Good afternoon everyone! Hope y'all are having a lovely Tuesday so far. I just wanted to take this time to inform everyone who may have been a fan of my writing in the past, or for my friends that have come into my life without knowing about this site, that I am going to be once again contributing to my blog I established almost ten years ago. I feel like I have reached a point in my life where things have finally settled down for me. I have established myself as a South Floridian, which is a lot tougher than it sounds. I have dealt with numerous personal issues that have made me wonder what my purpose is, but my vision has become very clear:
My purpose in life is to inform, enlighten, question status quo, and to bring love and joy into people's lives.
One of the ways I always felt I could do this is through my writing. It's something that I have been extremely passionate about for most of my life. This was more of an escape for me while I was finishing school and heading off into the "real world." It served as something to establish what my legacy will ultimately become. It was a way to get my voice out when I wasn't necessarily the most boisterous in real life, but when the pen hit the paper (or in this case, the fingers to the keys), it was magical for me. I could just write and write and write, and even if no one read it, I felt a sense of accomplishment. Those words are going to be there forever, and when my time is done, those writings will always be a key part into my development not only as a writer, but as a man and a contributor to society, no matter how big or small my reach was.
I appreciate everyone throughout the years reading and supporting me. I will do everything I can to keep my writings at a high standard that will be both entertaining and thought provoking. Thank you again for checking in...
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This is first and foremost a sports site, but also, I like to throw in my other loves (music/TV/movies) into the equation as well. The title for this post was inspired by the show "Mr. Robot" that will be launching its second season tomorrow on USA at 10PM. To me, the first season was some of the most compelling and incredible ten episodes of television I have ever seen. Obviously it is now being showered with accolades and awards, but I would recommend this to everyone, especially if they are fascinated by cyber security and hacking like myself, to check out the first season, which is On Demand right now. It's a game changer.
Okay getting back into sports. The biggest thing that there is to talk about right now from a Boston sports fan perspective is the Celtics' pursuit of Banner 18. It has been a wild offseason, from narrowly missing a chance to land a top 2 pick in the Lottery, to an overwhelming negative reaction from the Boston faithful about not only about drafting Jaylen Brown and not PC product Kris Dunn, but also not making a huge splash via a draft day trade, to recruitment trips to the Hamptons, to landing the single biggest free agent in the history of the franchise...like I said, wild.
While signing Al Horford is obviously a big story, it's even bigger than anyone could make it out to be. The gates that have previously been locked shut over stars wanting to play in the Garden have been thrown open in one fail swoop. This was the first of what is most likely to be many of the dominoes that will fall over the next few years that will alter the landscape of the NBA for years to come.
Think about what already has happened: The Celts were most likely one of the last two teams that Kevin Durant was considering before making his decision to go to Golden State (while all of this is hearsay, all the news around the events of the Hamptons would lead you
to suspect that it was ultimately the Celts vs. the Warriors in the
end). The only reason the Celts lost Durant is because he was assuring
himself of that elusive ring he's been chasing. They won an NBA record 73 games last year, so obviously in choosing them, he's got a ready-made title contender (although news of Draymond Green's arrest in East Lansing over the weekend could alter the "ease" of how they were going to get that done). The fact that the Celtics not only secured a meeting with KD, but came that close to landing him speaks volumes about the direction this team is going...which is WAY up.We are still hearing little hints spread across management that they are not done this offseason, and while no major deal may materialize this offseason, this has clearly been the "flag-planting" year of the Celtics' future. With Horford in tow and a roster full of young talented players, the Celts find themselves as the second-favorite coming out of the East. Obviously the defending champion Cavaliers will be the gold standard once again this year, but even they have to be aware that the distance between them and us is closing, which would explain why they have suddenly been rumored to try and be in trade talks with one target that C's fans have long been clamoring for: DeMarcus Cousins.
It seems like the stars are aligned for Boogie to get shipped out of Sacramento. He has an extremely friendly contract that lasts another two years ($15.8 million this year, $16.8 million next) and is in a place he doesn't want to be, with management doing everything in their power seemingly to make the team as unattractive as they possibly can (eight coaches in ten years, signing inept GM Vlade Divac to an extension, trading a freak athlete they drafted this year (Marquese Chriss) for a bunch of sluggish big men...it goes on and on). The time has to be now for the Kings to hit the reset button. They are going nowhere fast. which is why the Celtics make the perfect trade partner.While the Cavs have been discussed, ultimately, they don't have nearly the kind of assets that Boston can offer (even if they include Kevin Love in a deal). The Celts have a plethora of young talent at bargain-based pricing (Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Kelly Olynyk, Jaylen Brown) and also have the two most important assets of them all: The right to swap picks with the Nets in 2017 and the Nets' outright selection in 2018. The Nets will most likely be horrible this year, and because of the pick swap, they are likely to wind up picking in the 20s when their record would suggest they should be picking in the top 3.
Bottom line: They're bad, and they're not getting better anytime soon.
Both the 2017 and 2018 picks could become the #1 overall picks if the ping pong balls fall right for the Celts. While maintaining patience may not be the most popular move amongst fans, especially after management had promised "fireworks" (although the Horford signing was HUGE), it seems like it is the correct path to take. Those picks are so valuable not only in the type of prospect they will be able to get that high in the draft. but also how team-friendly rookie deals are. To put this into perspective, Timofey Mozgov just signed a deal that will pay him $16 million a year for the next four years. In contrast, #1 overall pick Ben Simmons' deal with Philly is for five years that will pay him an average of $7.46 million a year, with his 5th year the only year he'll be making double-digit millions.
Those assets are incredibly valuable. While people may be disappointed we haven't made a splash, there are really only three names it looks like we would be willing to break the trade asset bank for: Cousins, Jimmy Butler, and Russell Westbrook. It seems like Chicago is going to build around Butler, and the same can be said for Westbrook in OKC, especially after Durant's departure and the knowledge that the Thunder are absolutely his team. That leaves Cousins, who if teamed with Horford down low, would resemble what Al was able to accomplish with Paul Millsap in Atlanta, but on a whole other level.
So now the question becomes how much do you give up? In my opinion, you have to give up one of the Nets' picks. That seems like a given. Also I would think Avery Bradley or Jae Crowder would be in there too. They are both so good and wildly underpaid given the current financial landscape. You could make the case they are two of the most valuable trade assets in the league. Here would be the proposed trade:
Celtics Get: DeMarcus Cousins ($15.8 million)
Kings Get: Avery Bradley ($8.3 million), Kelly Olynyk ($3.1 million), 2018 Brooklyn pick, 2019 Memphis pick top 8 protected
In this scenario, the Kings get an All-NBA defender in Bradley, a stretch 4 in Olynyk, perhaps the #1 overall pick in 2018, and a likely top 10-15 pick down the line in 2019. This is a pretty good haul for
Keep it here for more trade/free agency/Celtics rumors. I am a freak about this stuff and literally check Google and Twitter about 100 times a day looking through what is being reported out there. While most of the rumors are just those...rumors, it still is such a fascinating time to be a fan of this team and where the future may take us. We have the management/ownership (Wyc Grousbeck and Danny Ainge), the coach for the next 20 years (Brad Stevens), and the face of the franchise (Isaiah Thomas)...I'm just so excited for this team it's just a really great feeling.
(Isaiah did reiterate in a recent interview that the Celts "will have to break out the Brinks truck" in 2018 when he becomes a free agent, and in a market where he will likely demand $25-$30 million a year in contrast to the $6.5 million he's making right now...think about that before you judge the Celts on why they are trying to stay flexible with their cap room...this is not the kind of guy you want to see in anything else but green and white.)Well that will do it for now. Thank you guys very much for checking me out. Expect more to come about the C's as well as the Sox, Pats, and B's in the future...and also some of my incoherent rambling that you've come to know and love...well at least know...over the years. Take it easy everyone. Stay strong y'all. Peace.
~Mell-o
P.S. Jackie Bradley starting in the All Star Game tonight boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!
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