Every week I gather some thoughts about the Celtics, the NBA, and beyond and dump them here. Because I just got voted out as Speaker of the House and I have nowhere else to turn.
- Malcolm Brogdon, traded to Portland for Jrue Holiday, says, “I want to be here. There’s a lot of misleading information out there about they need to trade me. Right now, I just want to make the most of my opportunity. That’s really what it is.”
To quote Shawn Carter: “I don’t believe you, you need more people.”
- Jrue Holiday’s wife Lauren let us in on the reality of getting traded.
“It crushed me,” she wrote, in part, in an instagram post. “Contrary to the cliche, it’s personal, meaning there are people’s lives that are affected. It’s never ‘just business.’”
It’s a long post, and I recommend reading the whole thing and taking it all to heart, because it’s all true.
Yes, this is the life these guys signed up for, and they have the means to get over getting traded pretty quickly (and there are league rules that assist in the process), but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for the families and the children involved.
One of my goals in my coverage is always to show you the human side of people we basically treat as robots or game pieces. Hell, I do it too.
Every once in a while, it’s good to be reminded of the reality behind things like this so we can better understand the challenges some guys face and take with them into practice and games.
- Welcome Drew Carter to the mix as the Celtics road play-by-play guy. But what does this mean for Sean Grande?
- Al Horford told a story about being with Atlanta, coming to Boston, and eliminating the Celtics from the playoffs. He said as he was walking out of the arena, a fan yelled to him and he looked up, and the fan yelled, “you’re still the Atlanta Hawks.”
Let me just say to you, anonymous fan from 2016 … that might be the single greatest burn after a loss of all time. When someone asks, “How can you possibly make someone feel bad after a playoff win?” … this is your answer.
- Wyc Grousbeck said “I look at the next six years as a real opportunity for us. And that's not to take anything away from this year, but we're gonna keep doing this until we uncover that banner, until we print something on that, or we're gonna die trying.”
First, he never said anything about keeping this core together for six years. That's just how long he sees the opportunity.
Second, that opportunity just happens to coincide with how long Jayson Tatum will be under contract after he signs an extension. Boston’s future is directly tied to Tatum.
- Tatum continues to be listed at 6-8. He ain’t no 6-8.
- Joe Mazzulla is clearly more comfortable this season.
“You have a tendency as a head coach to get stuck in your office sometimes because you're worried about the next game plan or the next thing like that,” he said. “(I’m) getting back to like being on the court early and getting your meetings and stuff out of the way so you can be out there. So that's like another reason why I feel a little more comfortable because that's where I was at my best as an assistant was being down there with the guys.”
I can see a difference in Mazzulla. I can hear a difference in him too. I’ve been saying all along to be patient and let him figure it out. I feel more confident than ever that patience will be rewarded.
- All the big names, including Tatum and now Joel Embiid, are in for the Olympics. That's great, but it just shows how little the big names think of the World Cup. It’s a huge deal for the rest of the world, but it’s JV for America.
I’ve been asking the Celtics to play some zone for a while. They might actually finally do it this season.
- Khris Middleton is still not 100%. For all the talk about Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks need Middleton to punish teams for overreacting to those two … not to mention the defense they’ll need him to play against Boston. If he’s not healthy, they're not going anywhere.
- The Toronto Raptors alienating Pascal Siakam by basically calling him selfish was certainly a choice. Weirdest media day in the league, which is saying something.
- Vague headline of the week: UCLA Basketball: All-Star Ex-Bruin Already Talking Extension With New Team
Just say Jrue Holiday.
- “Pepsi and Coke investors concerned over weight loss drugs’ impact” is maybe the most American headline ever.
“People are losing weight and making healthier choices. This is a problem for my money!”
- Did the message get through to James Harden that tabling the childish tantrum for, like, five minutes is actually the best way to get traded?
I still wouldn’t want him though. We all know he’s faking it to get what he wants.
- Watching Paul Pierce, Sam Cassell, and Eddie House get super competitive about a shooting contest might end up being the most entertaining basketball I’ll watch all year.
Okay guys are getting warm now... pic.twitter.com/5PY1yzDerK
— John Karalis 🇬🇷🇺🇦 (@John_Karalis) October 5, 2023
Also, that scene, more than anything, makes me miss playing. I think any former player will tell you the games aren’t the worst thing about getting old, it’s the stuff like this during or after practices and the off-the-court camaraderie. Those guys were right back to 2007 in their heads, and that joy filled that empty practice facility.
- RIP Dick Butkus, one of the most feared football players of all time.
- I’m still gutted about Tim Wakefield. I’m still pissed at Curt Schilling for making Wakefield’s last days what they were.
- Yes, Robert Williams leaves a hole in Boston’s frontcourt, but he also leaves a hole in the media. There's just no one here that weaves profanity into his answers with such skill. Just a massive &$#%! loss for us.
- I hope Lonzo Ball is right about coming back and playing. He’s a really good player and once he stepped out of his dad’s ridiculous attempts to claim his spotlight, he seemed to be a much happier player.
- Jordan Walsh was born March 3, 2004. On that day, LeBron James had 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists against the Atlanta Hawks in his rookie season.
- Al Horford, who is almost exactly twice Walsh’s age, has already imparted his wisdom on the rookie.
“Al told me I need to watch Godfather one and two,” Walsh said. “He was like ‘they’re old, they're long, but they're so good.’”
You can say the same thing about Al, actually.
Oh, and as of right now, Walsh hasn’t watched either. Sigh … I’m not sure this kid is gonna work out.
- The Charlotte Hornets have teamed up with a YouTube influencer to sponsor their jersey patch this season.
That's a factual sentence that I wanted to type out just to see if I could get through it without vomiting.
I did not.
- Jaylen Brown has definitely been lifting this summer.
- Candy corn is neither candy nor corn. It’s a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
- I’d rather eat all the candy corn in the world than wear cowboy boot Crocs. These things are proof that corporations actually hate you.
- Here’s my latest podcast, if you’re bored.