This is the final Friday of July, which means it’s time for the NBA to head into carbonite freeze for a couple of months. Between the playoffs, the draft, free agency, and summer league, there have been a lot of little things I haven't addressed in this space.
So it’s time to crack open the skull like a Natural Light (which is beer equivalent to the quality of my takes) and spill some thoughts onto the page.
AN ALL STAR GAME IN BOSTON?
The All-Star game hasn’t been played in Boston since 1964, which was quite historic because the game was being televised for the first time and a threatened strike by the players (led by Tommy Heinsohn) nearly canceled it. The players wanted their union recognized, and their gambit won.
The best moment from that standoff was Lakers owner Bob Short threatening Elgin Baylor and Jerry West that they’ll never play again if they went along with the strike, and Baylor sending back the message “tell Bob Short to f--- himself.”
The players union got its recognition, and Boston never got an All-Star game again.
During the Finals, Adam Silver was asked about whether Boston should even try. He responded, “I encourage that application from Boston. It's a wonderful city.”
Boston’s trip to the Finals was a bit of a dry run, in a way, for the NBA. The TD Garden was pushed to its limits to accommodate everyone and it held up. A plan was put in place for the worldwide media, and it worked.
Maybe it's the addition of the Encore casino or other amenities and hotels that help sway the thinking. Whatever it is, it seems like Boston can get in line for an All-Star game if it wants to.
The NBA has gone to Charlotte and Cleveland, and this year will go to Salt Lake City. It’s hard to imagine Boston is behind those cities as far as being able to host and provide entertainment for a few days.
I know team owners don’t own the building, and so there's the issue of the Bruins and potential concerts that bring in a lot of money for the Jacobs family (the Garden’s owners), so keeping the building open for that weekend would prove costly. But with the Celtics jumping into the contender conversation and Jayson Tatum growing into one of the league’s more marketable stars, This is the time to push Boston into the NBA spotlight.
It’s time to get the game.
THE GRANT WILLIAMS GLOW UP
Does “Best Week Ever” still exist? Because Grant Williams seems to be having the best month ever.
He’s in demand right now, living his best life, showing up at all the biggest events with some of the biggest names in sports.
He’s coming off a hell of a season, but what I’m hoping for most as he’s getting all this attention is for him to come back with requisite advances in his game. If for nothing else, so we can shut down the narrative that someone being seen at big events can’t also be working his butt off.
I find that narrative to be quite tired. Guys can do things at night after working for hours on their game earlier in the day. The more that train of thought can be dismantled, the better, as far as I’m concerned.
INTERNAL GROWTH
I don’t see a lot of people touching on the potential for internal growth on this team, but the Celtics can get a lot better just by their players taking some steps forward. Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and both Williamses all have something to improve, whether it’s a skill or a mentality.
It might be too much to bank on everyone just simply getting better, but there's a lot of room for improvement in some pretty important players so it’s also not too much to ask to see a good amount of it next season, either.
Just something to watch for. A lot of people are worried about improving the team from the outside. There's going to be a good amount of improvement from within.
KEVIN DURANT’S MOTIVES
Another thing people aren’t really discussing enough is whether Durant would want to stay in Boston even IF Brad Stevens pulls off a trade.
The discussion has almost entirely been a “would you or won’t you” regarding Brown in a trade. What about Durant and his attitude coming into Boston? Why would a guy who has specifically teamed up with Kyrie Irving -- a guy who ditched Boston to do so -- want to come here in the first place?
I don’t know what these guys are telling each other, but looking at Kyrie’s behavior since he left, I don’t think he’s entirely fond of the city or the franchise. Say what you will about the logo-stomping thing, it does show some level of disdain for this team, and I can’t believe that one of his best friends would walk into this situation with the most open of minds.
Of course, Durant is his own man, but I know when my best friends tell me to be wary of something, I don’t go into that thing skipping and tossing flowers from my wicker basket. The Celtics would have to be worried about this being a rental, regardless of how much time he has left on his deal.
TAKE IT AS A COMPLIMENT
How people view trade rumors might say something about their personalities. It was recently suggested to me that a guy like Brown should take it as a compliment that he’s been in trade rumors with nothing happening.
For a guy who might feel a little under-appreciated in the city, having such a large portion of the fanbase say they don’t want to trade him for Durant should be a good thing. I don’t know what greater compliment a guy could get than the fans getting upset if his name comes up in a trade rumor.