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. He was 6 for 9 from 3-point range and 10 for 16 overall.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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He's got a significant head start on the decline, he was much worse than Kemba last year, and he's a worse fit because he brings nothing the team needs, where Kemba intermittently does bring the ability to run the offense, and create off the dribble.
I don't know anything about Love's health but he can hit catch and shoot jumpers way better than Kemba.

I mean if their salaries were the same - and leaving health aside - isn't the worst-case on-court scenario that Love is a slightly worse-shooting Davis Bertans?
 

the moops

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He's got a significant head start on the decline, he was much worse than Kemba last year, and he's a worse fit because he brings nothing the team needs, where Kemba intermittently does bring the ability to run the offense, and create off the dribble.
They were both not great last year, but I don't think we can say he was much worse than Kemba. Yes, he only played 25 games and the injuries are a huge concern, but the two had nearly identical shooting numbers
 

mcpickl

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I don't know anything about Love's health but he can hit catch and shoot jumpers way better than Kemba.

I mean if their salaries were the same - and leaving health aside - isn't the worst-case on-court scenario that Love is a slightly worse-shooting Davis Bertans?
Kemba has hit catch and shoot 3 pointers at a higher rate than Love each of the last three seasons, and in five of the last six seasons.
 

Cellar-Door

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They were both not great last year, but I don't think we can say he was much worse than Kemba. Yes, he only played 25 games and the injuries are a huge concern, but the two had nearly identical shooting numbers
Volume matters, as do other factors (including defense), Kemba consistently graded out as a much better player over each of the last 2 seasons by just about any metric.

I don't know anything about Love's health but he can hit catch and shoot jumpers way better than Kemba.

I mean if their salaries were the same - and leaving health aside - isn't the worst-case on-court scenario that Love is a slightly worse-shooting Davis Bertans?
can he? This year Kemba shot 39% on catch and shoot 3s, Love shot 33%
Last year Kemba shot 42% on catch and shoot 3s, Love shot 39%.

I mean, Kemba is a better player than Kevin Love, it shouldn't even be a debate. If Love were a guy who played all 82 maybe you argue that 82 games of an older, worse player who doesn't fit your team is better than 60 games of a better player who is an imperfect fit.

Love is a different player than Bertans, better rebounder, nowhere near the 3PA volume. Bertans is also consistently over 40% on catch and shoot.

I just fundamentally don't understand any argument for Kevin Love. He's older, he's just as big an injury concern, he's worse on D, he's worse on O, he forces you to play 2 bigs (is he better than Theis?) which is not the ideal use of Tatum (he's a 4). He brings nothing other than saving like $5M that you can't spend anyway.
 

radsoxfan

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Hard to see how Love could be a fit in any way. I'm obviously very not optimistic on Kemba but Love is probably even more dead weight at this point.

If Cavs are desperate to move him and there are other significant pieces involved, then maybe. But a deal that boils down to a Kemba for Love swap is not a good idea.
 

Euclis20

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I just fundamentally don't understand any argument for Kevin Love. He's older, he's just as big an injury concern, he's worse on D, he's worse on O, he forces you to play 2 bigs (is he better than Theis?) which is not the ideal use of Tatum (he's a 4). He brings nothing other than saving like $5M that you can't spend anyway.
I'm pretty sure a big chunk of the argument is that Love will pull a Blake Griffin and become a significantly better player when moved to a better situation. Kemba has a decided edge in both the stats and recent injury history, but the idea is that Love will get both healthier (or at least more willing to fight through injury) and more efficient when moved to a playoff team. I don't really buy that, but if the team decides they have to move on from Kemba and doesn't want to staple a bunch of picks and assets to his contract, Love is the type of risk you think about taking back.
 

nighthob

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Hard to see how Love could be a fit in any way. I'm obviously very not optimistic on Kemba but Love is probably even more dead weight at this point.

If Cavs are desperate to move him and there are other significant pieces involved, then maybe. But a deal that boils down to a Kemba for Love swap is not a good idea.
Yeah, if the Cavs are swapping first round picks with Boston this year I’m in. Otherwise no bloody way.
 

lovegtm

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I mean, my general takeaway would be.... big guys who can't defend anyone on the court or protect the rim are bad. Also... he's played 58% of his team's games over the last 5 years. He's absolutely cooked and has way less on-court value to the Celtics than Kemba.
Blake Griffin is starting at center for the best team in the East right now, so I think you could make it work if everyone around him is fast/long. I could see him working very well in a Smart/Romeo/Jaylen/Tatum-type lineup against the right teams.

If you move Kemba, I think this is what you end up looking at a lot of the time: a guy who's not better, but who has more of a role to play on this specific team. Kemba as 15-20 min/game 6th man may also work for this too, so I'm not totally decided.

In terms of whether Love has been dogging it? I've seen him look really frustrated out there on occasion. I don't think he'll turn into a hustle monster in a winning situation, but I'd be surprised if there isn't some more in the tank.

I'm not going to die on this hill, but I'll at least evaluate the move more, since I'm pretty optimistic on Tatum-at-the-4 + big guard lineups.
 

scottyno

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Blake Griffin is starting at center for the best team in the East right now, so I think you could make it work if everyone around him is fast/long. I could see him working very well in a Smart/Romeo/Jaylen/Tatum-type lineup against the right teams.
When the rest of your lineup is 3 all nba offensive players and one of the best shooters in the league it almost doesn't matter who your center is. If Brad's first big move is to trade Kemba+ for Love he should be fired on the spot.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Man sometimes people like bad players on other teams. I thought the Porzingis talk was bad. Love is dreadful.
It's not that people like bad players on other teams; it's that KW isn't fetching a good player and we hope that a player we don't see every day can give us more value at the right times than KW.

KW is seen by most trams as having negative value (I'm sure several teams see him as having significant negative value) so if the Cs want to move him to those teams, the Cs are either going to have take back salary, give up assets, take a huge chance on another player, or some combination of the above.

If the Cs aren't willing to do these, KW will likely be in BOS next year. I mean it would be great if Brad hypnotized Thibs into taking KW into NYC's cap space, but it'd be great if I won one of those vaccination lotteries too.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Have to remember with Love that part of the issue the last couple years (though certainly not the whole isssue) with both performance and playing time/games is that he doesn't care and doesn't want to be there anymore.

You can imagine that he's a different guy, and a lot more available, in a better situation and if you got him that would surely be part of the calculus. I don't particularly like the fit for reasons others have stated, but I also think there's some assumptions about his health that are probably unrealistic.
 

lovegtm

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When the rest of your lineup is 3 all nba offensive players and one of the best shooters in the league it almost doesn't matter who your center is. If Brad's first big move is to trade Kemba+ for Love he should be fired on the spot.
They're down to 2 of those players now and it still looks pretty good. Playing a strong shooter like Love at center would let the Celtics play very long and athletic at the other 4 positions.

To me, Kemba and Love are both situational players at this point, whose defensive flaws can be hidden in the right lineups/matchups. Love may have another gear in the right situation though, whereas we know what Kemba is at this point.

Having said this, all the arguments I'm making for Love apply even more to Al Horford (although not quite as good a shooter). Horford would be my first choice in the bad contract swap if they go that road with Kemba.
 

Devizier

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I could be convinced that Kemba+ for Horford would be a good move, conditional on there being an actual chemistry issue with Kemba facing reduced PT.

Love is a lot worse than Horford, both from a performance and team culture perspective. So no thanks.
 

TripleOT

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Assuming the Celtics don’t want to burn a first round pic to make the Horford trade with OKC, and assuming there are no other available options to moving Kemba elsewhere, I could support a Love trade straight up if that was the only way to move Kemba.

1) I’d rather pay $31m and $28m to a broken down Love than $36m and $37m to a broken down Kemba.

2) It will be a lot easier for a new coach to play newly acquired Love off the bench for 24 minutes a night behind TL than Kemba accepting a 6th man role.

3) A stretch 5 is a better fit with the Jays than a tiny PG that needs a bunch of iso shots to be effective.

4) Love might be cashing checks for the lowly Cavs, and could be a better player on a contender.

IDK what the Cavs would do with Kemba, since they already have two smallish PGs.
 

the moops

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I think I led us down this Kevin Love path. I was responding to the hypothetical linked that has CLE looking to move Sexton. The proposed trade was something that I couldn't imagine CLE accepting (#16, Carsen Edwards, TL) so I was just theorizing expanding that trade to include a Love for Kemba swap to help balance it out, for I do believe of the two, that Kemba has more on the court value.

So, a Kemba for Love swap makes no sense IMO, unless there are other pieces.
 

HomeRunBaker

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There's a lot in that story that simply does not add up. Why would an permanently injured Kemba demand a trade because a previous GM reportedly made some calls around the league? If those calls were made right after the conclusion of last year's playoffs, why would he demand a trade now? What leverage does Kemba actually have besides none to demand a trade? I know we call the NBA the "player's league", but there are limits.
We will see if there are limitations to veterans on big contracts. I’m not sure that there is depending on the players representation but Kemba will surely be a litmus test for all of us.
 
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bsj

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This all makes me deeply sad. I feel like in Hayward and now Kemba, we have two great character guys who never delivered what they could have due to injury.

A healthy Kemba and a healthy Hayward on this past year's roster would have been a potential title team. Sigh.
 

lexrageorge

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We will see if there are limitations to veterans on big contracts. I’m not sure that there is depending on the players representation but Kemba will surely be a litmus test for all of us.
So what can Kemba actually do? Threaten to opt out after next season? Threaten to sit out the season? Use his agent to complain to the press? Everyone in the league knows he is injured.
 

lovegtm

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I think I led us down this Kevin Love path. I was responding to the hypothetical linked that has CLE looking to move Sexton. The proposed trade was something that I couldn't imagine CLE accepting (#16, Carsen Edwards, TL) so I was just theorizing expanding that trade to include a Love for Kemba swap to help balance it out, for I do believe of the two, that Kemba has more on the court value.

So, a Kemba for Love swap makes no sense IMO, unless there are other pieces.
The problem with Kemba on the Celtics isn't that he's bad per se. It's that he stops them from playing what is probably their optimal style, with Tatum/Brown as 1A/1B, maybe a guard like Smart (easy to acquire other guys to fill this role) initiating the initial action, and going really big at the guard spots on defense.

The elite version of Kemba makes up for this by being so freaking good on offense that you make the defensive tradeoff in exchange, as we saw in 2019 when he was healthy. I just don't think that guy is coming back.

The Celtics need what this version of Kemba does less than other teams do, so there may be room to upgrade the Celtics specifically even if it's a lateral or slightly backwards move in terms of on-court-talent in a vacuum.
 

cardiacs

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This all makes me deeply sad. I feel like in Hayward and now Kemba, we have two great character guys who never delivered what they could have due to injury.

A healthy Kemba and a healthy Hayward on this past year's roster would have been a potential title team. Sigh.
I totally agree. I really like both of them as people, and as players when healthy. Fun to root for.
Think about how much larger the "Thank You Danny" thread would be if even one of them stayed healthy.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I think I led us down this Kevin Love path. I was responding to the hypothetical linked that has CLE looking to move Sexton. The proposed trade was something that I couldn't imagine CLE accepting (#16, Carsen Edwards, TL) so I was just theorizing expanding that trade to include a Love for Kemba swap to help balance it out, for I do believe of the two, that Kemba has more on the court value.

So, a Kemba for Love swap makes no sense IMO, unless there are other pieces.
I wouldn't be shocked if there were a poster or two who wouldn't make that deal from the C's perspective. I'm not one of those posters. Sexton would be a lot like prime Walker, really. Not a great fit on the team necessarily, but makes up for it offensively.

I'm guessing Cleveland will re-sign Jarrett Allen too so they have little need for TL. 0 need for Carsen.

I wouldn't mind taking Garland or Sexton off their hands though.
 

Cesar Crespo

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If the C's were in a different cap situation, I wouldn't even be opposed to Jaylen Brown for Sexton and Okoro if it cleared room for a max. It does not.
 

radsoxfan

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Love already is headed off the cliff Kemba is careening towards. I don't know enough about his injuries but I know he has had a lot of them, including back injuries. Not great.

He makes slightly less than Kemba, would fill a different role, and I appreciate there is some possibility of a bounce back with newfound motivation. But I wouldn't bet on it, feels like an absolute last resort kind of move.

I honestly have no idea what to expect this summer, we have zero insight about what Brad values in this role, how much he will lean on others like Zarren (Ainge too?). Does he have a deep insight into analytics? It seems like he would, but who knows how much he would blend that with other factors.

What a tough offseason to take over. No coach, overpriced disgruntled player, tons of flotsam on the bench, underachieving team.
 

HomeRunBaker

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So what can Kemba actually do? Threaten to opt out after next season? Threaten to sit out the season? Use his agent to complain to the press? Everyone in the league knows he is injured.
I don’t disagree. We all know agents wield a ton of power and we’ve all see “untradeable” contracts traded time and time again. Kemba will be an interesting see.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Love already is headed off the cliff Kemba is careening towards. I don't know enough about his injuries but I know he has had a lot of them, including back injuries. Not great.

He makes slightly less than Kemba, would fill a different role, and I appreciate there is some possibility of a bounce back with newfound motivation. But I wouldn't bet on it, feels like an absolute last resort kind of move.

I honestly have no idea what to expect this summer, we have zero insight about what Brad values in this role, how much he will lean on others like Zarren (Ainge too?). Does he have a deep insight into analytics? It seems like he would, but who knows how much he would blend that with other factors.

What a tough offseason to take over. No coach, overpriced disgruntled player, tons of flotsam on the bench, underachieving team.
Pissing Kemba off may be the best course of action tbh. Make it so he opts out after the season, assuming you can't trade him. Just do it in a way without alienating the rest of the team. Have him come off the bench. Try to trade him again. Be obvious about it. Find a coach the Jays like and Kemba doesn't.

Or if he really, really wants to be traded... tell him he's impossible to trade unless he declines his player option.

It's also possible Kemba is going to be a lot easier to move than I think. At least if the C's are wiling to attach a pick or two. But 1 year of Kemba at 36 mil is very easy to get rid of. 2/72, a bit harder.
 

EvilEmpire

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Purposefully antagonizing Kemba seems like a bad idea. How many guys have left Boston with a bad experience over the last few years? Kyrie is a special kind of asshole, sure. But the IT and Hayward situations weren't great.

In a league where you increasingly have to recruit elite talent, I think organizations have to be careful how they navigate these waters.
 

lexrageorge

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Purposefully antagonizing Kemba seems like a bad idea. How many guys have left Boston with a bad experience over the last few years? Kyrie is a special kind of asshole, sure. But the IT and Hayward situations weren't great.

In a league where you increasingly have to recruit elite talent, I think organizations have to be careful how they navigate these waters.
Hayward left on good terms; sucked that he left, but he simply wanted an opportunity to be higher up the food chain. IT was traded for a star, and was traded to a team that had LeBron James. And his career was essentially finished at that point anyway.

EDIT: I should say I agree with your point that purposefully antagonizing Kemba is pointless and could potentially backfire. At the same point, the Celtics do have leverage in this situation as well, and should be afraid to use if it comes to that.
 
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Cellar-Door

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Yeah, the best strategy for Kemba is simple...

give him all the help he needs to rehab this summer, look for trades that help the team, let his agent sound out situations too.

If neither side can find a good trade, then you go into the season and hope he plays well.

Kemba isn't opting out because you bench him, he'll just demand a buyout, and if you don't give it to him the whole league including your stars and almost as importantly every agent, will think you're an unreasonable asshole.

Kemba got hurt. That sucks, but trying to bully him into not picking up his option is such a violation of norms that it truly far more than something like IT in giving a negative perception. It would send a signal of..... this is a clown franchise, never ever sign here if you can help it, if you can't, get out as soon as possible.
 

Jimbodandy

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Jan 31, 2006
11,405
around the way
It's not that people like bad players on other teams; it's that KW isn't fetching a good player and we hope that a player we don't see every day can give us more value at the right times than KW.

KW is seen by most trams as having negative value (I'm sure several teams see him as having significant negative value) so if the Cs want to move him to those teams, the Cs are either going to have take back salary, give up assets, take a huge chance on another player, or some combination of the above.

If the Cs aren't willing to do these, KW will likely be in BOS next year. I mean it would be great if Brad hypnotized Thibs into taking KW into NYC's cap space, but it'd be great if I won one of those vaccination lotteries too.
I know that there's not an easy solution and everyone's spitballing here. But there's "send him with a first for Al Horford" bad and Porzingis/Love bad. Let's put Wall on the table then. Perhaps the Mets can trade us what's left of Bonilla's contract in exchange.
 

Cellar-Door

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Aug 1, 2006
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I know that there's not an easy solution and everyone's spitballing here. But there's "send him with a first for Al Horford" bad and Porzingis/Love bad. Let's put Wall on the table then. Perhaps the Mets can trade us what's left of Bonilla's contract in exchange.
I think Love is in a different category from Porzingis. Porzingis is young and was pretty decent recently, also... if he plays more like 19-20 than 20-21 he is a nice fit for this team even if wildly overpaid. He was an actual rim defender at the 5 who could shoot.
Porzingis is a gamble on a guy returning to form in what should be his prime. Love is a guy who age makes unlikely to go anywhere but steeply downhill.