Following Former Celtics & Cs Nostalgia
- Thread starter InstaFace
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His game is falling off a cliff, and I think the decline was already noticeable in 2022-23.
Trading Marcus for 1sts was such a fist-pump and obvious move, particularly to the front office, who were certainly aware of this decline imo.
I don’t miss Smart’s volatility one bit. Things are going to go wrong during an 82 game regular season, and having a player like Smart who can’t control his emotions isn’t helpful on a championship level team.
Besides the regular season volatility (and availability, with Smart missing a lot of games to injury), Smart’s inability to shoot made the Celtics vulnerable to defensive scheming during a playoff series.
Moving on from Smart was a great idea. I don’t know if Boston would have won the title if they didn’t acquire Holiday, but the player acquired for Smart played in only seven of 19 playoff games. Even considering KP’s heroics in game one of the Finals, I do think Boston would have won the title last season without KP
I don't think it's even volatility. He just became a worse player because he physically declined.
I think we all agreed that his body type at that position wouldn’t age well. The injuries and lack of training caused by them only accelerated the decline.
Almost too good. I don't think Brad acted in bad faith by any means but I wonder if teams will be a little weary of getting smoked by him on trades.
If he were up front about it, and included all records, it'd be hard to ding him.
That GMs are still signing Kawahi and PG and Embiid suggest they put a lower emphasis on availabilty than they should.
Plus I doubt terribly it will affect trades involving picks.
Other teams have gotten enough wins to keep dealing with Brad:
- Indy got off Brogdon and got Nesmith (I need to check who they used the pick on)
- OKC got the pick that became Sengun in the Kemba/Horford deal (thank god they traded it)
- Portland got the picks they wanted
- DWhite wasn't Klay Thompson when San Antonio traded him; took him 2 more years for that to happen
The only team that really got hosed was Memphis.
Rob, Brogdon & Smart all had well-known injury situations in recent years.
A few of us talked about Smart playing injured, his body type, physical style of play, how he added value & where that was going into his 30s (less physicality, availability, & GP was the expectation)
If a bunch of mouthbreathers like us could figure it out, then GM's knew
Nice guy Brad is no Danny
Not all.
Lists were being kept if anyone said anything out of line towards Marcus Smart (up until White, Jrue, & KP made us forget about Smart being the 3rd offensive option
)
Given that Danny Ainge is still making trades from his perch in Utah, I never gave much credence to the concept that teams will refuse to trade with a team simply because some prior trades ended up being lopsided. Smart was healthy when the trade was made, and it's not Brad Stevens or the Celtics fault that Marcus became injury prone after the trade.
So the trio of players Boston traded (Smart, Williams, and Brogdan) have played in 81/292 or 28% of regular season games since leaving the Celts.
The two players Boston acquired: Jrue H. and Kristaps Porzingas have played in 141/198 (71%) of regular season games since joining the Celts.
I used to think Terry Rozier was a terrible, terrible player for the Celtics, because I thought he was a selfish shooter who didn't mesh with the team.
I love him a lot more now that he's playing for the Heat.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/heat-s-bam-adebayo-terry-rozier-s-nsfw-interaction-goes-viral/ar-AA1vyEd0
I love him a lot more now that he's playing for the Heat.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/heat-s-bam-adebayo-terry-rozier-s-nsfw-interaction-goes-viral/ar-AA1vyEd0
That is no different than nearly all NBA teams. Players fighting for stats, fighting for contracts. The 2024 Celtics version are unique in this regard. The NFL stories I heard from one former player make this seem like childs play. Pro sports is cutthroat today.
Fuck mystique.
It’s tradition: of winning on and off the court.
#CoozForever
(I know what you meant and agree BTW)
It’s tradition: of winning on and off the court.
#CoozForever
(I know what you meant and agree BTW)
Update article on Tacko, who is still trying to get back to the NBA (he's in the NBL): https://hoopshype.com/lists/tacko-fall-all-i-need-is-the-right-opportunity/. One Q&A:
Do you look at any NBA player now, and think 'I could play like him' and get on the court and be in an NBA rotation?
TF: Absolutely. There’s a lot. There’s Rudy [Gobert] defensively. Rudy has multiple Defensive Player of the Years. Great player. Pretty much everything he can do on the defensive end of the court I think I’m capable. Being longer, back-to-the-basket guy, low-post scorer. I believe there’s really nobody who can, once I have a good position, there’s really not much that anyone can do.
So is this a matter of finding the right situation? Even Rudy, if you put him in the wrong situation, he might not be in the same boat as he is now. Many of these situations where people have him playing at his strength, and like I said, that’s all I need.
I think most players outside of the NBA would say something similar about how they believe they can thrive if they just got the right situation.
Tacko is simply too slow laterally to play in the NBA. That's too bad because I think he's an awesome story, and he's an all-time fun garbage time player. I wish he was on the team last year---seeing him play garbage time in the finals at home would have been amazing.
Tacko is simply too slow laterally to play in the NBA. That's too bad because I think he's an awesome story, and he's an all-time fun garbage time player. I wish he was on the team last year---seeing him play garbage time in the finals at home would have been amazing.
Yup, Tatum said it well on Jeff Teague’s podcast earlier this year: ”For 95% of the league, it’s about being in the right spot and having an opportunity.” I think that holds up even for some future HOFers, like Draymond (who I firmly believe would never have really found his footing had he not been in GS playing for Kerr and next to Curry/Klay). Lots of guys just never end up in the right place at the right time.
My favorite moment of that clip is right after Tacko hits the hook shot and he’s running back up the court, Grant Williams (6’6 240) flashes in front of him, looking like a child in comparison.
View: https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1873140266649211087
Marcus got hurt a lot as a Celtic, and he continues to be injury-prone.
Marcus got hurt a lot as a Celtic, and he continues to be injury-prone.
If anyone is bored, Phil Pressey was on a View From The Rafters. I've listened to part of it. Fun listen. Haven't gotten to the stories from when he was around te Cs as a kid yet.
View: https://youtu.be/zSMQ5CnIDsU?si=zCtOWQeyqyE87nsO
View: https://youtu.be/zSMQ5CnIDsU?si=zCtOWQeyqyE87nsO
View: https://twitter.com/nbacobwebs/status/1881821251414765699?s=42
Gotta love the towels on the floor.
Gotta love the towels on the floor.
The local blog went up to Maine to see and interview Oshae Brissett after his game for the LI Nets, and he was surprisingly candid:
https://hardwoodhoudini.com/boston-celtics-oshae-brissett-talks-departure-nba-free-agency-return-basketball-long-island-nets-maine-celtics-signs-g-league-contract
https://hardwoodhoudini.com/boston-celtics-oshae-brissett-talks-departure-nba-free-agency-return-basketball-long-island-nets-maine-celtics-signs-g-league-contract
I’m sure 90%+ of NBA players are delusional but Brissett takes it to another level. He’s acting like he’s PJ Brown in 2008 waiting for teams to come knocking down your door…..dudes started like 50 games over his 6 year career and nobody wanted him the prior summer except for the Celtics at the min.
Nope, Don Criqui. Full game here:
View: https://youtu.be/rmFTrIg9Ork?si=UAERRho5SWqSp5U8
Well, he did say that everything happens for a reason. Isn't that a little bit delusional?
All time great/terrible jingle: “You’ll see the best in basketball, when you watch the NBA! Watch the NBA on CBS!”Nope, Don Criqui. Full game here:
View: https://youtu.be/rmFTrIg9Ork?si=UAERRho5SWqSp5U8
Well, he did say that everything happens for a reason. Isn't that a little bit delusional?
Brissett leveraging himself out of the league from a team that lacks deep depth because he wants playing time is about as funny as it gets to me.
Giving up $2.5 million guaranteed, when your agent hadn’t already found a new landing spot, was stupid. Brissy had made only $6.9 million in his career. He is a 26 year old tweener who can’t shoot the three. Brissy might never find is way back to the league
I was a little surprised to see the $2.5M turn-down.
OTOH--$6.9M is more than I've grossed in my career.
Yeah but you have 30-40 years left to earn a living. He doesn't, not at those levels. He can make it happen in the NBA, can go to Europe for 1/3 to 1/10 of the money, or can start coaching and training and whatnot at regular-people salaries.
I agree it was a dumb move by him to decline the option. I'm not sure it makes him "delusional", though, in HRB's words. If I had a job that paid me to just sit around and do nothing, when I knew I could do something useful with my time, I'd get frustrated too. $2.5M might be enough to make me get over it, but I can very understand him getting antsy and wanting to be out there performing. That's what you'd hope for from a competitive athlete.
On the bold, this would make more sense for someone like Springer or Tillman. Brissett didn't play every game and wasn't part of a healthy playoff rotation, but he was the 3rd perimeter player off the bench, either the 9th or 10th man depending on whether or not KP/Horford were healthy. He got a handful of meaningful minutes in the playoffs. He would've gotten more minutes this year just by default (Hauser has already missed more games than in 2022 and 2023 combined), he would absolutely have been off the bench before guys like Walsh/Peterson/Scheierman, and if he was available he'd probably get some of Queta's minutes (the most common 5 man lineup Queta has been a part of includes Horford, double big is less attractive when you've got better wings).
It's healthier for him not to have regrets (if that's actually how he feels and he's not just saying it) but from a neutral standpoint, it's hard not to say he (and his agent) badly misread things here. It doesn't seem on the same level as someone like Dennis Schroder turning down $80M from the Lakers and then having to take $6M from Boston, but even if he never signs another NBA contract, Schroder will have made $100M+ in salary in his career. I don't remember the details of exactly what Nerlens Noel turned down, but he still has made in excess of $45M in his NBA career. Brissett has just a fraction of their career earnings and he might never get another guaranteed contract, and that makes me a bit sad.
I think we agree. He clearly made a mistake in hindsight. My point was that he very well may have made enough money to have the attitude you describe. (In fact, when I retire in under 2 years, my career earnings will be well under 6.9M.). If he was 36, I think "delusional" might be an apt descriptor. But at 26, and seemingly well-regarded by coaches and teammates, not so much.
There's some really shitty agents out there that are simply not acting in their client's fiduciary interests. Or at least that's the conclusion I can draw. Agree that it sucks for Brissett; that's a substantial portion of his potential career earnings that are out the window.
And the $6.9M he's "made" isn't nearly as good as it sounds. Between taxes, agent fees, and NBA lifestyle, there's probably not a lot left. Of course, it's possible that he's been quite thrifty and invested smartly to date, but that would probably the exception not the rule for a player in his position.
View: https://youtu.be/OEMbEanJdXc?si=IMs3iCOgUQC3KugN
Fun details:
(1) Larry hit a 3 and they said it was the Celtics" first 3 in the playoffs that year.
(2) I have no memory of the 3-for-2 FT rule despite being 8 when this game was played.
(3) Nice to see Ted K aboveground.
(4) Larry hitting a 15-footer set off a monologue on the "importance of hitting outside shots"
Fun details:
(1) Larry hit a 3 and they said it was the Celtics" first 3 in the playoffs that year.
(2) I have no memory of the 3-for-2 FT rule despite being 8 when this game was played.
(3) Nice to see Ted K aboveground.
(4) Larry hitting a 15-footer set off a monologue on the "importance of hitting outside shots"
Looks like 3 for 2 (and 2 for 1) was eliminated shortly after this game.
Here's a breakdown of the series if you're interested: https://theanalyst.com/2021/05/boston-celtics-philadelphia-76ers-1981-game-7-box-score.
Cs went down 3-1 and if I recall correctly, these were the days that the games were tape delayed. I stayed up late watching Cs eek out G6 and had SATs next day. This was before I drank coffee and I was so tired I fell asleep during one of the English sections. Good thing I could retake the test at a later date!
Gs 5, 6, and 7 were amazing.
That entire series was shown live. The last tape delayed playoff was the Sixers-Lakers 1980 Finals.
I'm pretty sure that's not correct, particularly not every market (I wasn't in Boston) and particularly the weekday games (no chance a non-BOS or non-PHI market was showing that game during Friday night prime-time). Forbes said that most of the 1980-81 playoff games were tape delayed: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2024/07/15/there-was-once-a-time-when-tv-networks-tape-delayed-the-nba-finals/
G7 was live but that was Sunday.
Ah, thanks for that clarification. They were all live in Boston (and presumably Philly), but I wasn't thinking about other markets.