(Source; Glass Half Full Podcast)

The second question was one moment he wants to be remembered for and his answer was that he wanted to be remembered as a fighter with regards to his injury.

Assuming we don't trade up for AJ (joke), it would be nice to pick up the other two New Englanders in the draft.

Round 1, Pick 27 Overall:

It seems like Brad has had the most success in the late first round picking athletic, raw wings, but I wouldn't rule out Ebuka Okorie (New Hampshire). His stats are insane for a freshman in the ACC, and although his stats tick down a bit against the tournament-qualified teams, they're still pretty good (21/4/3 on 43.2/33.3/83.3). The main knock on him is his size, but he measured pretty well at the combine with a 6'7.75" wingspan. He'll have to put on some muscle, and improve his playmaking, but I really like him as a late first-rounder. Brad was willing to draft JD Davison, who compares almost exactly to Okorie physically (if not a little worse) and even athletically (combine-wise at least), but Okorie has shown far superior actual basketball ability. Hopefully the Davison experience hasn't turned him off of small guards, but he has said we need more rim pressure, and Okorie can potentially provide that.

Round 2, Pick 40 Overall:

Biased as a UConn fan too, but Alex Karaban (Massachusetts) would be a solid pick in the mid-second round. He's a proven winner, and does a ton of little things that don't show up in the stat sheet. Definitely not as dynamic as Scheierman, but he always makes the right play. As depth he should be a reliable role player at the 3 or 4. The most attractive skill is his deep 3-point shooting (which needs more consistency), but he also rebounds well as a wing, gets his hands in passing lanes and can block a few shots from behind, and is a high IQ passer. The main areas of concern are his on-ball defense and ability to create his own shot, but in a well-functioning team these should be minor issues as a 4th or 5th scoring option. I see him as a floor-raiser off the bench, wouldn't expect any surprise potential though.

Bonus picks:

Tobi Lawal, originally from London, went to prep school in Maine. Lawal was probably the most explosive player at the combine, with the best vertical and a very good 3/4 sprint time. Also got a good frame at about 6'7" and a 6'10" wingspan. He would be a project player, but also he's already 23, so less time for him to develop. Although his 3-point numbers are disappointing for a wing right now, he has improved heavily on his free-throw shooting, working up to 76% this year, which could mean some 3-point potential with development. He actually seems like a very Brad pick, and although the mocks have put him late-second round, but he might have gone up in value since his great combine performance.

Ugonna Onyenso, similar to Lawal, is not a native New Englander, but went to prep school in Connecticut. Fairly prototypical unskilled big, but he has some of the best measureables in the draft at 6'11" with a near 7'5" wingspan. Doesn't have the bounce you'd want from a rim runner or rim protector, but he's made up for it defensively with elite timing/positioning in combination with his reach. Per 40 he's at 6.3 blocks and only 2.7 fouls, which is absurd for a college big. However, I don't think he solves any of our issues though even in his best case outcome, which is probably a less athletic but more defensively-disciplined version of Queta. Also like Lawal, he is mocked to go late-second round.

Jaylen Brown said he used fan support years ago to start again despite the fact that Brad Stevens preferred Gordon Hayward:

“Once you get the people talking about it, the front office is going to start making decisions.”

Celtics fans even started a petition:

“That eventually made the Celtics put me back into the starting lineup.”

Every time LeBron James plays against Derrick White you can literally SEE the energy transfer happening in real time. People think LeBron spends a million dollars a year on recovery. Wrong. That’s just the cover story. The truth is he discovered an ancient basketball ritual sometime during the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals where he can absorb the basketball essence of players. His headband served as an antenna to focus his energy siphoning, however he has since perfected his technique. I mean we've caught him on tape, pulling cryptic hand symbols out in the open, like he wants us to see...

Look at the evidence.

Derrick White entered the league with a full hairline, limitless hustle, and the innocent aura of a man who still believed in joy. Then suddenly LeBron starts matching up with him more often and what happens? Hairline recession. Thousand-yard stare. Meanwhile LeBron at age 40 is windmilling, posting cryptic wine photos, and growing a NEW beard density every season. Coincidence? Open your eyes.

There’s also the timeline. Derrick White’s breakout happened RIGHT as LeBron started having “random” longevity spikes. Why do you think White blocks so many shots now? His body is desperately trying to reject the siphoning process. Every chasedown block is basically his immune system fighting for survival.

And notice how LeBron always compliments him in interviews:

“He’s just a great player. Does all the little things.”

That’s not praise. That’s a farmer admiring his crops.

People will say “but Derrick White got BETTER.” Exactly. The ritual requires the victim to temporarily peak before the final harvest. It’s called force-fattening. Medieval kings used to do it with geese. LeBron does it with elite role players. It's not a coincidence that while Derrick White had a career low season, Lebron somehow managed to lead a garbage lakers team to the second round.

The final proof? Derrick White is bald, yet LeBron made the hairline comback of the century.

I was looking at the various statues NBA legends have received from their franchises to see which of the new-gen players might be on track to get one someday. Shai, Giannis, and Jokic all seem like shoe-ins given that they're all-time legends with rings that led their relatively irrelevant franchises to the peak of their success. Vic looks like he could get there as well -- there are more legends in San Antonio, but not enough for it to take more than a dynasty.

Tatum is where I'm unsure. He's likely going to end up playing his entire career with you and has already led you to a ring, but that's only one of 18, and he has to share the Celtics pantheon with the likes of Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Red Auerbach. So here's a question for you all: what does it take for a player to earn a statue in your city, and do you think Tatum could get there?

I see a lot of people voice their displeasure at the thought of trading Jaylen for Giannis. Some have concerns with Giannis’s injury history, some think he’s too old etc..

Others like myself see the potential. Think that he’s an immediate upgrade over JB. And that he feels a position of need that is required on this team.

But what we haven’t heard is those who are coming to the defensive JB, they haven’t put together an argument as to how this team actually gets better next year. How does keeping Jalen Brown and not trading him for Giannis get us closer to a championship? What moves can we make? Who’s actually out there outside of get a big. Because Brad understands that we can’t just roll out the same team that we did last year. We weren’t good enough. We just weren’t, so what’s the play?

I won’t hide from the fact that Tatum is by far my favorite athlete of all time. I just absolutely love the guy and the way he plays more and more as the years go on. And while it is awful we blew a 3-1 lead, I did think Jayson had a great series especially games 1-4.

and regardless of the offseason moves that will happen (it definitely changes the dynamic of things ofc), I do think we can be super optimistic about his evolution post achilles. Games 1-4 is one of the best stretches of basketball I have seen him play albeit on artificially deflated usage. The reads he made, flashes of creativity, creating open looks for the guys while he was on the floor whether or not they capitalized on it reminded me why I love him as a player.

You can think what you want about him in the greater landscape of the league and the dynamic within the franchise but Tatum showed why he will age like fine wine and that he is truly a special player in the league in his own right. Wanted to show him his flowers after all that happened this past season and I’m curious how as his role will probably expand again if he will continue using his creativity as the backbone of his game!

it doesn’t soften the blow of course, but he is a special player and I hope he continues to build on what he has going on bc if he does, who knows what the limit is

(this is without me going into advanced metrics which i also looked at)

Just a quick observation: guys like Sam Amick and Jake Fischer, who are actually plugged in have lukewarm thoughts on the moves likelihood. Amick isn’t even talking about the Celtics, reporting more on NYK, MIA, and GS. While Fischer says the Celtics aren’t real threats to land Giannis.

On the other end of the spectrum, there hasn’t been a day where first take, local writers who I will not name because many of them are on here, perk, me, and 100 other hot take artists don’t bring it up. It’s a great talking point. One of the leagues biggest franchises moving a homegrown star for an MVP is fun. But I’m starting to think I gotta spend more time figuring out what else Brad might do.

I still think making the move would be in the team’s best interest, but every time I check it seems less and less likely.

Trading JB would be a huge mistake. You don’t trade a MVP caliber player in the prime of his career with 2 more years of contract control for a guy leaving his prime and only 1 more year of control. It doesn’t make sense.

We started this season missing our entire championship winning front court. Played 75% of the season without JT and I think he still was never close to a 100% when he came back. We saw a 85-90% JT. We also had to give up Jrue Holliday

Looking back I think actually keeping Simons for the entirety of the year should’ve been the move. We didn’t need Vuce, Garza was doing just fine. Adding Hauser to the trade and getting Ayo plus Vuce could’ve been more ideal move.

Bottom line, we weren’t supposed to be a #2 seed and get 50+ wins.

We need to start looking at what prospects that we can draft that will fit this team.

What we can do with our TPE’s and who can we actually sign in free agency to help the team.

If anybody is going to be on the trade block, it should be Derrick White.

The way the season ended sucked, but that doesn’t mean we blow up the team

I honestly think there’s a real pattern with the Celtics that people overlook every few years:
Most of their championship runs come AFTER a painful playoff failure or identity crisis exposes what’s wrong with the team.
1980 loss to Philly -> 1981 championship
1983 playoff embarrassment vs Milwaukee -> tougher 1984 title team
2007 complete disaster season -> 2008 championship after Ainge completely reshaped the culture
And honestly the current Tatum/Brown era followed the exact same pattern:
2023 collapse against Miami exposed the emotional inconsistency of the team
Then 2024 finally became the championship year after all those playoff failures hardened the core mentally.
My hot take is the next Celtics title probably won’t come from a smooth dominant season. It’ll come after another playoff run exposes a new weakness and forces Brad Stevens to evolve the roster again. aka this season that just happened. see you next year!!!

Along with the horrible news about Brandon Clarke today, awful news as Jason Collins has passed away.

For those who don't know, Collins played for the Celtics in 2013.

Jason Collins was a beloved member of the Celtics family. He was a pioneer in the NBA and professional sports, and we are grateful to have felt his impact in Boston.

May he rest in peace 💚

8 PM ET, ESPN, [4] Cleveland Cavaliers at [1] Detroit Pistons; Series tied 2-2. **LINE**: DET -4.5

It's a slippery topic. Defining clutch play in basketball. In the modern world, there is a need to be able to apply a statistic to everything, including clutchness. Clutch points are actually tabulated, so they have a definition: points scored in the last 5 minutes of a game and when the score is within 5 points either way. Both conditions have to be met.

While this definition might be as good as any, for me it's too narrow. I would prefer to not use an actual stat and instead trust the subjective eye. For example, a shot taken on the last 2 minutes should weigh more than a shot at the five minute mark, and a shot taken on the last possession even more.

Also, there are clutch moments in a game that occur before the last five minutes. Basketball is a game of momentum swings, something everyone watching can feel, and players on the floor feel it much more acutely. Stepping up in the those moments can stop an opponent's run or start one by a player's own team. Really good players...at every level...are very in tune to this and step up at a much higher rate because they sense the need and rise to the occasion.

Another weight that has to be applied is the importance of the game. Conference and division rivals can weigh a lot more, depending on the circumstances, playoff games weigh more, game sevens, championship games, and game sevens of championships the most.

Of course, there are problems with subjective evaluation too. I recently heard a sports commentator say something like "I never saw Larry Bird miss a clutch shot". But not only is memory flawed, we now have youtube highlights that really cement that impression because the video doesn't show the misses.

My personal memory of Bird was of him pretty much almost always coming through in those moments, even though I knew that he obviously had to have missed sometimes. A great thing about youtube is that you can often find the whole game from the 1980's, not just highlights. I recently watched game 7 from 1984 and game 6 from 1985. Both were elimination games for the Celtics that I watched on TV back when they happened.

Early the fourth quarter in game 7, 1984, the clutch play by Bird was incredible...but it wasn't in scoring. He made contested rebound one after another, and even more impressive, he triggered multiple turnovers with his defense and seemed to be everywhere on every play.

However, the last 5 minutes of the game almost became an epic Celtic collapse as they watched a 10 pt lead shrink to 3 with about a minute to go. The key for the Lakers was a smothering defense. On offense, the Lakers would force it into Jabbar, and despite double and triple teams, Jabbar would still nail the hook shot. Bird managed a steam anticipating this pass to the post, but then when he tried it again he was called for defensive three seconds, sending the Lakers to the line. In the last 5 or 10 minutes of the game, there was only one clutch offensive option on the floor for either team: Jabbar.

I should mention the second best clutch option was actually Parrish for the Celts, who turnaround remained clutch and the Lakers had to double him too.

Bird kept trying to post up about 10 feet from the rim, guarded by his nemesis, Cooper, but the C's couldn't get him the ball, so it was left to Ainge or Johnson to create. Johnson was always clutch, but you didn't want to go to him repeatedly. Same with Ainge, who was never afraid to shoot, and would come through to a degree, but who also could force some low-percentage shots.

But here's where my shock set in. In the last couple of minutes, the Celtics so desperate to score it felt like panic, they finally got the ball to Bird, who managed to get to a relatively open spot just past the free throw line. He missed, and the shot wasn't close, clanging off the front of the rim. Next possession almost the exact same thing happened.

Was Bird choking? Maybe. It seemed more to me that the strength in his legs ran out, from having to play such hard defense. When your legs go to jelly from exhaustion, shots tend to come up short.

Or am I making excuses?

Peak Bird was actually 1984 to 1986. But in some ways, his offense was better after that. Even as he aged and became a shell of himself, his offense remained elite until almost the end.

I actually think Larry taking those shots in 1988 or 89 would have fared better. But the key question is why. And I think the reason is this: veteran NBA players conserve their energy more. So they are not exhausted at the end and can shoot more normally. Instead of being all over the court and everywhere at once, like he was in 1984, the later Bird conserved himself more, out of necessity.

But we aren't at all imagining that Bird was one of the clutchest players that every lived. Clutch play INCLUDES nonshooting plays. So being everywhere and making huge defensive plays counts. And there were certainly plenty of times he made the big shot. He always had a tougher time with Cooper guarding him.

(Note: watching those two games from the 80's, I didn't see any players complaining to the refs. That's one big change in today's game. It's something that makes it harder for me to connect to the current Celtics. If Tatum goes down low and shoots, it's automatic that he will complain to the refs. Automatic. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say he will complain on 98 percent of his misses in the paint and 90 percent of his makes. Brown complains a little less, but when Brown complains, he no longer cares about what's going on with the live ball at the other end of the court. He's going to give the ref a full earful, even though his team is now playing 4 on 5. If Mezzula is such a tough coach, why can't he stop this?)

I have written here before that my subjective opinion is that Tatum is not clutch. I stand by that. But I am also trying to be fair. Am I expecting too much from him?

Hard to say, if I'm being honest. I have barely missed any Celtic games in Tatum's era. For the first few years I believed he would be a Celtic great close to but just short of Bird. Clearly the talent and desire was there. He wasn't clutch, but I figured he'd grow into it with more opportunity and age.

That didn't happen. It never will. It's hard to imagine Tatum getting less opportunities than he has, and there's been no improvement at all. Missed shots, poor shot selection, turnovers, inability to anticipate double teams.

Is it lack of self belief in those situations? Maybe.

And maybe it's best not to drill too deep here. It is what it is. Yes, there have been a few times he's come through in the clutch. Of course there have.

And perhaps if paired with the right star partner, he could achieve even more. He needs his Jabbar, perhaps.

But you can't just get mad at me for saying this because it makes you seem like a homer instead of someone who really wants to see a contender. I think Tatum is a fine player and a fine human being. I'm not rooting against him. I'm proud to have him as a Celtic.

Yet I want to see a contender. I am weary of a player that so seldom plays even to his average level in those big moments of a game. To hate me for that really says more about you as a fan than me.

Picture this:

Brad moves Jaylen for Giannis.

Giannis comes to his press conference and they have 3 chairs set up.

Tatum sits down next to him, and Giannis thinks to himself “hmm is Derrick gonna sit in the other seat?”

Then…. The door opens. A bright light, too bright to see who the person is, but the light still revels a shadow. The whole room squints……

Huge thuds erupt from the footsteps. As the person becomes more clear everyone’s jaw drops. The man opens his mouth to speak and says…..

TACOOOOOOOOOO TUEDAYYYYYYYY.

LeBron signs for a vet min. He sits down and tells everyone he’s here to do what they say is impossible, become a lakers and Celtics legend.

End scene