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Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RedsArmy?format=xml

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<title>Your Final Morning Dump… Where all good things must end, including redsarmy.com</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/your-final-morning-dump-where-all-good-things-must-end-including-redsarmy-com-r1a1/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Dynon]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jul 2021 14:45:46 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Boston Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red Auerbach]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1224472</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The Bill Russell Celtics dominated the NBA, winning eight straight championships and 11 in 13 years … but then Russ retired. The Larry Bird “Big... <a class="read-more-button" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/your-final-morning-dump-where-all-good-things-must-end-including-redsarmy-com-r1a1/">Read more</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/your-final-morning-dump-where-all-good-things-must-end-including-redsarmy-com-r1a1/">Your Final Morning Dump… Where all good things must end, including redsarmy.com</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The Bill Russell Celtics dominated the NBA, winning eight straight championships and 11 in 13 years … but then Russ retired.
The Larry Bird “Big 3” Celtics made five Finals and won three rings … but then Larry hurt his heels and his back.
The Paul Pierce “New Big 3” Celtics hung a banner in 2008 … but injuries and opponents teaming up in South Beach limited them to just that one.
The point is, all good things must end. We’re reminded of that here today, because redsarmy.com is closing down. We’re going on permanent furlough. Our tour of duty has come to an end. Somewhere “Taps” is playing. (Okay, we beat that metaphor into the ground.)
When Chuck M. and John Karalis founded this blog, they named it Red’s Army in honor of Red Auerbach, patriarch of the franchise. (Although, as my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/StromboliGino" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@StromboliGino</a> points out, Auerbach served in the US Navy, so perhaps Red’s Armada would’ve been a better choice. Oh, well, hindsight etc., etc.)
With their opinions about the Celtics (both supportive and critical) and collective sense of humor (some would call it strange), Chuck and John built a following that remains strong today. But Red’s Army itself isn’t what it used to be.
First, John achieved a career goal by <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2018/12/31/goodbye-reds-army-r1a1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">becoming a beat writer</a> covering the Celtics full-time. Since John was already (and still is) the host of the successful Locked On Celtics podcast, his blogging days were over.
The other shoe dropped last month, when <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/22/hanging-them-up-r1a1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chuck announced his retirement</a> from blog life. Without their leadership, the end of Red’s Army became inevitable.
Although the time is right to shutter the site, that doesn’t make me less sad about it. More than six years ago, I was already a Red’s Army fan when I answered Chuck’s tweet seeking writers. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of compiling game recaps and once a week posting the Morning Dump. Writing for Red’s has kept me tuned into everything about the Celtics, with the bonus of being a whole lot of fun.
My role was to be the site’s O.G., the lifelong fan who’s seen it all and can apply historical context to today’s events. That knowledge was useful during our Retired Numbers series from three years ago. I was especially proud of the profiles of <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2018/01/24/the-retired-numbers-project-number-6-bill-russell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Russell</a> and <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2018/01/29/the-retired-numbers-project-number-17-john-havlicek-r1a1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Havlicek</a>, two of several installments I wrote for the series.
I’ve also been called “the voice of reason” – willing to criticize the team as needed, but without resorting to hot takes. I’m happy to have that reputation, and appreciate everyone who has read my posts, even if they disagreed. My only regret is never getting the opportunity to write about Banner 18 going into the rafters.
<div id="attachment_1224475" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1224475" class="size-medium wp-image-1224475" src="https://thesportsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/95/2021/07/002.jpg?w=300" alt="" width="300" height="225" />Red’s Army bond: Rich Jensen, left, and Mike Dynon, meeting in South Dakota.</div>
John and Chuck were cool about letting contributors speak our minds on their site. We had many strong writers during my time here, especially the current dudes: recap king <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/when-the-last-curtain-falls-goodbye-to-reds-army-r1a1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liam Green</a>, who could get very weird in a good way, and the cerebral <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/23/your-morning-dump-where-this-is-my-500th-and-final-reds-army-post/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rich Jensen</a>, who would find ways to, for example, <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/05/14/your-morning-dump-where-we-assume-the-patient-is-dead-and-perform-a-post-mortem-r1a1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">incorporate Beethoven’s 9th Symphony</a> into analysis of the Celtics’ defense. Rich lives in South Dakota and we met up once when I drove through on a road-trip vacation.
Along that line, writing for Red’s Army has helped me connect with Celtics fans around the world. Most of those are in the form of Twitter pals, but in many cases real-life friendships have formed. I’ve attended games at the Garden with Red’s Army readers from Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia and Australia. I have so many mates Down Under that they call me an “honorary Aussie,” which makes me uncontrollably happy.
I’ve also been invited onto several podcasts, most notably with John for his Locked On series about Celtics franchise history. All of this because of Red’s Army.
I’m going to miss it.
<h3>And, finally… Red’s last victory cigar</h3>
No better way to close this out than with a look back at Red’s last game as head coach of the Celtics. His victory cigar was lit by the governor of Massachusetts. Fans invaded the bench area and surrounded the court to get a closer look. When KC Jones dribbled out the final seconds, Red had his eighth consecutive championship and ninth in 10 years. It was the end of the most successful era for any coach in any sport.
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And there’s the final buzzer.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/your-final-morning-dump-where-all-good-things-must-end-including-redsarmy-com-r1a1/">Your Final Morning Dump… Where all good things must end, including redsarmy.com</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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</item>
<item>
<title>When the last curtain falls: Goodbye to Red’s Army</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/when-the-last-curtain-falls-goodbye-to-reds-army-r1a1/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Liam Green]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jul 2021 12:30:29 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Boston Celtics]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1224070</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For many reasons, Red’s Army can’t continue to exist as it has, and because that’s the case, you’ll not see me writing here about the... <a class="read-more-button" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/when-the-last-curtain-falls-goodbye-to-reds-army-r1a1/">Read more</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/when-the-last-curtain-falls-goodbye-to-reds-army-r1a1/">When the last curtain falls: Goodbye to Red’s Army</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[For many reasons, Red’s Army can’t continue to exist as it has, and because that’s the case, you’ll not see me writing here about the Celtics anymore.
It was a good goddamn blog. It may not have ever truly “blown up,” but it mattered to a devoted audience. For about 15 years, John, Chuck, Mike, Rich and everyone else brought an irreverence and intense dedication to close coverage of a team—kinda like what Bill Simmons began his career as but fairly quickly moved away from, and without any of the tacky gross BS Simmons often trafficked in.
I didn’t have a lot to do with it, TBH. For about four years, I mostly wrote game recaps, with a news item, Morning Dump or random rumination thrown in there every once in a while. I didn’t write any of the posts that got major traffic, as far as I know. That distinction usually went to more dedicated folks than I, such as the indomitable, indefatigable Mike Dynon, who kept putting work in almost nonstop, covering one hell of a lot of games and blogging the news faithfully even during the pandemic-driven suspension of the entire league.
Occasionally my recaps got some attention, more than a bit of it negative (it got f****ing WEIRD in the original comments section, you all). In part because I’m brash and not infrequently profane, and maybe also because I am not and never have been a garden variety Boston sports fan. I’m a weird dude who happens to love the Celtics.
Neither John nor Chuck had any reason to take my filed-on-an-impulse “application” to this site seriously. I had zero cred as a sports writer then and don’t have much more now, but they gave me a shot and I’ll never be anything other than grateful for that. They gave me an outlet to write about a team and a sport that I love in a less-than-ordinary way.
I referenced approximately 45,876 movies, wrote extremely weird headlines that referenced stuff like “bird murder” (if the Cs beat the Hawks) and “bear fights” (in tough games against the Grizzlies), ranted often about the still-poor state of Boston sports media, slandered Gordon Hayward about 12 dozen times, slandered Pat Riley, the Sixers (oh, especially the Sixers) and the Lakers about 100 dozen times and otherwise tried to make stories of what happened in the games as surreal as possible.
Along the way I got to cover some truly exciting moments in recent Celtics history. A lot of the links are lost to the abyss of the internet, but they included WHEN AVERY BRADLEY WON THE GAME, an appreciation of the Isaiah Thomas era that I really wish I could find but cannot, some of the great games of the Kyrie era (they existed, guys, I promise) and most recently <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/04/30/rapid-recap-celtics-turn-horrorshow-into-win-vs-spurs-on-tatums-historic-night-r1a1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jayson Tatum’s epochal 60-point game against the Spurs</a>.
I’m sure at least a few of you all found that insufferable, and, well, I get that. If I made even a few people grin or laugh with what I wrote, or appreciated my insight at all, well, that’s enough for me. I wrote for Red’s because I wanted to, not for money or clout—though while there wasn’t a lot of money, more often than not it tended to come at just when things were really pear-shaped for me and I truly needed it. So I’m grateful for that as well.
Anyone who wants to still follow my weird s**t can catch me on Twitter (@diaboliam), on the podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-illegal-screen/id1474531424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Illegal Screen</a>, which I co-host, and in the music writing I do periodically at Treblezine. (I just <a href="https://www.treblezine.com/long-black-veil-country-heart-darkness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote something new there this week</a>, if you’re so inclined.)
Last thing I know for sure: Banner 18 will come sooner rather than later. Go Celtics.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/24/when-the-last-curtain-falls-goodbye-to-reds-army-r1a1/">When the last curtain falls: Goodbye to Red’s Army</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Your Morning Dump… Where this is my 500th and final Red’s Army post</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/23/your-morning-dump-where-this-is-my-500th-and-final-reds-army-post/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rich Jensen]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:38:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1224373</guid>
<description><![CDATA[For fifteen years, we compiled the links of the day and dumped them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying... <a class="read-more-button" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/23/your-morning-dump-where-this-is-my-500th-and-final-reds-army-post/">Read more</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/23/your-morning-dump-where-this-is-my-500th-and-final-reds-army-post/">Your Morning Dump… Where this is my 500th and final Red’s Army post</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[For fifteen years, we compiled the links of the day and dumped them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Hi,
Sorry to sucker you in with the headline. This is not my 500th post for Red’s Army. There were quite a few posts that came before we migrated to our current platform. But since those posts have vanished into the ether (they might be visible on archive.org, I haven’t checked), this is my 500th post in the same way that Red Auerbach’s victories before the NBA merger don’t count towards his overall win total.
It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable run. So much so that I can’t remember when I started. I don’t know the year; writing for Red’s Army has just become part of who I am.
Chuck and John have been incredibly easy to work for, and if the pay wasn’t great, it came with a much appreciated freedom to write whatever I wanted.
I always felt free to bring in analogies and examples from widely divergent fields. I once compared the Celtics to a Ferrari, and on another occasion I compared the NBA’s Orlando bubble to a closed set in topology. John and Chuck gave me that license and I’d like to think that the comparisons worked more often than they didn’t.
I’m a lifelong fan of <a href="https://mst3k.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mystery Science Theater 3000.</a> In a very early interview, when the show’s creator was asked about its obscure jokes and references, he replied, “We never say, ‘who’s going to get this?’, we say, ‘the right people will get this.'” Red’s Army offered its writers that freedom. I never felt that certain subjects were off-limits, that I had to dumb down my writing to generate clicks, that I had to be anything other than myself.
Heck, Chuck and John even let me plug my alma mater’s basketball programs on days when the C’s news was a little thin. Although after one plug, I did get a short and to the point email from Chuck ‘suggesting’ that I take a break from referring to the <a href="https://gojacks.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jackrabbits</a>.
Having to write two posts a week, regardless of whether there was much to write about helped me become a better writer. And I’d like to think that as I became a better writer, Red’s Army became a better source of analysis.
Along the way, I also learned how to be a better writer by reading the work of exceptional journalists. C’s fans are, frankly, spoiled by the number of first-rate journalists on the team’s beat. However, my ‘must-read’ list starts with Tom Westerholm. When he and Jay King were at MassLive, it made my job as a writer almost too easy. If I needed to write a dump, I could just grab the top articles on MassLive and run with them.
Both King and Westernholm are pro’s pros. If you want to learn how to be a journalist, start by reading the stuff they write. But between the two, and maybe it’s just personal preference, I’ve got to go with Westerholm. King is a fantastic sports journalist, but I think if you took Tom out of his element and had him, say, write a story about riggers on a deep sea oil platform, he’d kick out something that would be worth reading. What I’m trying to say is, Westerholm is a story-teller, and if I’ve learned to be better at telling stories myself, it’s because I’ve read a lot of great stories in the course of writing for the blog.
And I need to give Terry Vandrovec a shoutout. I mentioned him a few weeks back and got a ping on twitter. The guy’s got a job working for a local health system, and has no reason whatsoever to keep reading my stuff, but I’m still on his must-read list. That makes me feel good because he was an absolute professional when it came to writing, and he was the guy who convinced me that I could—and should write.
I’m not one for creating highlight reels. I always hope my next article or post or whatever will be better than the last one. But there have been some pieces that stick with me, regardless of how popular they were with readers.
I think all of us enjoyed working on <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2018/02/11/the-retired-numbers-project-number-34-paul-pierce/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the retired numbers project</a>.
By choice, I took a lot of the Celtic greats that so many people (even Celtic fans!) seem to think weren’t that great: Guys like <a href="http://thesportsdaily.com/reds-army/the-retired-numbers-project-16-satch-sanders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Satch Sanders</a> and <a href="http://thesportsdaily.com/reds-army/the-retired-numbers-project-number-3-dennis-johnson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DJ</a>, <a href="http://thesportsdaily.com/reds-army/the-retired-numbers-project-number-22-easy-ed-macauley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ed Macauley</a> and <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2018/01/12/the-retired-numbers-project-number-14-bob-cousy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bob Cousy</a> (every time I see some wet-behind-the-ears ‘fan’ make fun of Cousy for the way he brought the ball up the court I have to bite back the urge to reply: ‘IF YOU DIDN’T DO THAT YOU WERE CALLED FOR TRAVELING OR PALMING THE BALL’–yes folks, there was a time when you couldn’t even put your hand on the side of a ball, much less get a step and a half to ‘gather’ it). But I got to put my heart and soul into the piece on <a href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2018/02/07/the-retired-numbers-project-number-35-reggie-lewis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reggie Lewis</a>, and that might be the piece I’m proudest of: The one that I want people to read, regardless of whether they’re basketball fans or not.
If you’re this far along, you might be interested in what I’m doing next.
The answer is… I’m not sure.
I live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and even if that wasn’t an obstacle to moving up to a beat gig with press credentials, my writing interests are too varied to make me want a fulltime assignment writing about the Celtics. And, frankly, Chuck and John have spoiled me. I’m not sure I want to write about the Celtics if I can’t compare the regular season to the 24 hours of Le Mans.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/23/your-morning-dump-where-this-is-my-500th-and-final-reds-army-post/">Your Morning Dump… Where this is my 500th and final Red’s Army post</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Your Morning Dump… Where COVID’s back, Beal’s out, and Giannis is giving lessons</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/16/your-morning-dump-where-covids-back-beals-out-and-giannis-is-giving-lessons-r1a1/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rich Jensen]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:05:30 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bradley Beal]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Giannis Antetokounmpo]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jaylen Brown]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jayson Tatum]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1222395</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On occasional mornings, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying... <a class="read-more-button" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/16/your-morning-dump-where-covids-back-beals-out-and-giannis-is-giving-lessons-r1a1/">Read more</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/16/your-morning-dump-where-covids-back-beals-out-and-giannis-is-giving-lessons-r1a1/">Your Morning Dump… Where COVID’s back, Beal’s out, and Giannis is giving lessons</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[On occasional mornings, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
<blockquote>
USA Basketball won’t get a chance for revenge against Australia during the exhibition season after all. USA Basketball announced late Thursday that its 3:30 p.m. Friday exhibition game against the Boomers has been canceled “out of an abundance of caution” because of health and safety protocol issues.
The troubles started after Bradley Beal was put on the protocols Wednesday; USA Basketball announced Thursday that Beal was ruled out for the Tokyo Olympics. Jerami Grant was also put into health and safety protocols Thursday, but USA coach Gregg Popovich appeared optimistic the forward will return.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/07/usa-basketballs-exhibition-game-vs-australia-on-friday-canceled-after-covid-19-issues-with-bradley-beal-jerami-grant.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MassLive</a>
I like the phrase that Team USA used: “an abundance of caution.”
Dude. “An abundance of caution” would mean something like not actually having the Olympics, not this business of closing the barn door after the horse got out.
But anyway, Beal’s out. And frankly, I’m glad. At least the part of me that gets easily annoyed. Because that part of me is pretty tired of the ‘superfriends’ narrative in professional basketball.
Like the way that NBA stars have been angling for chintzy NBA touch fouls in international play, the “Let’s Get Together” storylines reveal the league as being basically populated by overgrown kids
<iframe title="The Parent Trap (1961) - Let's Get Together" width="734" height="551" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SER7kARIX6M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Now I’m not saying that I’m opposed to player ’empowerment’ in the sense that I want a return to the good ol’ days when the team that drafted you controlled you until you were no longer useful to them, and then they dumped you unceremoniously.
I’m saying that holding a team hostage is the very opposite of player ’empowerment’ because it essentially consists of power robbed from other players. Sure, James Harden is ’empowered’, but at what cost? The NBA’s ownership-friendly cap, trade and free agency rules are unchanged, which means that if Harden wants off the Rockets, all the rest of the players on the Rockets are going to suffer.
So the idea that Tatum and Beal would get to spend—would almost be encouraged to spend—the next two months hatching a way to wreck at least one of their teams in order to join forces irked me, and I’m glad it’s over before it got started.
Meanwhile, over at the Athletic, Jay King has <a href="https://theathletic.com/2709907/2021/07/16/celtics-thoughts-on-ime-udokas-portland-ties-learning-from-giannis-and-selling-early-on-kemba-walker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an interesting observation</a> about Giannis’ play late in game 4:
<blockquote>The Celtics should show Tatum and Jaylen Brown the tape of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s fourth quarter in Game 4. His block will be remembered forever, but I won’t forget his passing down the stretch either. No matter how many times his teammates fell short, Antetokounmpo continued to trust them. He delivered passes early, as soon as the help came. He didn’t need to show off incredible court vision because he simply made the right read over and over again.
By my count, Antetokounmpo directly set up four open 3-point attempts for his teammates in the fourth quarter, plus another two that eventually resulted from his passes out of double teams. Milwaukee missed the first five of those six shots, but that didn’t stop Antetokounmpo from sticking with his teammates.</blockquote>
One of the shortcomings that Tatum and Brown have both been prone to is the mindset that they have to do it all, especially late in games.
The problem with this is that even when your teammates miss, the right basketball move is still the right basketball move.
And here’s why:
The defense doesn’t know the outcome of the shot ahead of time.
If you pass out of tight coverage, and your teammate misses, the absolutely wrong conclusion to draw is, ‘well, I would’ve made my shot.’ When you do this, you’re doing the defense’s work for them. In the first place, it’s not a given that you would’ve made a shot–or drawn a foul–in tight coverage.
But the second reason is even more important:
The first player to move in a game of chess has a huge advantage. It is even more pronounced in games like Go where the first player to move has more pieces on the board than the second player half the time. In both cases, the second player has to react to your move. They’re not the initiator of the strategy.
If you have the basketball, you have the same basic advantage over your defender. Your defender doesn’t know what you’re going to do. You do. Or at least you should.
But if you persistently refuse to pass out of tight coverage, you are essentially giving up your single greatest weapon as an offensive player: unpredictability.
The problem with Tatum and Brown playing iso ball is not, strictly speaking, that they are bad at it. It’s that once they start it becomes a predictable part of their play. So predictable that opposing teams can commit to defending that option to the exclusion of all others.
If you pass and the player you pass to misses, that can be frustrating. And it can be even more frustrating if it happens multiple times. But the thing is, games, seasons and playoff series are all very long affairs. Long enough that short runs of bad shooting are going to even out over time. If your guy is a 40% shooter, that means that if he makes two in a row, he’s due to miss three in a row. And that’s going to happen to a good three point shooter.
So yeah, Tatum and Brown need to learn the <a href="https://archive.org/details/dirkgently1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fundamental interconnectedness</a> between trusting their teammates and being able to take advantage of a defense.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/16/your-morning-dump-where-covids-back-beals-out-and-giannis-is-giving-lessons-r1a1/">Your Morning Dump… Where COVID’s back, Beal’s out, and Giannis is giving lessons</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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<title>Your Morning Dump… Where we ask, ‘is Pop past it?’</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/13/your-morning-dump-where-we-ask-is-pop-past-it-r1a1/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rich Jensen]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 13 Jul 2021 13:50:14 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gregg Popovich]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1221938</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On occasional mornings, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying... <a class="read-more-button" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/13/your-morning-dump-where-we-ask-is-pop-past-it-r1a1/">Read more</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/13/your-morning-dump-where-we-ask-is-pop-past-it-r1a1/">Your Morning Dump… Where we ask, ‘is Pop past it?’</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[On occasional mornings, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
<blockquote>“Let me also answer that question,” Popovich declared. “You asked the same sort of question last time, you assume things that aren’t true.”
The reporter interrupted Popovich at this point, leading to a testy exchange between the pair.
“Are you gonna let me finish my statement or not?” Popovich repeated numerous times in the back and forth before the reporter relented. “So you’ll be quiet now while I talk. And then I’ll listen to you,”
“When you make statements about in the past, just blowing out these other teams … No. 1 you give no respect to the other teams. I talked to you last time about the same thing. We’ve had very close games against four or five countries in all these tournaments. So, the good teams do not get blown out. There are certain games it might happen in one of the tournaments, world championships and Olympics when somebody gets blown out but in general, nobody is blowing anybody out for the good teams. So, when you make a statement like that it’s like you assume that’s what’s going on and that’s incorrect.”
It’s clear Popovich did not want the blowout narrative to take hold by trying to take the reporter to task following a second straight defeat for USA Basketball. It’s rare to see such a heated exchange after an exhibition contest but it was a sign that Popovich wanted to defend his players from not living up to early expectations.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/07/gregg-popovich-gets-into-heated-exchange-with-reporter-jayson-tatums-move-to-bench-and-other-takeaways-from-usa-basketballs-loss-to-australia.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MassLive</a>
A couple years ago, the C’s had four guys on Team USA. That team went to China and played well below the standards expected not only of past US national teams, but below what should be expected of any team that fielded an entire roster of NBA players, when matched up against national teams that only had a few NBA players on their side of the ball.
At the time, I expressed some concern that the issues Team USA experienced were in part due to immaturity or a lack of preparedness on the part of the C’s on the roster.
But now, with a better Team USA looking just as unprepared to play a full game against two more national teams, and this time with just a single Celtic on the roster, I’m beginning to wonder if the problem is on the bench.
To put it bluntly, the Australians made halftime adjustments, Team USA did not.
And to put it more bluntly: I wonder if Popovich should be coaching Team USA.
Yes, the Americans are missing a few guys who are still playing in the Finals, but this is a team that has All-NBA players on it. I don’t care how good the Australians or the Nigerians are, or how badly they want to win, the talent gap should be insurmountable.
Pop has a point about close games in international basketball tournaments. But it’s also a fact that Team USA has lost as many games in the past three days as they’ve lost in the previous thirty years.
So, yeah, I’m starting to wonder if it’s time for Pop to turn over the reins to Hammon and retire—if that’s something he’s capable of. Somehow or another, the guy who connected with David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker alienated Kawhi Leonard, leading to an acrimonious split; and in the kind of high-pressure situations that he formerly thrived in, he’s looked inadequate and ill-prepared. Team USA hasn’t just been out-hustled, they’ve been outcoached.
<h3>Page 2: Where Forsberg says, ‘maybe Mills?’</h3>
<blockquote>Mills can provide steady minutes off the bench while bringing an infectious energy and scoring pop. He’s not a great playmaker but he can operate in the pick and roll and will value the ball. He’s going to hit open spot-up looks and push the ball whenever possible. Mills has also been extremely durable and would provide a healthy dose of veteran leadership.
The downside is his size and Boston has watched smaller guards get picked on in recent seasons. There’s also a bit of redundancy with second-year guard Payton Pritchard, who could benefit from more playing time and Boston would be quite undersized if those two shared the floor in reserve pairings.
…
Having a veteran like Mills, who spent seven seasons with Udoka in San Antonio, could help foster buy-in, especially with Mills’ reputation as a leader in San Antonio. The question is ultimately what does the market dictate for a price tag and Boston could probably land an Ish Smith-type player at a more reasonable rate if Mills has bidders.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/2021-nba-offseason-could-celtics-lure-patty-mills-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC Sports</a>
Going for Mills–or a similar PG—is a sign that the C’s want to contend now. The departure of Kemba Walker leaves a gap that Smart can fill, mostly, but Smart’s move into the starting lineup leaves the C’s bench rather thin. If the C’s re-sign Fournier, there’s a possibility that they can convert him into the team’s sixth man by starting Williams and Horford. But when Williams is unavailable, Fournier is likely to be pulled into the starting lineup, leaving the bench with no veteran scoring options.
Now that’s not necessarily a problem if you don’t want to win a championship in 2022. In that case, you figure you’re going to develop guys like Pritchard, Nesmith and Langford. But 2022 is the first year of Tatum’s rookie extension, and it starts the countdown to his unrestricted free agency. Brown is one year ahead of Tatum and can leave in 2024. Both have been to the ECF three times already, and while it may be well-argued that the Eastern Conference was incredibly weak the first two years they made it, these guys are not going to be content playing for a team that eschews veteran help in order to give minutes to new guys hoping for a title window that never comes.
I like the idea of the C’s signing Patty Mills. A healthy C’s team that starts Smart, Brown, Tatum, Horford and Williams with Mills and Fournier in reserve? That’s not a ‘Big Three’ team. That’s a well-rounded team that can beat you several different ways.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/13/your-morning-dump-where-we-ask-is-pop-past-it-r1a1/">Your Morning Dump… Where we ask, ‘is Pop past it?’</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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<title>Your Morning Dump… Where Jayson Tatum plays basketball tonight</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/10/your-morning-dump-where-jayson-tatum-plays-basketball-tonight/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Dynon]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 10 Jul 2021 12:03:25 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Boston Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jaylen Brown]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jayson Tatum]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1221509</guid>
<description><![CDATA[On occasional mornings, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying... <a class="read-more-button" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/10/your-morning-dump-where-jayson-tatum-plays-basketball-tonight/">Read more</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/10/your-morning-dump-where-jayson-tatum-plays-basketball-tonight/">Your Morning Dump… Where Jayson Tatum plays basketball tonight</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[On occasional mornings, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Do you want to see some video of Jayson Tatum preparing to play for Team USA? Of course you do!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Jayson Tatum getting some summer work in Miami. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f525.png" alt="🔥" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f334.png" alt="🌴" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />
(h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/overtime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@overtime</a>)
 <a href="https://t.co/ueYkPNoh6L">pic.twitter.com/ueYkPNoh6L</a>
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1412148886622261252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
That STL connection<a href="https://twitter.com/RealDealBeal23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealDealBeal23</a> <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f91d.png" alt="🤝" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/jaytatum0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaytatum0</a> <a href="https://t.co/ItldKHePt3">pic.twitter.com/ItldKHePt3</a>
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1413268469684920320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
slo-mo <a href="https://twitter.com/jaytatum0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaytatum0</a>’s ready to put on a show <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f1fa-1f1f8.png" alt="🇺🇸" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a href="https://t.co/taqCzBbq83">pic.twitter.com/taqCzBbq83</a>
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1413541385987371012?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern time, Team USA will play Nigeria in the first of five exhibition games against other Olympics squads. The Americans will next play on Monday at 8 p.m. vs. Australia. Both games will be televised in the States on the NBC Sports Network.
The entire men’s national team schedule, including all exhibitions and Olympic play, <a href="https://www.usab.com/mens/national-team/schedule.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">can be found here</a>.
<h3>On Page 2: Yam in the summer</h3>
<blockquote>The 6’3” Madar shot 40.9% on 3-pointers for Hapoel Tel Aviv, hitting 54 of his 132 attempts. He shot 46.9% in the Israeli Super League and 82.8% from the line. Considering free throw shooting is a stronger bellwether for the quality of shooter, the overall shooting numbers have become incredibly encouraging.
However, it’s very important to note the drop in talent between the NBA and Israel’s pro league. It’s still good basketball, but it doesn’t compare to what Madar would face on a nightly basis. Also, overseas basketball isn’t nearly the grind that NBA basketball is, so it’s fair to wonder how his shooting will fare as the NBA season marches on for a high-energy guy.</blockquote>
Boston Sports Journal: <a href="https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2021/07/09/karalis-yam-madar-intriguing-but-is-he-ready-for-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karalis: Yam Madar is intriguing, but is he ready for the NBA?</a>
With Kemba Walker gone, the Celtics need depth at the point guard position. That’s why Yam Madar is on our radar. Yam was drafted last year with the 47th overall pick, but stayed in his native Israel to continue his development. He’s going to play for the Celtics in the Summer League next month. If Yam does well in those games, perhaps he’ll come to Boston for next season.
Madar has actually been trying to leave his current team, but there’s a dispute: the team claims they would be due $700,000 compensation if the guard walks away. If that gets worked out, then the question is: can he play on the NBA level?
<blockquote>The NBA is full of former MVPs of some league overseas who came over to assume small roles. Bran Wanamaker’s non-NBA pro resume is incredibly impressive. He made the All-Star game twice in two leagues, was an MVP, a Finals MVP twice, and a four-time champion, and he’s fighting to hang on in the NBA.
That’s what makes this summer league very interesting for Boston and Madar. Summer league doesn’t always tell us much, but it could give us a little glimpse into who he is as an NBA player. We’ll get to see where his fundamentals are, and how much of those highlight reels really edited out.</blockquote>
The BSJ article contains a Yam highlight video, but if you can’t see behind the paywall, we’ve got it here.
<iframe title="What can Yam Madar bring to the Boston Celtics | 2020-21 scouting report" width="734" height="413" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m06v-6y27Bk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3>And, finally… The wrist looks good 
</h3>
Wondering how Jaylen Brown is doing after his left wrist surgery? Just fine, it seems. He was on the Jimmy Kimmel show this week, took part in a goofy basketball challenge, and won a large donation to his charitable foundation. Most notably, he was not wearing a cast or any type of wrap on the wrist.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> all-star Jaylen Brown puts his reputation on the three-point line in the most distracting basketball game ever! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f608.png" alt="😈" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f525.png" alt="🔥" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.1.0/72x72/1f3c0.png" alt="🏀" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/FCHWPO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Fchwpo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/anthonyanderson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AnthonyAnderson</a> <a href="https://t.co/dnk9RUsmsO">pic.twitter.com/dnk9RUsmsO</a>
— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyKimmelLive/status/1413304545258528771?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Rest of the Links:
NBC Sports Boston: <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/how-celtics-can-make-jayson-tatum-bradley-beal-tandem-within-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forsberg: Here’s how Celtics can make a Tatum-Beal tandem happen</a>
The Athletic: <a href="https://theathletic.com/2696884/2021/07/09/will-robert-williams-sign-a-contract-extension-10-key-questions-that-could-shape-the-success-of-the-celtics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Robert Williams sign a contract extension? 10 key questions that could shape the success of the Celtics</a> | <a href="https://theathletic.com/2698988/2021/07/10/celtics-offseason-development-checklist-jaylen-browns-power-finishing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Celtics offseason development checklist: Jaylen Brown’s power finishing</a>
MassLive: <a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/07/whats-brad-stevens-plan-for-celtics-front-office-structure-after-his-surprise-elevation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What’s Brad Stevens plan for Celtics front office structure after his surprise elevation?</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/10/your-morning-dump-where-jayson-tatum-plays-basketball-tonight/">Your Morning Dump… Where Jayson Tatum plays basketball tonight</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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<title>Your Morning Dump… Where the Celtics aren’t trading Jaylen Brown – but if they did…</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/03/your-morning-dump-where-the-celtics-arent-trading-jaylen-brown-but-if-they-did-r1a1/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Dynon]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 03 Jul 2021 14:11:43 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Al Horford]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Boston Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Brad Stevens]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ime Udoka]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jaylen Brown]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jayson Tatum]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Kemba Walker]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Marcus Smart]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1220120</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as... <a class="read-more-button" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/03/your-morning-dump-where-the-celtics-arent-trading-jaylen-brown-but-if-they-did-r1a1/">Read more</a>
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Here was yesterday’s worst take on Twitter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Would you trade Jaylen Brown for Ben Simmons. 
Retweet for "yes." 
Like for "definitely." <a href="https://t.co/mFHe13T2Nb">https://t.co/mFHe13T2Nb</a>
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomecurran/status/1411002437872324614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
If Simmons had played point guard in the fast-breaking ’80s, he’d probably have been all-NBA. The man is a top defender and clever passer who can get to the rim on anybody. But in the three-point madness of 2021, his inability to shoot from anywhere but the paint negates all of his positive qualities.
Worse than that, Simmons is regressing. He can’t make free throws anymore (25 of 73, a pitiful 34.2% in the playoffs), so he was basically unplayable in crunch time. He’s so shook that he even <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?GameEventID=613&GameID=0042000207&Season=2020-21&flag=1&title=Collins%20S.FOUL%20(P3.T4)%20(S.Wright)&sct=plot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">turned down a wide open dunk</a> late in Philly’s Game 7 loss to Atlanta.
All this is why he’s reported to be on the market. Why would the Celtics ever help Philly solve that problem?
And why would they give the Sixers an ever-improving young replacement for Simmons? Jaylen’s star is rising – he averaged nearly 25 points this season, almost double his figure of two seasons ago. Coach Ime Udoka called him one of the team’s “pillars.” Nevertheless, his name comes up in all the rumors.
Jaylen will be 25 years old in two weeks, is under a team-friendly contract, and is pretty damn clutch.
<iframe title="Jaylen Brown's best clutch shots in the NBA (2016-2020)" width="734" height="413" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-sZgv7hXw18?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
But if Jaylen was to be traded, who would be worth it? One of these guys, probably.
<blockquote>Obviously, dealing a player of Brown’s caliber would mean the C’s were made an offer they simply couldn’t refuse. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix has two players in mind who Boston would have to consider trading the 24-year-old for.
“There are a couple of players out there that I think the Celtics would move for Jaylen Brown,” Mannix said Thursday on Early Edition. “One would be Bradley Beal, who has to make a decision of his own the next couple weeks if he wants to sign that extension with Washington. If he doesn’t, that’s tantamount to a trade request and he can become available. And we all know at this point about the relationship between Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum.
“The other is Damian Lillard. It’s still very much up in the air, Lillard’s future in Portland. If in the coming weeks the Blazers decide that they have to trade Damian Lillard, I think Boston would be in a pretty good position to make a strong offer that would have to include Jaylen Brown. So, you don’t just move him to shake things up, but if one of those two players becomes available I think you have to look long and hard about trading Jaylen Brown.”</blockquote>
NBC Sports Boston: <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/chris-mannix-jaylen-brown-trade-two-names-celtics-would-have-consider" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mannix on Jaylen trade: Two names C’s would have to consider</a>
Which one? Between the two, not Dame. Tremendous talent, averaging 24.7 PPG for his career on 52.0% effective shooting, but Lillard is about to turn 31. He’s signed for four more seasons, with a salary of $43.75 million this coming season and rising to $54.25 million by the final year.
Beal is the choice. He just turned 28, his current contract runs two more years (the second being a player option), and his salary for those two years totals about $72 million. His career effective shooting percentage is 52.1%, and he’s finished second in the league in scoring the past two years at 30.5 and 31.3 points per game. Playing with his buddy Tatum would likely ensure that Beal stays long-term.
So if Brad Stevens wants to go bold and shake up the team, Beal would be the best return possible. However, if Brad keeps Jaylen and Tatum together, they are primed for another big year, making Boston a serious threat against anybody.
We see what the Suns are doing this year – a complete turnaround, from lottery team to the Finals. Why not the Celtics?
<h3>On Page 2: Using his time productively</h3>
<blockquote>“One thing Jayson really enjoyed when he was with USA Basketball the last time was being able to compete against all the guys in practice, and play one-on-one against the guys to push himself, scrimmage with the guys, and being able to pick the brains of some of the best basketball players in the world.” […]
“The (main) thing is just giving him things to do while he’s away on his own with USA Basketball, so he can prepare for next season as a Celtic. USA is going over there to win a gold medal and represent the U.S., but we don’t want to lose five, six weeks of our offseason training. Just so we can develop a little routine for him to work on things for next year, when he’s in a Celtics journey.”</blockquote>
Herald: <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/07/02/0701-bh-s-tatum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jayson Tatum has some Olympics homework</a>
The speaker in those quotes above is Tatum’s longtime workout coach, Drew Hanlen. While Tatum should absolutely take time to enjoy his first Olympics experience, it’s also good to know he’ll be focused on his day job with the Celtics.
A point of emphasis in Tatum’s development is drawing fouls. It’s evident that free throws are the key to JT becoming a perennial all-NBA selection.
<blockquote>Beyond this elevated osmosis, though, Tatum will also arrive with the usual self-improvement plan.
And heading into his first season under new Celtics coach Ime Udoka, the 23-year-old all-star wants to take his biggest step yet, with the idea of multiplying his trips to the line high on the list.
He averaged a career-high 5.4 free-throw attempts last season, but ramped that number up to 9.8 over five playoff games. He shot 13-for-15 from the line during a 50-point Game 3 performance, and came back with a 40-pointer with 17-for-17 free-throw shooting in Game 4.</blockquote>
Tatum chose the Tokyo Olympics over rest this summer, but maybe he doesn’t need an entire summer off. He played a career-low 64 games this past season and then just five playoff games as the Cs suffered their earliest elimination in years. Moreover, JT’s new Celtics coach will be an assistant coach for Team USA. It’s safe to say Udoka will make sure his young star is watched over carefully.
The <a href="https://www.usab.com/mens/national-team/schedule.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US men’s schedule</a> begins with exhibition games starting July 10. They open Olympic play vs. France on Sunday, July 25, at 8 a.m. Eastern time. The gold medal game will be played on Friday, August 6, beginning at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.
<h3>And, finally… Coaching update</h3>
<blockquote>Celtics head coach Ime Udoka’s coaching staff is beginning to take shape. A league source confirmed Friday that longtime Spurs assistant Will Hardy will be hired as one of Boston’s top assistants
Also, longtime Celtics assistant coaches Jamie Young and Jay Larranaga told the Globe that their contracts were not renewed and that they will not return.
But a league source said that assistant coach Joe Mazzulla is expected to be retained by Udoka.
ESPN reported last week that Pacific coach and former NBA standout Damon Stoudamire, a longtime friend and former teammate of Udoka’s, was being targeted for another assistant post. A league source said Friday that nothing had been finalized with Stoudamire, however.</blockquote>
Globe: <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/02/sports/celtics-coaching-staff-beginning-take-shape-with-one-new-arrival-two-departures/?p1=Article_Feed_ContentQuery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ime Udoka’s Celtics coaching staff takes shape with addition of Will Hardy, departure of longtime assistants</a>
Although we’re sorry to see some of the coaching fixtures depart, it’s no secret that the Celts have needed to bring in some coaches with NBA playing experience. They have one now in their head coach, but a couple more would be beneficial. And it’s not a bad idea to raid Gregg Popovich’s staff. The Spurs are the NBA’s gold standard for organizational excellence.
<blockquote>Hardy has the expertise and self-awareness to step into a prominent position. There have been plenty of different personalities to emerge from San Antonio’s ranks, but they are all known for understanding their role in supporting the players and the organization. Hardy has apparently learned the hard way to embrace that mindset.
“I still have a long way to go,” he said in a 2020 coaching panel. “I’m still learning a ton every day, I’m trying to improve. I’m trying to tweak things. I’m hard on myself. I think I fuck up all the time. Coach Pop tells me I fuck up all the time, so I’m trying to continue to grow and get better as we go.”</blockquote>
The Athletic: <a href="https://theathletic.com/2683566/2021/07/02/can-will-hardy-help-celtics-coach-ime-udoka-bring-the-spurs-culture-to-boston/?source=emp_shared_article" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Can Will Hardy help Celtics coach Ime Udoka bring the Spurs culture to Boston?</a>
Helluva quote. Now I’m fired up for Summer League, August 8-17 in Las Vegas. Road trip, anyone?
The Rest of the Links:
Globe: <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/02/sports/can-ime-udoka-juggle-olympic-team-celtics-summer-league-team-other-observations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Can Ime Udoka juggle Olympic team and Celtics’ Summer League team and other observations</a>
MassLive: <a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/07/looking-at-celtics-brad-stevens-next-potential-moves-in-offseason-as-boston-looks-to-transform-roster-in-offseason.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Looking at Celtics’ Brad Stevens’ next potential moves in offseason as Boston looks to transform roster</a> | <a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/07/should-celtics-have-waited-on-kemba-walker-trade-market-lakers-clippers-could-be-suitors.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Should Celtics have waited on Kemba Walker trade market? Lakers, Clippers could be suitors</a>
NBC Sports Boston: <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/nba-rumors-lakers-clippers-could-pursue-kemba-walker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA insider expects these two teams to pursue Kemba Walker</a> | <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/nba-rumors-really-good-market-celtics-marcus-smart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mannix: ‘There’s a really good market for Marcus Smart’</a>
Boston Sports Journal: <a href="https://www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2021/07/02/content_53898" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karalis: Celtics don’t have typical big market advantages, but getting cheap now could be costly</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/07/03/your-morning-dump-where-the-celtics-arent-trading-jaylen-brown-but-if-they-did-r1a1/">Your Morning Dump… Where the Celtics aren’t trading Jaylen Brown – but if they did…</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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<title>Your Morning Dump… Where we meet the new guy</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/29/your-morning-dump-where-we-meet-the-new-guy-r1a1/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rich Jensen]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2021 14:20:19 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Updates]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Becky Hammon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[chauncey billups]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Ime Udoka]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jason Kidd]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1219390</guid>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
<blockquote>
The Celtics’ core players supported Udoka during the hiring process. Tatum and Brown are good enough to have the power that comes with stardom. They’re also young enough that they both still need to develop. The need to balance those things could be tricky.
Stevens got them as rookies coming from college who had to respect and trust the coach as they found their way. Udoka is getting two All-Stars who already know they’re good.
If they continue to support him, this has a chance to be a great hire. But he’s got to push them to a level they haven’t been at yet. In his final interview of the season, Tatum was asked what would motivate and drive him in the offseason. He talked about being a great player and an MVP. He didn’t talk about winning a championship. For almost every great player, putting a title above all else requires an evolution in their priorities.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/06/ime-udokas-celtics-success-will-be-directly-tied-to-how-much-and-how-long-his-stars-buy-in-matt-vautour.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MassLive</a>
I know there are a lot of C’s fans that are over the moon about this Udoka hire—and that more than a few of them are already saying way too much about Nia Long (I suspect these are basically the same fans that got way too involved in speculations about the home life of the Haywards).
I, however, can’t shake a certain fundamental unease about the whole hiring process and Matt Vautour over at MassLive has captured a bit of it.
Udoka said all the right things at the press conference yesterday, but I’m just not comfortable with the notion that guys need to have someone, as Udoka put it, “riding their ass” and pushing them to improve.
At the same time, I might be backfilling my own history, pushing the realizations of my late 20s and early 30s into my early 20s and thus setting an unrealistic standard for maturity on the C’s young stars. At a certain point, you need to demand more from yourself, without needing someone else to hold your feet to the fire.
One of the more untenable conclusions of a legal system that gives kids the right to vote, smoke, buy lottery tickets, enlist and move out at 18 is that by that point you’re substantially finished maturing and more or less an adult. That’s hardly the case; but you can forgive kids in their early 20s for (1) chafing at being called kids and (2) being immature enough not to realize the extent of their immaturity, because basically, they’re accorded the status of full grown adults.
So I guess what makes me uncomfortable with this Udoka hire is that we’ve got conflicting assumptions in back of it.
The conflict is this: (1) We assume that Tatum and Brown are immature enough to need a coach that will ride herd on them, but (2) they are mature enough to deserve a say—and perhaps veto power over—the coaching hire. To me, every argument in favor of one assumption undermines the other…
But the toothpaste is out of the tube, and the C’s seem to have hired a good ‘un. We just need the guys who approved the hire to listen to him.
<h3>Page 2: Where the Blazers and Mavs are a mess</h3>
<blockquote>Hammon impressed Portland officials and was generally liked among Blazers staffers, sources said. But when Portland reached out for intel from San Antonio figures, the background on Hammon was not nearly as complimentary pertaining to various aspects of day-to-day coaching responsibilities. That sentiment has been echoed by sources around the league. Blazers personnel then cast doubt that Hammon was the candidate to steer the ship through such delicate waters with Lillard.</blockquote>
<a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2945304-inside-the-highly-scrutinized-nba-head-coaching-hires-in-portland-dallas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bleacher Report</a>
One of my concerns with Tatum and Brown being involved in the hiring process at Boston is the possibility that the C’s did not hire the best available candidate, period.
By taking a stance that is effectively no different than other players from another era insisting that they would prefer to have a white head coach, I worry that Tatum and Brown have kept the C’s from hiring a better coach in the same way that the C’s would not have won those last two titles in the 60s if Red had followed the prevailing belief that black people were, as a race, less intelligent than whites. Back in ’67, Red did what he always did: he hired the best available, period.
But at the very least, the C’s have not hired a guy with baggage, and there’s more to the Chauncey Billups story than just ‘he-said/she-said’, a police examination the day after the incident found injuries to the woman consistent with rape.
Now you can imagine that the Blazers front office was quite surprised by the blowback that came with the Billups hire, and they honestly have every right to be. The league, as a whole, has been content to let the Billups situation ride for almost 25 years. Billups got a Finals MVP and a whole series of coaching gigs with nary a discordant note voiced. You can forgive Neil Olshey for assuming that people would continue to look the other way.
But once the noise started to be heard, the Blazers front office reacted in a predictable way: Justifying the hire by discrediting other candidates.
In Hammon’s case, the method chosen is predictable.
Essentially, she’s being accused of conforming to gender stereotypes.
‘She’s too disorganized to be a head coach’
Now I cannot imagine a scenario where Popovich would place as much trust in Hammon as he has, if she was not organized and effective at carrying out all the responsibilities her job entails.
But, again, trashing Hammon after the fact is basically trying to justify a decision that the front office didn’t think they’d have to justify.
And that gets us back around to what’s really working against Hammon.
Look at the three coaching hires thus far: Udoka, Billups and Kidd.
All three are ex-NBA, and all three were hired because players on their teams wanted to be coached by someone with NBA experience.
That is what’s holding back Hammon.
There is this growing myth that only an ex-player can ‘understand’ current players and ‘connect’ with them.
And as long as that myth holds sway, it’s going to be ‘close but no cigar’ for Hammon.
Then there’s the Mavs…
One of the most amazing aspects about the Mavs is the way that whole ‘toxic workplace’ story just dried up without any substantive changes: The Mavs fired a couple people caught in the spotlight, but apparently the front office culture <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/07/29/mavericks-sexual-assault-allegation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hasn’t changed at all</a>.
And nothing could exemplify that better than the tone-deaf hiring of a coach whose bench record is as pathetic as his off-court behavior is execrable. But hey, he used to play in the NBA so he’s obviously better qualified than anyone with no prior experience in the league. And, I mean, he’s in the Hall of Fame, so that obviously excuses him from being a chronically bad person.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/29/your-morning-dump-where-we-meet-the-new-guy-r1a1/">Your Morning Dump… Where we meet the new guy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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<title>Your Morning Dump… Where it’s so far, so good for the Celtics – now, what’s next?</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/26/your-morning-dump-where-its-so-far-so-good-for-the-celtics-now-whats-next-r1a1/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Dynon]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jun 2021 14:41:03 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Boston Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Brad Stevens]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Evan Fournier]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jaylen Brown]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Jayson Tatum]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Kemba Walker]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Marcus Smart]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Payton Pritchard]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Robert Williams]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Tristan Thompson]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1218936</guid>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
The Celtics haven’t had much luck in the past few years, but in a welcome change, recent events have trended in their favor. It began with the elevation of Brad Stevens to the front office – although many were sorry to see Danny Ainge leave, that change brought an opportunity to revitalize the team. During the past 10 days or so, Brad has begun to do just that.
His first step was the sudden trade of Kemba Walker, which gave Boston some payroll flexibility and brought back an old friend.
<blockquote>Reality often differs from dreams. The Celtics barely resemble the team Horford first joined half a decade ago, but he is still eager to get back to work after the franchise reacquired him last week in a trade for Kemba Walker.
“Obviously things didn’t end well (two years ago), but now I feel we have a fresh start,” Horford said. “I can help the team, make an impact. I feel the guys are very driven, and we have a lot of work to do. That’s the reality. I actually embrace that part of it, getting to work with this fresh opportunity.”</blockquote>
The Athletic: <a href="https://theathletic.com/2671790/2021/06/25/al-horfords-eager-to-capitalize-on-his-second-shot-with-celtics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After saying goodbye, Al Horford eager to capitalize on ‘second shot’ with Celtics</a>
Then Brad made a solid decision on his successor. Ime Udoka was one of the most highly regarded candidates league-wide. He’s got the requisite playing and coaching experience, he’s known to have a sharp mind for defense, and he’s also going to command respect.
<blockquote>Udoka mostly kept to himself on that team, but Muoneke quickly realized that his calm demeanor should not be mistaken for a lack of fire. In August 2005 a brawl broke out in the AfroBasket third-place game between Nigeria and Algeria. The game was played in Algiers, and the numbers were not in Nigeria’s favor.
“But the person fighting the most people, with no anger or emotion, was Ime,” Muoneke said with a chuckle. “At one point I see him and he calmly says to me, ‘Gabe, watch your back.’ And I turn and see a guy with a chair coming at me. He nicked me in the eye, and I only moved because Ime told me to watch my back. And after he hit me, Ime got him. For me, that sold me on Ime. We were boys from that point on.”</blockquote>
Globe: <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/25/sports/celtics-new-coach-ime-udoka-has-calm-demeanor-friends-know-there-is-fire-within/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Celtics’ new coach Ime Udoka has a calm demeanor but friends know there is a fire within</a>
So Brad is 2 for 2 in his first executive actions. Now attention turns to improving the roster. As it stands, the Celtics won’t be players in the draft. They have only their own second-round pick, the 45th overall. Trades and free agency will be their routes. One need is a point guard.
<blockquote>Stevens should have the $5.9 million taxpayer midlevel to add an experienced player. The Celtics also have a handful of trade exceptions available, most notably the $11 million remaining on the Gordon Hayward TPE that helped bring Fournier to Boston. There’s also a newly generated $6.9 million exception generated from the Walker deal. […]
Smart seems poised to elevate to starting point guard. When he commits to playmaking and defense, he can be an extremely impactful player. Entering the final year of his current deal, the Celtics have to ponder his future in green, which adds a layer of uncertainty at that spot. Pritchard should have a sizable role given his solid rookie shooting.
The Celtics likely need a veteran option here. Could they call Chicago and inquire about Tomas Satoransky, whose nonguaranteed $10 million salary could be absorbed into a trade exception? Maybe the Celtics call the Kings and inquire about whether Delon Wright is available. With Udoka taking over, Boston could pursue Patty Mills in free agency, though he might be outside their price range, and receiving any player in a sign-and-trade would hard-cap the Celtics.</blockquote>
NBC Sports Boston: <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-offseason-how-can-brad-stevens-upgrade-bostons-bench" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forsberg: What moves can Celtics make to upgrade their bench?</a>
Mills, a career 38.8% three-point shooter, would bring back memories of the explosive Eddie House. Meanwhile, Cleveland has put Collin Sexton on the market. Is he an option?
<blockquote>The main appeal of Sexton for the Celtics would be his scoring and cheap salary. He’s only making $6.3 million during the 2021-22 season which would fit well on a Boston payroll that has little room for spending flexibility on the free-agent market due to the big money owed to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Al Horford.
However, the reason why Sexton is available in the first place on the trade market is a big reason why Boston probably won’t have much interest in acquiring the young guard. Sexton will be looking for a big payday during the next offseason coming off his rookie deal. The Celtics just managed to clear up a good chunk of salary cap space for the next two summers by dumping Walker’s pricy contract and could be planning to go after a big name via trade or free agency with that added flexibility.</blockquote>
MassLive: <a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/06/would-collin-sexton-make-sense-as-celtics-trade-target-this-offseason.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Would Collin Sexton make sense as Celtics trade target this offseason?</a>
And now that Horford and Moses Brown have arrived, Boston suddenly seems to have more bigs than necessary. Not many Celtics fans would lose sleep if Tristan Thompson was dealt, which is good because his $9.7 million expiring contract is nicely tradeable.
<blockquote>The numbers and contract situation don’t quite shake out for Thompson to stay in Boston for the long-term. Compared to Horford or Williams, he’s also a traditional big who doesn’t boast as many versatile skills either. Of course, his toughness down in the paint is a welcome sign and could be something Boston values.
Horford is locked in through the next two seasons, including a partially-guaranteed final year. Williams will be a restricted free agent, but he’s shown potential to be the center of the future, pending his health. Brown signed a four-year deal with Oklahoma City, though the final three years of his contract are non-guaranteed.</blockquote>
MassLive: <a href="https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/06/could-celtics-tristan-thompson-be-traded-this-offseason-after-al-horford-joined-bostons-roster.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Could Celtics’ Tristan Thompson be traded this offseason after Al Horford joined Boston’s roster?</a>
So many personnel decisions are shaped by the financial factors, which is unfortunate. I miss the days when Red Auerbach didn’t need back-up center Mel Counts but did need a power forward, so Mel was sent to the Baltimore Bullets for future Hall of Famer Bailey Howell (another W for Red). It was that simple. No math or legal training required.
Back to today, I’m hopeful that good fortune continues to find the Celtics. They certainly deserve it.
<h3>On Page 2: This doesn’t sound good</h3>
<blockquote>“The Celtics were among the teams that I know of that didn’t take Covid seriously,” Mannix said. “They continued to go out on the road, and would find ways to skirt the rules at times when they were traveling. They didn’t take these protocols seriously — not as seriously as some other teams did. Washington, when they had all of their Covid issues back in January and early February, they blamed Boston. They complained to the league that the Celtics, because of what they had heard about players going out in Florida I believe it was, they believed they contracted their issues through the Celtics.” […]
Mannix says the Celtics skirted around those rules, which may have cost them games. Through early April, they lost a total of 131 player-days due to Covid-19, more than the bottom 10 clubs combined. It was a significant contributor to their constant lineup shuffling.</blockquote>
WEEI: <a href="https://www.audacy.com/weei/sports/celtics/report-wizards-blamed-celtics-for-their-covid-19-outbreak?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wizards reportedly blamed Celtics for their Covid outbreak, and complained to the NBA</a>
This is one report from one reporter, which may amount to nothing – but it has the potential to be trouble. If the league investigates and determines the organization willfully disregarded the Covid rules, the penalties could be costly.
A major obstacle this season was that Jayson Tatum, Romeo Langford, Tristan Thompson and Evan Fournier all missed extensive time due to Covid. If the Celtics did that to themselves, that’s just stupid.
<h3>And, finally… Media mania</h3>
<blockquote>Brian Scalabrine has signed a multiyear contract extension with NBC Sports Boston to continue as the lead analyst on Celtics broadcasts.
Scalabrine, 43, spent five of his 11 NBA seasons with the Celtics, winning a championship in 2007-08. He has been part of NBCSB’s Celtics broadcast team since 2015-16.
He will serve as the game analyst for every Celtics broadcast on the network alongside Mike Gorman, who will be entering his 40th season as the team’s television play-by-play voice in 2021-22.</blockquote>
NBC Sports Boston: <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/25/sports/brian-scalabrine-gets-multiyear-extension-stay-with-nbc-sports-boston/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brian Scalabrine gets multiyear extension to stay with NBC Sports Boston</a>
Based on what I’ve seen from many Celtics fans on Twitter, this isn’t the best news of the day. Not everyone is a fan of Scal’s loud and boisterous style in his roles as game analyst and commentator on pregame and postgame shows. But it looks like everyone better get used to it.
To be fair, Scal is in a tough spot: he’s never, ever going to be beloved like Tommy Heinsohn was. After Tommy’s passing, Scal was on every game and almost every studio segment last season; there was no break from him. For whatever reason, he seemed at times to be pissed off, and he usually took it out on fan favorite and studio host Abby Chin. Those were some terrible optics, not to mention another popularity contest that Scal had no hope of winning.
I have no doubt that Scal earned this contract. He’s insightful in his game analysis, effectively working in the technical aspects and coaching terminology behind the game we’re seeing on our screens. And Mike is such a pro that he keeps Scal in line without difficulty. Now all the redhead needs to do is just lighten up a bit, soften his tone, and maybe Twitter will ease up on him in return.
The other media episode of this week was Jay Williams’ epic brain fart. If you missed it, he tweeted congrats to Udoka for being the first person of color ever hired to coach the Celtics. Of course, that was wildly incorrect. Udoka is the Celtics’ sixth black head coach (among 18 total), and the Cs have won five titles under the leadership off black coaches. Williams deleted the tweet and made it worse for himself by claiming his account had been hacked.
<blockquote>Absolutely no one believed this, and apparently, fellow ESPN basketball analyst Jalen Rose is among that list of folks. The two were on set ahead of Game 3 of Clippers-Suns and spent some time discussing Game 1 of Hawks-Bucks. Williams raised a point where he was correct about how Trae Young would cook Milwaukee’s defense if it employed drop coverage against him, but Rose, being the pro that he is, slipped an “I got hacked” in there as an excuse for being wrong.</blockquote>
Dime Magazine: <a href="https://uproxx.com/dimemag/jalen-rose-jay-williams-i-got-hacked-joke-espn-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jalen Rose Couldn’t Resist Making An ‘I Got Hacked’ Joke While Talking To Jay Williams</a>
That link contains a video of the exchange. Williams doesn’t break stride – he ignores Rose, just like he has ignored the countless fans and media who’ve mocked him. No apology, no “my bad,” not even an acknowledgement that he stuffed up.
Actually, maybe Williams did us all a favor by causing media to highlight the Celtics’ lineage of black head coaches. It’s a history that more fans should know.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/26/your-morning-dump-where-its-so-far-so-good-for-the-celtics-now-whats-next-r1a1/">Your Morning Dump… Where it’s so far, so good for the Celtics – now, what’s next?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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</item>
<item>
<title>It’s the end of an era</title>
<link>https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/23/its-the-end-of-an-era-r1a1/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rich Jensen]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jun 2021 13:02:27 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Celtics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army NBA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red's Army News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Red Auerbach]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://thesportsdaily.com/?p=1218122</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Last week Rick Carlisle ‘stepped down’ as coach of the Mavs. And for the first time in the history of the NBA neither Red Auerbach nor a... <a class="read-more-button" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/23/its-the-end-of-an-era-r1a1/">Read more</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/23/its-the-end-of-an-era-r1a1/">It’s the end of an era</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Last week Rick Carlisle ‘stepped down’ as coach of the Mavs.
And for the first time in the history of the NBA neither Red Auerbach nor a player drafted or acquired by him had a job as a coach or a general manager.
It would be difficult, if not impossible to understate the impact that Red Auerbach had on the National Basketball Association.
For starters, Red was a professional basketball coach before there was an NBA. Red’s first professional gig (prior to that he had only coached two high school teams) was with the Washington Capitols, one of the charter teams of the BAA.
And then there’s the list of players Red coached or drafted who went on to have coaching or executive gigs:
<ul>
<li>Bill Russell</li>
<li>Bob Cousy</li>
<li>Tommy Heinsohn</li>
<li>Bill Sharman</li>
<li>KC Jones</li>
<li>Larry Bird</li>
<li>Kevin McHale</li>
<li>Danny Ainge</li>
<li>Rick Carlisle</li>
<li>Donnie Nelson</li>
<li>Paul Silas</li>
<li>Satch Sanders</li>
<li>Brian Shaw</li>
<li>Don Chaney</li>
<li>M. L. Carr</li>
<li>Paul Westphal</li>
<li>Ed Macauley</li>
</ul>
From the time that Red Auerbach won his first title in 1957 until 2011, the date that the last player Red drafted won a title, there were 45 NBA championships.
Red won 16 as a coach or GM, and those titles include the titles won by Russell, Heinsohn and Jones as coaches.
Bill Sharman won a title as coach of the Lakers (’72), two titles as GM (’80 & ’82), and three as president of the Lakers (’85, ’87, ’88). In fact, in one capacity or another, Sharman was part of the Lakers’ organization right up until their 2010 title.
Danny Ainge won a title as president of basketball operations in 2008, and Rick Carlisle won a title as coach of the Mavericks in 2011.
Of the 45 NBA titles awarded between 1957 and 2011, either Red or a player drafted by him were instrumental in winning 24 of them. Over half the titles won between 1957 and 2011 went to a team coached by Red, managed by Red, coached by one of Red’s players, or managed by one of Red’s players.
Red and players drafted by him, acquired by him, or who played for him have coached 11,375 games, winning 6,430 of them, for a combined career winning percentage of .565. That total represents almost 139 seasons of basketball.
Only five individuals on that list have career losing records as head coaches.
And that’s just the ‘first generation’ of Red’s coaching tree.
Here is a list of current NBA coaches that have a connection to Red Auerbach:
<ul>
<li>Nate McMillan (Played for KC Jones in Seattle)</li>
<li>Steve Nash (played for Mike D’Antoni, who played for Bob Cousy in 1974)</li>
<li>James Borrego (played for Gregg Popovich, who was an assistant on Donnie Nelson’s staff in 1992/93)</li>
<li>J.B. Bickerstaff (hired by his dad, Bernie Bickerstaff, who was an assistant on KC Jones’ staff at Washington in ’75/76)</li>
<li>Dwane Casey (hired to his first head coaching gig by Kevin McHale)</li>
<li>Steve Kerr (played for Gregg Popovich, q.v., ’98-01)</li>
<li>Stephen Silas (hired by his dad, Paul Silas, in 2010)</li>
<li>Tyronn Lue (got his first gig as an NBA assistant from Doc Rivers/Danny Ainge, drafted by Jerry West, who played for and worked for Bill Sharman from ’72 to ’91).</li>
<li>Taylor Jenkins (Assistant to Mike Budenholzer, who was himself an assistant for Gregg Popovich, q.v.)</li>
<li>Chris Finch (Assistant to Kevin McHale in Houston)</li>
<li>Erik Spoelstra (hired by Pat Riley, who played for Bill Sharman)</li>
<li>Mike Budenholzer (Assistant to Gregg Popovich, q.v.)</li>
<li>Tom Thibodeau (worked for Doc Rivers, hired by Ainge, 2007-2010)</li>
<li>Doc Rivers (won a championship with Celtics, hired by Ainge in 2004)</li>
<li>Monty Williams (played for Gregg Popovich, q.v.)</li>
<li>Luke Walton (assistant to Steve Kerr, who played for Popovich)</li>
<li>Gregg Popovich (assistant on Donnie Nelson’s staff in 92/93)</li>
<li>Nick Nurse (assistant to Dwane Casey, q.v.)</li>
<li>Quinn Snyder (assistant to Mike Brown, 2011/12, who was on Rick Carlisle’s staff at Indiana in 2005/06)</li>
</ul>
There are currently 23 head coaches in the NBA, and of those 23, 19 have a connection to Red Auerbach.
Now the ‘executive’ spots:
<ul>
<li>Travis Schlenk (worked for Chris Mullen, who played for Don Nelson, and also worked for Pat Riley, who played for Bill Sharman)</li>
<li>Brad Stevens (hired as coach by Danny Ainge)</li>
<li>Sean Marks (played for and was an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich)</li>
<li>Mitch Kupchak (played for Riley)</li>
<li>Calvin Booth (played for Kevin McHale)</li>
<li>Chad Buchanan (worked for Kevin Pritchard, who played for the Celtics in ’91/92)</li>
<li>Pat Riley (played for Bill Sharman, coached while Sharman was GM and president)</li>
<li>James Jones (played for Erik Spoelstra, who was hired by Pat Riley)</li>
</ul>
Granted, there are a number of connections up there that are extremely tenuous. For instance, Gregg Popovich was only an assistant on Don Nelson’s staff for one season, and that was neither Pop’s first season as an assistant nor his last. It was just a stop along the way.
And, to be sure, a great many of these connections are there because Red himself worked for an NBA team in one capacity or another from 1949 to 1997. But it is also a fact that Red worked for the C’s as long as he did because of just how good he was.
It would be difficult to find another individual who played a more important role in the development of the league. Sure, people might talk bout David Stern, but Stern was, at best, a meddler. He did nothing to change the way the game is played, he drafted nobody, he recognized no talent, and he gets a pass for doing a lot of stupid and questionable things—like talking the league’s owners into letting Donald Sterling keep the Clippers back in ’83.
Auerbach, on the other hand, bulldozed every single unspoken policy on race in the league. He won, and as the record indicates, he taught guys how to win. Bill Sharman changed the culture in L.A. when he got there. Don’t believe me? Let Fred Schaus, the Lakers’ GM at the time, say it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1972/05/07/archives/sharman-quiet-dictator-put-laker-house-in-order.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for me</a>: “I have never known a man like Bill. I have done a lot of coaching in my day, but there is nothing to compare with his dedication and drive. He never stops thinking and talking basketball.”
And did the Lakers’ culture need to be changed? Let Schaus answer that question: “Can you imagine that Wilt hasn’t missed a practice session this season? Now that takes convincing.”
NBA history has been dominated by the Celtics and Lakers, and Red Auerbach played a pivotal role in the development of both those dynasties.
As time passes, Auerbach’s influence on the NBA is only going to diminish, and already there are ‘fans’ for whom he is little more than a cartoon character—the same people who dismiss Bill Russell’s skills as a basketball player because he didn’t score many points and who make fun of old footage of Bob Cousy because when Cousy played, you’d get whistled for a travel if your hand was under the basketball for even a split second. There’s not much hope for these people. For them there is no direct path from basketball the way it was played in 1950 to basketball the way it is played in 2021. There is just ‘good’ (i.e. ‘new’) basketball and ‘bad’ (i.e. ‘old’) basketball for them, and therefore they have little regard for a guy who changed the game of basketball and who changed with the game of basketball.
But Red did more than just guide the Celtics to 16 championships. As a coach and a manager, his record of teaching players how to be coaches themselves is absolutely and unequivocally unprecedented in professional sports.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/06/23/its-the-end-of-an-era-r1a1/">It’s the end of an era</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://thesportsdaily.com">The Sports Daily</a>.
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