Karalis: A few thoughts on the Celtics, including becoming the Blazers of the East

The Boston Celtics have 14 games left in the regular season. Before you know it, it’s going to be over. 

I think about the team and the league a lot as I try to figure out just what the hell is going on. Some of those thoughts become stories, some don’t. Some just drift into the ether. So I figured I’d throw a few of them together here. 

It’s sort of like pressing all those little bits of leftover soap together to try to make a new little bar (I know I’m not the only one who does this). 

I wonder if the Celtics risk becoming the Blazers of the East.

The Portland Trail Blazers are a good team, but they’re carried by Damian Lillard. He makes them good enough that people think they’re on the cusp of being a true contender, but year after year they never really seem to get there. 

The Celtics’ two stars combined are better than Portland’s combo of Lillard and C.J. McCollum, so the Celtics are further along than Portland, but part of Portland’s problem is that Dame and C.J. are expensive and that handcuffs what they can do. 

Boston is going to be a very expensive team. The Evan Fournier trade is an eyebrow raiser from a team-building perspective because Danny Ainge is in a position where he almost has to overpay Fournier because he’s given up his leverage. 

Sure, he can give Fournier up in a sign-and-trade and create another traded player exception and kick the can down the road. He can trade Kemba Walker and create a second one and have $60 million worth of coupons to use in the NBA trade store. That opens up a world of possibilities. 

It’s too early to know where Ainge is going with this. Despite some people wanting him fired, he’s really good at his job, and he and his team are pretty good at pulling rabbits out of hats. At the same time, the Celtics don’t play by the same financial rules as some of the other big market teams. 

They don’t own their own building, which is a big impediment. The Golden State Warriors keep every penny of profit from their building. The New York Knicks are owned by James Dolan, who runs the MSG company, which generates more than the GDP of 43 countries (congratulations Togo, you’re too expensive for Dolan to buy and ruin). 

The Celtics are in a big market but they don’t have all of the same big market advantages. They pay rent for their building. They have a stake in their local network but they don’t own it. They are in a major market but the weather is cold and the city lacks a certain luster for young millionaires (I hate to say that last line, but it’s true. New York is one of the world’s glamor cities and Chicago is super cool and both cities are open late. Their weather sucks too but those are fun cities for young star athletes while Boston offers last call at 1:45).

The money matters in Boston a little bit more. Getting the draft right in Boston matters a little bit more. The margin for error is a little bit slimmer. 

I’m not sure which way this will swing. This could just as easily turn into banners 18, 19, and 20. This is why it’s a random thought. It’s possible. 

I wonder what Jaylen Brown’s next step is.

I mean this both on and off the court. He’s taken such huge leaps on the court that I wonder if there’s another one in him and what that would be. Does he further tighten up his handle and get to the rim all the time. Does he lock down on defense and become Kawhi Leonard? Is this his ceiling? 

I know putting Brown in a box comes back to haunt you, so I’m staying away from that. However, if this is his ceiling and Boston can count on 24.5 points per game on 49.6/40.4/75.4 shooting splits then I think everyone will sign up for that. He’s still just 24 years old, so I’m sure there’s more coming. 

And then I wonder where he goes after basketball. He’s seen a lot at only 24, but if I know one thing about 24 year olds, it's that they’ve got a lot of learning to do. What’s he going to be like at 34 or 44? His world view is going to evolve. I’m really curious to see where it goes. 

Brad Stevens loves to say Brown’s impact on the world will be much greater when he’s done playing basketball. I’m very curious to see what that actually means. 

I wonder how much the players really hate this season (and whether this dumb season is going to tear any teams apart).

Fred VanVleet recently said “this is probably the most unpure year of basketball I've ever been a part of. Just from the whole league and rushing the season back, it's pretty much all about business this year on every level."

Saying it out loud puts players in a precarious position, because they know they’re extraordinarily fortunate. Everyone is aware of how many other people have struggled during the pandemic. This has been rough on everyone. 

But I think people can acknowledge that they’re lucky to be doing something while also hating that it has come to this. They're being isolated more than most, and no matter how much money they make or what their job is, it all takes a mental toll. 

And that’s why I’m wondering if the vaccinations are going to be a breaking point for some teams. 

We’re already into a sort of short-fuse situation. Tensions are high around the league because guys can’t leave their hotel rooms on the road and they have to keep getting tested every single day.

The league has told teams that if 85% of the team is vaccinated, certain restrictions are lifted. They can leave their rooms and vaccinated players don’t need to get daily tests. However there are some players and staff members around the league who won’t get the vaccine. 

“We have a lot of people that are (choosing not) to get vaccinated,” Ainge said on his regular appearance on Toucher & Rich. “Everybody probably has different reasons, but there's a lot of fear out there about the vaccines.”

One of the Celtics has his own reasons for not getting vaccinated.

“They just don't do any vaccinations, they don't do flu shots, they don't believe in putting the poison in their bodies, and they just don't feel comfortable doing it,” he said. “The same person doesn't doesn't really take anti-inflammatories or aspirin or anything, either. Like, that's just how he is.”

That’s an individual's choice, but if that individual’s choice means other teammates don’t get to go out to dinner, will that cause any chemistry issues with teammates? 

We’ll see. The vaccinations are rolling out now. If this process is causing problems, then we’ll find out pretty soon.