Around the NBA:2025-6

[Q-is-here]

- Detroit just lost to the Wizards at home. Cade Cunningham was a team worst -16.

- Toronto walloped Chicago. That should help Ayo's net on/off rating!

- Houston down double-digits to the hot Charlotte Hornets. Interesting that they did NOTHING to address their shortage of guards.

- SGA out at least through the All-Star break.

[Phenom]

Hornets with a sizable lead on Houston going into the 4th. Can Charlotte keep playing West teams?

[Monster]

Are you implying the Celtics would not strike on a big fish if they had a chance?

I’m not implying anything. Just acknowledging the fact that the Celtics have not been engaged in big-game hunting and have built a winner methodically and strategically over time - drafting both Tatum and Brown, then making a series of significant but not splashy moves to build around them.

The Celtics are not afraid to make deals, but they’re not out there trading elite young talent or a bunch of future first round picks for a single NBA star in his 30s. The closest the Celtics came to a big game trade was their 2023 acquisition of Jrue Holiday when they gave up Brogdon, Williams and two future 1st round picks. Neither Brogdon nor Williams was on par with Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid or even Julius Randle in their value to their team at the time and only one of the two first round picks was Boston’s own pick. And Boston still had a bevy of remaining future draft assets.

The Ayo deal TC just made is exactly the kind of deal winning organizations make. So I’m very pleased with this move.

I think the important distinction is that teams have to work within the confines that they find themselves in. Sometimes you take a swing, sometimes you take a gap year, sometimes you develop from within, sometimes you mine a diamond from the rough. I feel confident that TC has done just this.

I was just talking to my brother about the Celtics. That Brad Stevens guy seems pretty good at that GM thing. Like some else said it helps that they have a really good coach. This off-season every time they kept cutting salary they still kept adding some talent back too. It wasn't line they were trading guys for ham sandwiches.

Of course it looks like Brown took a pretty significant leap which is big and kinda awesome. The Celtics took some chances on guys and it paid off to some extent. There are advantages to having a team of guys that are hungry and haven't been established yet. You can play a system and stick to it which can help players and the team. If you got a couple really good players that like to play a certain way...it can distract from that and that's not necessarily a knock on those really good players...although sometimes it is.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I’m not implying anything. Just acknowledging the fact that the Celtics have not been engaged in big-game hunting and have built a winner methodically and strategically over time - drafting both Tatum and Brown, then making a series of significant but not splashy moves to build around them.

The Celtics are not afraid to make deals, but they’re not out there trading elite young talent or a bunch of future first round picks for a single NBA star in his 30s. The closest the Celtics came to a big game trade was their 2023 acquisition of Jrue Holiday when they gave up Brogdon, Williams and two future 1st round picks. Neither Brogdon nor Williams was on par with Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid or even Julius Randle in their value to their team at the time and only one of the two first round picks was Boston’s own pick. And Boston still had a bevy of remaining future draft assets.

The Ayo deal TC just made is exactly the kind of deal winning organizations make. So I’m very pleased with this move.

I think the important distinction is that teams have to work within the confines that they find themselves in. Sometimes you take a swing, sometimes you take a gap year, sometimes you develop from within, sometimes you mine a diamond from the rough. I feel confident that TC has done just this.

I was just talking to my brother about the Celtics. That Brad Stevens guy seems pretty good at that GM thing. Like some else said it helps that they have a really good coach. This off-season every time they kept cutting salary they still kept adding some talent back too. It wasn't line they were trading guys for ham sandwiches.

Of course it looks like Brown took a pretty significant leap which is big and kinda awesome. The Celtics took some chances on guys and it paid off to some extent. There are advantages to having a team of guys that are hungry and haven't been established yet. You can play a system and stick to it which can help players and the team. If you got a couple really good players that like to play a certain way...it can distract from that and that's not necessarily a knock on those really good players...although sometimes it is.

Are we seeing something special with Brad Stevens? Consider his track record...

- Joined Butler's staff as a VOLUNTEER coach at 24.
- Became the head coach of a ranked D1 program only 7 years later.
- Recruited Gordon Haywood and Shelvin Mack... two future NBA players.
- Shocked almost everyone by making the National Championship... and losing to vaunted Duke by only one point.
- Even more shockingly... returned to the National Championship game the next year without Gordon Haywood who was in the NBA.
- Made the huge leap from mid-major Butler to coach the legendary Celtics at 37, right after the Garnett/Pierce trade. Jeff Green (41% fg) and Rondo (40%) were the best players. Something named Phil Pressey (career 34% fg) somehow started 11 games.
- Made the playoffs the next 7 years... including 3 ECF.
- Made the surprising leap to the front office in 2021. Had to fire his first coaching hire (Ime Udoka) after some nefarious off-court stuff. Hired an unproven Mazzulla. (Then won a title.)
- Lost Jayson Tatum, Horford, Porzingis, Holiday, Kornet and replaced them with Queta, Garza, Simons, Gonzales and Walsh... and the Celtics are the #2 seed at 33 - 18. Yet another shocker.

The guy isn't 50 yet.

Does anybody expect this guy's list of successes to suddenly end now? He's had one helluva remarkable career... and is on pace to have an all-time LEGENDARY career.

[Monster]

I think the important distinction is that teams have to work within the confines that they find themselves in. Sometimes you take a swing, sometimes you take a gap year, sometimes you develop from within, sometimes you mine a diamond from the rough. I feel confident that TC has done just this.

I was just talking to my brother about the Celtics. That Brad Stevens guy seems pretty good at that GM thing. Like some else said it helps that they have a really good coach. This off-season every time they kept cutting salary they still kept adding some talent back too. It wasn't line they were trading guys for ham sandwiches.

Of course it looks like Brown took a pretty significant leap which is big and kinda awesome. The Celtics took some chances on guys and it paid off to some extent. There are advantages to having a team of guys that are hungry and haven't been established yet. You can play a system and stick to it which can help players and the team. If you got a couple really good players that like to play a certain way...it can distract from that and that's not necessarily a knock on those really good players...although sometimes it is.

Are we seeing something special with Brad Stevens? Consider his track record...

- Joined Butler's staff as a VOLUNTEER coach at 24.
- Became the head coach of a ranked D1 program only 7 years later.
- Recruited Gordon Haywood and Shelvin Mack... two future NBA players.
- Shocked almost everyone by making the National Championship... and losing to vaunted Duke by only one point.
- Even more shockingly... returned to the National Championship game the next year without Gordon Haywood who was in the NBA.
- Made the huge leap from mid-major Butler to coach the legendary Celtics at 37, right after the Garnett/Pierce trade. Jeff Green (41% fg) and Rondo (40%) were the best players. Something named Phil Pressey (career 34% fg) somehow started 11 games.
- Made the playoffs the next 7 years... including 3 ECF.
- Made the surprising leap to the front office in 2021. Had to fire his first coaching hire (Ime Udoka) after some nefarious off-court stuff. Hired an unproven Mazzulla. (Then won a title.)
- Lost Jayson Tatum, Horford, Porzingis, Holiday, Kornet and replaced them with Queta, Garza, Simons, Gonzales and Walsh... and the Celtics are the #2 seed at 33 - 18. Yet another shocker.

The guy isn't 50 yet.

Does anybody expect this guy's list of successes to suddenly end now? He's had one helluva remarkable career... and is on pace to have an all-time LEGENDARY career.

He is probably getting bored and will take on another challenge next. I'd guess he takes up Curling and wins gold in 2030 while also successfully building up the next tech startup that ends up being worth 3 trillion and invents an item that revolutionizes both the restaurant and automotive industries.

Yeah I agree he has had a heck of a career already and he doesn't really seem to be phased by any of it.