What a week.No
Stanley Cup, no more A-Ran, no more Doc, no more Paul or Kevin.Not the best week for what has been a
fantastic run of New England sports.Did
anyone see this coming?This week was
crazy enough to get me out of my blogging hiatus (round of applause).Hockey isn’t my forte and I am not in the
mood to write about a scumbag – so you got it C’s fans, what just happened?
First let’s start with what we know, we don’t have our coach
anymore.What does that really
mean?In all honesty, probably not a
whole lot in such a players’ league with a rebuilding team.Could he have bought us a few more wins next
year?Maybe.Could he have kept the core together one more
run?Maybe.But would it be worth it?Probably not.So why does it hurt so much still?In Boston we aren’t used to being second fiddle in anything.That is basically what happened, the greatest
organization in NBA history was no longer desirable for a coach that preached
family & togetherness.That is why
it hurt, we are no longer good enough.
We saw the same thing last year with Ray, now Doc.Ray left for our rivals in Lebron and the
Heat.Now Doc is going to LA – not to
the Lakers, but to the lowly Clippers and their scumbag owner.Ray left more money on the table; Doc is
going to a racist, sexist pig of an owner.That is why it hurts, Boston is no longer good enough.
Boston will miss these 3
What hurts the most isn’t any of the above, but what broke
last night during the NBA draft.Paul
Pierce and Kevin Garnett (and Jason Terry) will no longer be a member of the
Celtics.It had been rumored for some
time now, but it finally happened, the new Big 3 era was finally over.15 years for the captain were over.The heart and soul of the last 6 years was
gone.And to the New Jersey Brooklyn
Nets.Wow.
We did double the length of the window that was expected at
the beginning, doesn’t make it any easier to see now.No doubt #34 and #5 will one day come back to
raise their numbers to the rafters, but it won’t be easy to see them in Black
and White playing in an awkward new arena in Brooklyn.It will be weird to see them coming out of
the visitors’ locker room in Boston.
But it had to be done, the time was right.The only way to be good in the NBA is to be a
destination city in free agency or to be really bad, and get lucky in the
draft.Boston and Danny Ainge had only
one option, the draft.Boston has never
been a desirable city for free agents, so they needed to go to the draft.And why not go for the 2014 draft?It is loaded.
Is Wiggins the future? One can hope.
Boston fans – it won’t be fun next year, but hopefully it’s
bad enough to get better really quickly via the draft. One can only hope the next savior of the
Celtics will follow the same path as the truth, from Kansas to Boston for 15
years.Andrew Wiggins will make it worth
the bad year.Here’s to hoping for #22
to Boston.
Hey guys, in case you forgot, I do blog for this site.I apologize I have been away in Hawaii for a while.Anyways, after Monday night I had two possible things I could write about, the rise of Kansas’ Thomas Robinson for National Player of the Year or the Celtics looking old, slow, and just plain bad.Well I decided to be negative and write about the Celtics.(The TRob piece may come later this week.)
Where oh where do I start with these Celtics, it just breaks my heart every time I have to watch them.This is like watching the Celtics right before they acquired KG and Ray except the opposite.At least with that team, they were young and maybe could surprise a few people and there was hope that they could eventually turn that team around.This team is old and is loaded with bad contacts.Plenty of people have asked me what my thoughts are about blowing this team up. My question is how do you do that?Who wants to take on KG’s contract? He has an expiring deal but is making over $21 mil this year, you would have to be crazy to take that on.He also is no where near the player he once was, he can’t make post moves, lacks quickness, and can’t jump anymore.Basically he is a 7-foot $21 mil jump shooter.
What other pieces are possibly tradable?There have been recurring rumors about trading Pierce, but what will you get for him?Honestly unless you get 2 young studs and multiple draft picks, I say no.Trading Pierce would be like trading Bird or Tom Brady.This guy was loyal to the Celtics when they were terrible, doesn’t that mean anything?This is a future Hall of Famer who will have his number retired one day for the Celtics, he deserves to be here, because he still has a lot left in the tank.The other possible trade piece is Ray Allen.To me, he seems the most realistic to be traded if the Celtics do decide to blow this team up.Most teams need shooters, his contract isn’t unreasonable and he is still in phenomenal shape.You can get good picks in return for him as well as at least one young stud.
To me though, it is too early to give up this core.If say they are still under 500 in 15-20 games then I would think about it, but not right now.There are still over 50 games to be played.Father time will eventually come, I just hope its not here already.
To say 2011 was an eventful, newsworthy year for sports
would be an understatement. From the
disgusting, mind numbing actions at Penn State and Syracuse to the
championships of the Bruins, UConn, and Auburn.
We here at The Truth have put together a list of our top 5 sports events
of 2011. Now, these are our favorite
events, not necessarily the most newsworthy.
Leave your thoughts and opinions and give your own top 5. Also, we really appreciate you checking out
the blog and will continue to deliver entertaining and informative posts. Any ideas on posts or guest posts are more
than welcome. Without further ado let’s
get to the fun.
Dan: Dan-o starts
it up with a mostly video top 5.
5. LeBron Loses
Anytime Lebron loses in the finals after his "Not 1,
Not 2, Not 3...." speech it is a great moment.
4. Uconn Wins
Hey, I might not be the biggest UConn fan, but it isn't
because I don't like them. They are a New England team and I can respect that.
Go Huskies!!
3. Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is one of my favorite sporting events
every year. Betting on the winning horse always makes it better but win or lose
there probably isn't another sporting event that gives you this type of
atmosphere and lets you cheer for who you want year in and year out. Obviously
a Boston team playing for their championship like the Bruins in the Cup or the
Patriots in the Super Bowl is a different story, but that doesn't happen every
year. The Derby does, and every year it is different horses and every year you
get to the find the horse you want to root for. Maybe you are a person who
actually places bets and you like the horse's pedigree and chance to win or
maybe you are just a casual fan and you like his story, you like why it has a
certain name, you like who owns it, you like their colors etc. Every person can
find a horse they like and every year Churchill Downs brings you the same exact
stadium rocking atmosphere. This year we saw Animal Kingdom walk away as the
winner, jockey John Velazquez who is one of the most respected jockeys in the
sport got his first Derby win, who only got to ride Animal Kingdom because the
main jockey Robby Alberado was hurt earlier in the week, a good story.
2. Patriots Continue
Their Success and Bobby Kraft Ends the Lockout
Although we haven't won the Super Bowl the last few years
the Patriots continue to give us something to cheer for year in and year out
and that is something to be thankful for. We have fallen short in the last
month of the season the last couple of years but for the other 16-18 weeks of
the season the Patriots at least allow us to root for another Super Bowl chance
each year and that is a lot more than most teams can say.
However, that isn't the biggest success of the New England
Patriot's this year. Robert Kraft the best owner in professional sports who is
responsible for the reason we now have 3 Super Bowls and a successful football
organization that we can be proud of helped the NFL dig itself out of the
darkest days of the league and end the lockout. Because of Robert Kraft, his
wife and his influence he has within the league he helped bridge the gap
between the owners and players and is the reason we get to witness one of the
most exciting week 16's in NFL football history tomorrow on New Year’s Day and
why our Patriots are in position for another Super Bowl. Thank you Robert, thank you Myra and thank you
to the entire Kraft family.
1. B's win cup
If this isn't your top moment of 2011 get outta here!! Hit it..
V: Below are Matty V’s top 5 stories of 2011.
5 - Iona gets upset
in MAAC tourney title game: This
wasn’t a big surprise because they were such a young team last season. The
bigger surprise was it wasn’t an Iona vs. Fairfield matchup like everyone
predicted. Iona did its work in the tourney, but they ran into a hot St.
Peter’s team at the time. With another year of experience under their belt and
the addition of Momo Jones, 2012 looks promising for the Gaels.
4 - Pats acquire
Ochocinco and Hanyesworth: These
types of acquisitions usually benefit the Patriots well. We saw how Corey Dillon changed when he got
here, we saw the Randy Moss of old come out in a Patriots uniform. Ocho and
Hanyesworth haven’t panned out; they weren’t loud mouths or distractions like
they have been with former teams. Ocho
is my boy. I will never hate on the guy.
Everybody else can hate all they want and say he sucks. He
has not contributed a whole lot but he also hasn’t said a word to the media or
anyone for that matter. Say what you want, idiots, but he will contribute to
this team in the playoffs.
Hanyesworth came here fat and out of shape, plain and
simple. He sucked. Couldn’t get on the field because Kyle Love was/is
more dynamic than fat Albert is. Once
Brandon Deaderick got healthy and Gerard Warren started to contribute,
Haynesworth was out the door. The move was a low-risk high-reward moved that
just did not work out.
3 -The Red Sox
Collapse: Everybody talks about the Yankees blowing the 3-0 lead to the Sox
in 2004. I think this was worse. No words can describe this. Disgusting. Flat out disgusting. This makes me never want
to have fried chicken and Bud Light ever again.
2 - Robert Kraft
single handedly end the NFL lockout:
This man is by far the most respected owner in the league. The man loses
his beloved wife and has hated rivals giving him hugs on national television.
The impact the Myra has on this organization makes you think that this was her
way of saying “shut up and just play football.” We are extremely lucky to have
an owner like Robert Kraft for our hometown team. Let’s go win the Super Bowl
for MHK.
1 - Bruins Stanley
Cup Victory:
If you’re from Boston and love Boston sports, you are insane
if this isn't #1 on your list. This is big for me to have this as #1 because we
all know I’m not the biggest hockey fan. This team was special. I mean, they
have to be extremely special to get me to tune in and watch on a nightly basis.
From the experience of Recchi, to the excitement of Segs and Marshmont, this
team had it all. The scary part is they are even better this year. This isn't a
hockey team, it's a gang of brothers. Hockey wasn't like this a few years ago
in Boston. Times have certainly changed.
Matt:
This was one of the hardest things to come up with. My top 2 were easy choices, however I feel
like I will make some Bruins fans a little upset with the order of the top
2. I won’t ramble anymore, here is my
top 5:
Honorable Mention:
Butler back in the NCAA championship,
Brandon Bass trade, Heat Lose in NBA Finals
5 - Red Sox Collapse: Before people say “Hey, Hey, Hey, that’s
not a positive story for 2011,” let me explain.
This Red Sox team was flawed, even when healthy they were never the best
team ever, as the Boston Herald proclaimed.
This team was never going to win a World Series, so this collapse
expedited some of the changes that needed to happen. This team got boring to watch
and very complacent. Listen, I loved
Francona as much as the next guy but he needed to go, Theo was missing on a lot
of free agents of late, and players such as Wakefield and Varitek wore out
their welcome. My view is, after about
10 years, management becomes ineffective and needs new blood, and with this
collapse that new blood is now in charge.
Here is to hoping that new blood will help turn around a stale franchise
and lead us to really be the best team ever.
4 – Basketball is
Back: Everyone knows, basketball is
my favorite sport – both college and the NBA.
I hated the lock out probably more than most; however it turned out to
be a positive for both the NBA and NCAA.
First, college basketball had more players return for another year from
the likes of Thomas Robinson to Doron Lamb, from Perry Jones III to Harrison
Barnes, and from Jared Sullinger to Jeremy Lamb. When all these guys stay, it leads to a
better product for college basketball and you have seen that with so many
exciting games already. Moving on to the
NBA, obviously the lockout being lifted means I get to see my beloved Celtics
with the Big 4 one more year. Also, if
there was still a lockout you wouldn’t be able to see LeBron take 4th
quarters off like last year. Besides the
Celtics, watching Kevin Durant and the Thunder will be my favorite team to
watch this year. Let’s hope this year’s
playoffs are just like 2011’s.
3 – Records Fall: I’m only going to talk about Ray Allen
breaking the career 3 point record and Rob Gronkowski breaking the touchdown
record for a tight end, because well, I don’t really care about Drew
Brees. To watch Gronk this year is just
amazing. Gronk cannot be tackled by just
one guy, and sometimes two guys aren’t even enough. He is such a match up nightmare, especially
in the red zone where safeties and corners are too small while linebackers are
too slow to cover him. It really is
exciting every time he touches the ball.
“Me catch ball, me score touchdown, me spike ball hard.” Moving on to one of the best pure shooters I
have ever seen, Ray Allen. Watching him
shoot the ball is just a thing of beauty, I could not be happier to see him
break Reggie Miller’s record especially against the Lakers at home with Reggie
Miller in attendance. You could not have
written a better script for that record to fall.
2 – Bruins win the
Stanley Cup: I’m sorry Boston,
hockey is just my least favorite sport.
I will admit I was blown away by how exciting playoff hockey was. Tim Thomas really was unbelievable and single
handily kept the Bruins in many games.
Then to watch Krejci, Lucic, Bergeron, Seguin, Chara, Seidenberg, and
Marchand step up throughout the playoffs was special. You can tell this team really loves playing
together and should be exciting for years to come.
1 – Auburn wins
National Championship: Let me start
by saying this – WAR EAGLE!! What a
season this team had. From all the
controversy and trashing of Cam Newton, it was unbelievable to see this team
fight through it all and win the National Championship. Lots of people were picking the high flying
Oregon Ducks to win, but Auburn showed why they were the best team all
year. From the likes of Cam, Michael
Dyer, Nick Fairley, Onterio McCalebb, Josh Bynes, and Darvin Adams, this was
just an amazing season. With how good
Cam was, you could basically tell the defense what play they were running and
they would still get positive yards. Beating
Oregon, Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, and South Carolina (twice) really just
shows how strong this Auburn team was. War
Eagle all day.
Again, thanks for checking the blog and we hope that 2012
will continue to be a very fun and exciting year. Check for our bold predictions for 2012
coming Monday or Tuesday.
Just like this blog, The Truth always helps. Paul Pierce is back! Pierce led the Celtics to a 96-85 victory
last night against the winless Pistons.
Celtics fans, we can all take a step back from the ledge. We don’t have to tank for the lottery
anymore. We are now 1-3 (yes I can and
will always say we). It truly is amazing
what happens when your best player comes back from an injury. Pierce had 12 points, 5 assists, and 4
rebounds. They don’t seem like great
numbers, but numbers don’t always tell the whole story. The team was energized, confident, and this
all comes back to the captain.
Suddenly Jermaine didn’t look like his career was over; he
had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and was a plus 25 (yeah like the hockey
stat). The starters plus Brandon Bass
combined for 82 points on 31-51 shooting (61%).
This was because there was someone else besides Rondo on the floor who
could create his own shot. Suddenly guys
like Ray, KG, JO, and Bass were wide open due to penetrating ability of both
Rondo and Paul.
The defense was also much improved. Tayshawn Prince (Paul’s cover) had 10 points
and was a minus 17. Rotations were
quicker and help was needed less because instead of Sasha and his matador
defense we had a physical Pierce out there.
The Celtics held the Pistons to 43% from the field and a measly 18% from
deep. If only we had this against the
Knicks and Heat. Here’s to hoping the
Celtics can make one more run and have a healthy 2012. This Celtics fan is taking a step back from
the ledge.
Yeah I wrote a post yesterday about how I thought the Celtics would be alright this year especially when they got Paul Pierce back.I really was hoping I would never have to write this post.But I expected them to win last night, especially after I found out the news that Eric Gordon (my pick to finish 2nd in the league in scoring behind Durant) wasn’t playing.I thought this will be great; Celtics can get out to a nice lead early in the game, then rest the vets and have the young guys bring us home a victory.
Instead, what I got was a nightmare.We looked old, sluggish, and just plain awful.Right now we are 0-3.Hopefully we will at least win the next few with Detroit coming to town, a home and home with Washington, and then New Jersey.Starting with the positives - Ray Allen is still Ray Allen, Brandon Bass has been great, and Rondo (well you already know how I feel on him).And we still have yet to play with Paul Pierce.
The negatives, oh where do I start?How about the fact that this team prides itself on its defensive intensity and has given up 106, 115, and 97 points in 3 games?In the first half of those games, they have given up 62, 69, and 48 points.Wow, this coming from a team that was giving up about 45 points a half and 91 points a game over the last few years.
What has happened?Well one, Jermaine in a corpse, his career was over 3 years ago.Two, Garnett has been absolutely terrible on helps and staying in front of his guy.Finally, our guards (mainly Rondo) are taught to gamble and try and get steals.This means sometimes letting guys drive by them and try to pick-pocket them after they are by.In the past, there was always a shot blocker (Kevin Garnett with younger legs or Kendrick Perkins) or a guy who would take a charge (Glen Davis).Where is that coming from right now?Bass doesn’t have the same defensive instincts as Baby did so he doesn’t take the charges and he’s not big enough to block shots.When was the last time you saw KG take a charge? Has that ever happened?And Jermaine, well like I said, they should just draw his chalk lines out on the court for him.
My one gripe with Doc is that he always seems to be afraid to play his young guys.This year, more than ever he needs those guys.They play 66 games in 120 days, there is no way KG, Jermaine, Pierce, Ray and Rondo can play 30 minutes a night back to back days.Who knows, maybe E’Twaun Moore would be a Norris Cole type for you.The only young guys Doc has played are Rondo and Big Baby when he was here.Rondo was drafted 21st overall and Baby in the 2nd round.The only reason they played were because the team wasn’t very good and Doc’s hand was forced.Maybe the rookies out of Purdue can be similar to those two.You won’t know if you don’t play them and let them learn in game experience.You need guys like Norris Cole of the Heat to give you sparks when you need it and I would love to see the young guys get a shot like him.If we continue to ride out these old guys every single game 30 minutes or more a night, we will see more nights like last night and it just may be time to jump.
The Celts haven’t been off to ideal start so far at 0-2.But it’s not time to jump off the TobinBridge just yet and prepare for the Lottery.They have played two of the better teams in the NBA in those two games and both will be fighting for a spot in the Eastern Conference Championship this year.Both teams have had something major to prove.The Heat have lost 8 of the last 9 regular season games to the Celtics and just got embarrassed in the NBA Finals, while the Knicks got swept out of the playoffs last year by these Celtics.Oh, and both games for the Celtics have been on the road.
One of the biggest reasons the Celtics have lost these two games is because no one out there right now can create their own shot other than Rajon Rondo.Paul Pierce is banged up, but when healthy the Celtics will be just fine.Pierce is still a dynamic scorer who can create for others and has a deadly midrange game as well as a recently added 3 point game (see Rondo detractors, it’s never too late to develop a 3 point shot).He may not be as fast as he used to but he is still physical enough to guard some of the best swingmen in the game.
They may not have the size that they have had in the past, but do the Heat, Knicks, and Bulls have that size?Absolutely not more than the Celtics.The Celtics upgraded their bench to try and improve on their quickness and offense.Keyon Dooling had 18 points last night, Brandon Bass has had double figures in both nights, and Marquis Daniels looks healthier than ever.Avery Bradley and Chris Wilcox add to what the Celtics pride themselves on, their defense.I haven’t even mentioned the three point threat of Mickael Pietrus yet.With this cramped schedule, look for rookies JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore to contribute as well.
Let’s talk about Rajon Rondo real quick.He has certainly come out with a major chip on his shoulder and is averaging 26.5 points, 12.5 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He is even shooting 70 percent from the charity stripe and is getting there at a frequent rate due to his reckless abandon on taking the ball to the cup. Yes, I know it is only two games, but if he kept that up, he not only would be by far the best point guard, he would be the MVP.He seemed to have silenced the critics (some even on this blog) so far.
We are two games in to the year so far and the Celtics have lost two games they should have lost without their best offensive player in Pierce, no need to worry.However, if the bandwagon fans are already jumping off, please don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
I know, I know, I know. I have been slacking. The holiday weekend was busy and didn't have time to post. I will get you up to date with a new blog tomorrow about the Celtics-Heat game or the state of the Celtics. Game 2 of the regular season tips off at 8 tonight. To put you in the mood, here are a few videos that should make you smile.
(Note: There has been a lot of digs at Rondo on this site and elsewhere. Here is The Boss' take on Rondo and the arguments for his sake.)
Is the grass always greener on the
other side? I say no. Celtics fans, appreciate what you have with
Rajon Rondo. In case you were living
under a rock this past month or so, Rondo has been involved in countless trade
rumors. The trade that had the most
momentum was a possible Rondo for Chris Paul switch. Most everyone I talked to (read: argued with)
said that trading Rondo for Paul would be the right choice moving forward. I’m here to debate that point and to show you
why you should appreciate a top 3 point guard when you have one.
Right now, I don’t think there is a
debate; Derrick Rose is the best PG in the NBA.
One would argue that Paul was that, even I would say he was before he
had a major knee surgery. Probably one
of the most important things a basketball player can have is healthy knees,
especially when you are a point guard.
Big guys can get away with this because even after the knee problems,
they are still big, a point guard loses all explosiveness and develops a more
average game. So because of that we see
a dip in Chris Paul’s numbers.
Let’s get into some numbers. First, Rondo has improved in literally every
year since he has been in the League.
Assists, steals, field goal percentage, points, have drastically improved
since his first year and in almost all cases increase each year. His point total was down last season, but his
assist total went up and his total shots went down. On the other hand, Chris Paul already seems
to be on the decline. He peaked in 2008
and 2009. His point totals, field goal
percentage, and assists have gone down in the past two years. He went from 22.8 points per game in 2009 to
just over 15 points a game last year.
His assist total went down over 1 assist per game. Is this due to the injury? Could be, but who is to say he is ever going
to get what he had back?
What is the most important thing
that you want your point guard to do? To
me, it’s to make everyone else on the court better. The easiest way to do that is to penetrate
and score, penetrate and dish to a cutting big guy or penetrate and kick the
ball out to an open shooter. There is no
one better in the game at this than Rondo.
Last year alone, Rondo averaged 4.6 assists a game that led to a dunk or
layup. That is much better than Paul’s
3.1. That shows his ability to penetrate
and dish to a big guy. Rondo also leads
Paul in assists to an open outside shooter, 3.3 to 3. Paul is known for running a pick and
roll/pick and pop offense, so you would think he would have more assists in
either of these categories, but he doesn’t.
Rondo also scores more often and more efficiently than Paul at the rim
as well. Rondo scores twice as many
points than Paul at the rim while shooting 63% to Paul’s 61%.
Detractors of Rondo will often
knock his outside jumper. While Paul
does have a better outside shot than Rondo, 45% to 41% (16-23 feet), Rondo’s
shot is far from below average. People
consider Derrick Rose an excellent scorer, even from deep. However, Rose is only shooting 38% from that
same distance. Paul and Rose also take
that shot more often than Rondo because they need to, while Rondo does
not. If Rondo played with the caliber
players that Paul played with he would be forced to shoot as much as Paul does,
and could put up very similar numbers. One
thing I can’t argue is Rondo’s free throw shooting, which is mediocre. My one defense would be, Shaq and Dwight
Howard both have worse percentages, and however people don’t think any less of
them.
I will argue that there are a lot
of similarities between the two point guards, starting with their defense. Both guys have made 3 All-Defensive Teams,
however Rondo has been First Team twice and Paul only has been First team
once. Both guys are stubborn and super
competitive. Things have come out about Rondo’s
stubbornness; I will argue that is just his competitiveness showing and his
passion. These trade rumors are going to
already fuel the huge chip on the shoulder that Rondo has against every elite
point guard. Give me a guy who goes 110% and has extreme passion all the time rather than a guy that coasts of natural ability any day.
My final argument for Rondo would
be the success in the playoffs for each.
One stat that speaks for itself is Rondo’s triple doubles, he has 6
career playoff triple doubles. For a
point guard to have 6 is absurd, let alone in the most competitive games of the
year. Rondo has an NBA Championship;
Paul has got out of the first round once.
Note that Chris Paul’s Hornets were a 2-seed and lost in the second
round. As a favorite, Rondo has never
lost a playoff series, let alone in the second round. Rondo has been to 2 NBA finals and has led
the Celtics to countless playoff wins.
Yes, both players are great but I will take a guy that has a reckless
abandon for the game who has improved every year and makes every teammate
better over someone with a balky knee and has already reached the peak of his
career. The grass isn’t always greener
elsewhere, in fact it’s pretty green in Boston with Rajon Rondo.
The answer to that question, HELL YES. He clearly had his troubles, a certain guitar
case and shot gun come to mind. He has
been treated for depression and mood disorders.
He has also had some very humorous stages in his career. A certain KFC rap video comes to mind (see below), working at Home Depot
during the lockout comes to mind. He may
or may not have had an affair with LeBron’s Mom (either way, it clearly rattles
LeBron – which I’m good with.) I mean
has anyone else had a view on a date like Delonte (If you don’t know what I am
talking about, click here.)
Delonte was a guard who could play the 1 or the 2. He always played his hardest and loved being
in Boston. I mean who else comes back to
Boston after they were traded from the Celts?
He just wanted to play basketball and worked his ass off to get there. He was here when the Celts sucked; he was
here when they were good. He was never a
great athlete, never a great shooter, never a great ball handlerer, never a
great rebounder, never a great passer.
But you know what he was? He was
a great teammate, and did all the little things that would make everyone else
better. If the team needed a pick-me-up,
Delonte was that guy (see Miami series from last playoffs). There is just something about those lefties,
they are crafty. I will always remember
the video below as the way I remember Delonte.
Let me speak for Celtics Nation Delonte, we will miss you and good luck
in Dallas.
Just as I was about to post my blog, I get word that Chris
Paul has been traded to the Clippers (I will get into that trade in a later
post). Instead of scrapping the whole
knock on David Stern post, I will continue with it…
You may have heard, David Stern (we will call him Donald Sterns
because that epitomizes him lately).
Just like Menino (read: Mumbles) butchering his name Donald has
butchered this NBA season or lack there of an NBA season so far. He has been on such a power trip lately and
has outstayed his welcome as commissioner for a long time now. In my eyes, a commissioner, just like a lot
of CEOs and the President should sign contracts and after the contract is over
he should be gone. Bring in some new
hungry guy who wants to think outside the box and be creative as a
commissioner. I won’t bore you with all
the details, but before and now even after the lockout, the NBA needs a major
reform.
I will give Dan’s sport (hockey) a lot of credit for what
they did in their lockout (minus the whole missing a full season thing). But, they got it right. They have a hard salary cap, lower salaries
and short contracts. Guess what? Their star players don’t usually leave for
Hollywood or South Beach to play with their buddies. That’s something that needs to change. What happened to developing your own talent
and drafting well? But the absolute
worst thing that the NBA has is the sign and trade. Say you are Eric Gordon after this season,
you are free agent but don’t want to play in New Orleans. You can demand going somewhere else, sign
with New Orleans and get traded for pennies on the dollar. Oh, what’s that Donald? You will get rid of
these after 2014, how about now? Now we
have Chris Paul demanding out of New Orleans, Dwight Howard demanding out of
Orlando. Last year we had the Carmelo
saga, who is the next to try to go Hollywood or another warm destination (John
Wall is that you?)
Let’s get into the real reason I am writing this post. Donald and the rest of the 29 other owners
own the New Orleans Hornets. Wait, what’s
that? I’ll repeat that in case you
missed it. Donald Sterns and his 29
other owner buddies own one of the team.
Talk about a conflict of interest.
So their biggest asset, Chris Paul, sees this lack of direction with his
team and he immediately wants out. He
got traded to the Lakers Clippers because of this. Oh, you caught that Lakers thing? So Hornets’ GM Dell Demps was given authority
to trade whoever he wanted for whatever he wanted, just like any GM can
do. So he made a deal with the Lakers to
get a solid nucleus of Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin and Luis Scola plus a couple
draft picks. The deal was agreed on by
the 3 teams involved, and then Donald vetoed it. YES, HE VETOED A TRADE THAT MADE PERFECT
SENSE FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED. You know
why? Because the lockout happened in
part because players were leaving small markets for bigger markets (read:
Lakers, Heat, Knicks). So not only did
you get another great comic sans
rant from Dan Gilbert but Donald decided what better time than this to show everyone
who is boss. Talk about a power trip.
In the words of Scott Van Pelt “If you are Dell Demps, don’t
you just show up to work, play some words with friends and drink heavily?” Why did he waste everyone’s time by saying
Demps had all the power if he really didn’t??
Can’t we as NBA fans vote our incompetent commissioner out
of office? Don’t the guys paying for all
this, us the fans get any say? Where are
the checks and balances in this league?
Who checks Donald’s power? Donald,
let me be another in a long line of people saying you don’t belong as the
commissioner anymore.
3:16 PM
Matt
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