Celtics Mock Draft: C’s to bolster depth

The Boston Celtics possess four picks in this year’s NBA Draft. With most top-level prospects gone by the time the Celtics pick, this is the time to build depth. Brad Steven’s team relied too much on underperforming stars and lacked depth. This is the time for Danny Ainge to build up the C’s foundation.

14th Overall: Nassir Little, SF, North Carolina

Nassir Little should be at the top of the Celtics draft board. His stock fell due to his poor 3-PT shooting at the collegiate level. However, he plays excellent defense and can attack the rim with ease. The Celtics have enough floor spacing that Little’s problems wouldn’t bother them much.

20th Pick: Ty Jerome, PG, Virginia

Ty Jerome is the prototypical Brad Stevens player. He’s a reliable ball handler and defender from the 1 or 2 position. His biggest factor is his ability to run an offense. He can reliably run the floor while a coach gives his starters rest. His high basketball IQ has had the Celtics interested throughout the draft process. He’d be great value at No. 20.

22nd Pick: Tacko Fall, C, UCF

Tacko Fall is perhaps the most intriguing prospect in the entire draft. He is very raw in terms of basketball skill, and could use development in all aspects of the sport. His physical traits are what have scouts going crazy over him. Standing at 7’7” in sneakers and sporting an 8’2-1/2” wingspan, Fall is the biggest NBA prospect ever. The Celtics have the ability to carve Fall into a deadly scoring threat.

51st Pick: Jordan Bone, PG, Tennessee

The Celtics have been known to take on project players and develop them into solid bench players. Bone fits that mold. His time at Tennessee was marred by inconsistency and poor shot selection. However, Bone can play hard and has been a favorite of the C’s coaching staff. Overall, he could be a steal if he develops into a solid role player.

St. Louis Giving the Bruins the Blues

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The Bruins haven’t had a real tough time of it since their opening series round against the hard-hitting Maple Leafs in which they battled to a Game 7 victory. Of course, we can look back at their second-round opponents, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and recall a time in which our hometown heroes were down 2-1 in the series before they went on to win the next three games and clinch the series. That was a particularly anxious moment for Bruins’ fans as the first three games were decided by just a goal, including two overtimes, but once the B’s rolled to a 4-1 victory in hostile territory to even the series, the momentum took a palpable turn. Boston outscored the Jackets 11-4 over the final three games and that was that.

Carolina came calling for the Eastern Conference Finals but that was a team that had had the good fortune of meeting a tired Islanders squad in the previous round and were unprepared for the thrashing that awaited them in Boston. The Bruins breezed to a 4-0 series sweep and their Stanley Cup opponents, the St. Louis Blues, seemed like a more muscular version of the Hurricanes but nothing to keep them awake at night. Even the oddsmakers at some of the best online sportsbooks found over at Sportsbook Review, chief among them Heritage Sports, made St. Louis a slight favorite in Game 4 which seemed preposterous to those who had just witnessed Boston eviscerate the Blues two nights prior. But that’s why top online sportsbooks like Heritage make the lines and fans don’t.

Ah, but here we are, the series knotted at two apiece after St. Louis responded with a gritty 4-2 Game 4 victory on Monday night after getting torched 7-2 in the previous game. And thus, right now, at this moment in time, we all know that St. Louis is much more like Toronto and nothing like Carolina. Although one could pause and reflect that the B’s are in the same place they were after Game 4 against another physical team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, it should be noted that the boys from Boston were coming off of a 4-1 road win, not a 4-2 road loss heading back to Beantown.

The Bruins are getting perilously short on defense, with the injury to Matt Grzelcyk placing him on the sidelines after sustaining a possible, more likely probable, concussion in Game 2 and now captain Zdeno Chara still smarting from a puck to the face in Monday’s loss. Head coach Bruce Cassidy publicly called out his forwards to pick up the slack and finish plays in the offensive zone.

Cassidy had this to say in his postgame presser Monday night, “We’ve talked a lot about the defense here. Personally, I think our forwards have got to do a way better job with our [defense] out. The onus has to go on them. They’ve got to pull their weight in terms of puck support and helping out the [defense], finishing some plays.”

The Bruins coach then specifically addressed his thinning defense, “They’re young. You’ve got Clifton, you’ve got McAvoy, you’ve got Carlo, these kids are young. Torey [Krug’s] been around, and [John] Moore, but they’re not old, grizzled veterans, so we have to coach them up. That’s our challenge going into Game 5. We have to do a better job with them as a staff.”

Cassidy knows the right things to say and has done a sensational job inspiring the less lauded players on his roster. Boston has been able to continually roll out four effective scoring lines, which is no small task, but watching his team get outworked in Game 4 is an ominous sign for a team that normally forces the play, relentlessly forechecks, and isn’t afraid of sacrificing their bodies in front of a screaming slapshot. The venue shifts to Causeway Street on Thursday and then we’ll see if the Bruins will bare their claws or go into hibernation.

Uprising’s Stage 3 Strength of Schedule

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New to Overwatch? Get caught up on everything Overwatch League by reading our introduction.

The Uprising can be a really frustrating team to watch. At times they can be world beaters, smashing even the best of teams without breaking a sweat. Then at times they look like their monitors are turned off in the midst of high-pressure games. As we head into a pivotal Stage 3 for Boston, we are hoping that the boys in blue are able to play like the top tier team they can be. The only problem is their difficult schedule ahead.

Stage 3 Schedule

The Uprising will have to play 3 top-8 teams, even having to play Philly a second time in what will certainly be a decisive last game for Boston right before playoffs. As a result, Boston has found itself as the underdog for more than half of the stage. Luckily they get the benefit of playing the struggling Paris Eternal twice, providing some form of relief from tougher opponents. But just how tough is it for Boston in Stage 3? Check out the head-to-head records against each opponent:

Opponent	Head-to-Head Record
London Spitfire (4)	2-3
Paris Eternal (16)	0-0
Houston Outlaws (18)	2-3
Philadelphia Fusion (7)	3-4
San Francisco Shock (3)	1-2
Paris Eternal (16)	0-0
Philadelphia Fusion (7)	3-4

Yikes. Boston does not have a single winning record against their opponents this stage. The most surprising being a losing record against the currently 3-11 Houston Outlaws, a team that has thoroughly played below expectations. While the game against Houston should be relatively one-sided in Boston’s favor, the rest of the schedule will not be so kind.

Strength of Schedule

Here’s a quick glance at how Boston’s schedule compares to the rest of the league.

Rank	Team	Average Opponent Map Win %
1	Chengdu Hunters	0.572
2	Dallas Fuel	0.556
3	Atlanta Reign	0.549
4	Florida Mayhem	0.53
5	LA Valiant	0.522
6	London Spitfire	0.518
7	LA Gladiators	0.513
8	Boston Uprising	0.509
9	Toronto Defiant	0.484
10	Houston Outlaws	0.478
11	Vancouver Titans	0.477
12	Hangzhou Spark	0.474
13	Washington Justice	0.47
14	Shanghai Dragons	0.462
15	Paris Eternal	0.459
16	Philadelphia Fusion	0.455
17	Seoul Dynasty	0.451
18	San Francisco Shock	0.438
19	Guangzhou Charge	0.422
20	New York Excelsior	0.408

Ranked 8th in the league in terms of schedule strength, Boston has quite the uphill battle if they want to finish the stage with a positive record. At 7-7, they sit on the playoff bubble with teams like Atlanta, Seoul, and Toronto – all of which share the same record. While Atlanta has the 3rd toughest schedule this stage, Seoul and Toronto have much weaker schedules, adding even more pressure onto Boston to win their tougher match ups.

Match Predictions

San Francisco Shock (11-3)

Coming off of their “Golden Stage” and a Stage Championship,the Shock are easily the hottest team in the league. This is undoubtedly Boston’s toughest match of the stage and it will be a gigantic test for the Uprising.
Prediction: San Francisco 4 – 0

London Spitfire (9-5)

The classic revolutionary rivalry. London absolutely smashed Boston last time around, but since it is the first match of the stage for these two I see this as a statement game for Boston. They can again assert themselves as a team to fear with a win. Then again, Boston is 2-4 in stage openers, so we can only hope they shake off their early stage struggles.
Prediction: London 3 – 2

Philadelphia Fusion (8-6)

Philly is a team that really excels in a DPS-focused meta where they can make use of carpe and eqo’s insane mechanical skills. Expecting more GOATS and bunker comps, Boston’s tank line should be favored this time around. Since they play twice this stage, I wouldn’t be surprised if these two split 2 very close matches.
Game 1 Prediction: Boston 3-2
Game 2 Prediction: Philly 3-2

Paris Eternal (5-9)

The first meeting for these two teams, and we get to see them play twice in the same stage. Paris has seemed lost through the first two stages, showing some really good moments but a lot of bad decision making. Boston should have no problem capitalizing on the mistakes of a weaker team.
Game 1 Prediction: Boston 4-0
Game 2 Prediction: Boston 3-1

Houston Outlaws (3 – 11)

I don’t think there’s a more disappointing team to watch than the Outlaws right now. Their GOATS is just terrible, which is stunning with a normally exceptional Rein player in Muma. Boston needs to expect shenanigans from a desperate Houston team, otherwise we will see another Washington fiasco.
Prediction: Boston 4-0

I think at 4-3 Boston would have a shot at making the stage playoffs, however looking forward to the season playoffs they would certainly have to pull out a few upsets along the way. There is a scenario where Boston upsets London and wins both games against Philly to go 6-1 for the stage, and I think it may be more likely than most people realize.

This is the stage for Boston to truly separate themselves from the rest of the pack of middle-tier teams. With a full stage with rCk under their belt, and a set roster moving forward, this stage is the best opportunity to make some noise in around the league. Last year we saw Boston have a perfect Stage 3, who says they can’t do it again?

Be sure to follow Brock on twitter for more breakdowns and analysis #BostonUp

HOW SPORTS BETTING CAN BE MADE SAFER FOR YOUNG SUPPORTERS

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50,000 children between the ages of 11 and 16 have a gambling problem, and that’s just in the UK. Across the globe, young supporters are getting increasing access to gambling sites that allow them to bet on their favorite sports teams. This puts them at risk of developing addictive behaviors that could cause them real pain. In this article, we look at what steps can be taken to help keep young supporters safe.

Clearly define what sports betting & gambling activity is
One of the most important parts of making sports betting safe for young supporters is to be
very clear about what constitutes gambling activity – without this clarity, how can we be sure
that any steps we take are going in the right direction?
Newsround is a youth magazine operated by UK publication the BBC that’s geared towards
making important topics digestible for young people. In 2018, Newsround published an
article that responds to research by the Gambling Commission, which stated thousands of
youths have a problem with gambling. Newsround argued that “not everybody agrees on
what exactly counts as a gambling activity for children.” This is a real problem.
The solution is that we need to be clear that any activity where people stake “something of
value in the hope of winning something else” is gambling. This means that even if young
supporters wager game currency on the outcome of sporting activity, we must treat this as
gambling. Taking this approach will allow us to properly educate youths about gambling.
Educate children about the serious side of sports betting
Of course, there’s a lot of fun to be had in sports betting – if you’re watching a sports game
with friends and you all place different bets, there’s a sense of healthy competition in seeing
which one of you wins. What’s important to remember is that while wagers among friends
are fun, there is a serious side to sports betting – educating young supporters about this will
help keep them safe.
Tony O’Reilly is a former Post Office manager from the Republic of Ireland. Tony’s a big
sports fan and enjoyed to place a bet, beginning with one on the outcome of a soccer match
in 1998 – all normal stuff. But Tony’s sports betting wasn’t normal. He placed bet after bet
after bet and he began funding it by stealing from his work, taking €1.75m and losing all of it
on sports bets. Eventually, Tony was caught and spent 18 months in prison.
Tony’s tale shows the serious side of sports betting, but that’s not where his story ends. In
2018 he published his biography, Tony 10: The Astonishing Story of the Postman who
Gambled €10,000,000 … and Lost it All. Tony 10… explains what he lost in great detail and
people have asked that it be taught in schools, as a lesson to demonstrate just how serious
sports betting is. This would be a great step and more initiatives like it should be taken, so
that young supporters understand that gambling isn’t all fun.
More responsible sports betting tools & campaigns
We’re some way off the world’s education systems making sports betting a part of their
syllabuses. However, a development in attitudes among gambling companies is seeing them
release more adverts that ask people to bet responsibly. This is crucial in helping to make
sports betting safer for young supporters.
Betway is one casino that really takes the issue of responsible betting seriously:

What The Patriots Have Invested At Quarterback Entering 2019

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The New England Patriots’ quarterback room nears the summer break with two locks.

One of those locks is coming off his sixth Super Bowl victory and is scheduled to carry a cap number of $27 million into the final year of his contract with a base salary of $14 million. As for the other lock? That’d be the 11th QB New England has selected since Bill Belichick returned to the war room as head coach in 2000.

Tom Brady and Jarrett Stidham are eras apart. Now they find themselves in the same one.

Both will celebrate birthdays this August, with the former turning 42 and the latter turning 23. Both will be on the active roster this September, with Brady entering his 20th NFL season and Stidham entering his first. But for every commonality there is a contrast. Be it pre-star or five-star recruit. Be it Michigan or Auburn product. Be it No. 199 or No. 133 overall draft pick.

Time will tell whether there is company.

New England has entrusted a rookie as Brady’s lone understudy twice over the past decade. In 2009, Michigan State undrafted free agent Brian Hoyer found himself the second and final quarterback on the roster. And in 2014, Eastern Illinois second-round pick Jimmy Garoppolo became the next following Ryan Mallett’s trade to the Houston Texans on cutdown day.

It’s possible such a scenario could play out again.

Hoyer, who has been around the league and back, will have to put his experience above Stidham’s projection. But the Patriots have shown confidence in numbers when it comes to the 33-year-old Hoyer. He has an upcoming base salary of $2.8 million, a cap number of $3 million and $1.5 million guaranteed remaining on his deal.

That reflects the strong roster outlook of a veteran backup who has started 36 career games. Hoyer has appeared in 10 games since returning to Patriots in the fall of 2017, and gone 5-of-8 passing for 49 yards with 15 kneel-downs in the process.

Original content by Forbes.com

Five things to watch at minicamp

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The Patriots will kick off their mandatory three-day minicamp on Tuesday, giving us our first extended look at the 2019 version of the team. It should provide an opportunity to see Tom Brady for the first time this spring, as well as newcomer Michael Bennett and perhaps some others who have yet to make an appearance.

While the only difference between minicamp and the OTA session the media was invited to watch two weeks ago is the mandatory element, the non-padded practices do provide an opportunity to start assessing the potential depth chart and to watch the younger players operate in the Patriots system.

With no contact it’s difficult to judge performance – and Bill Belichick often cautions against doing that anyway as he views these workouts as instructional and not for evaluations. But three days of work, plus an additional OTA practice open to the media next week, will provide a glimpse of what we’ll see come the opening of training camp in late July.

Until then, here are five things we’ll be focusing on this week.

Brady’s presence – Assuming Brady will be back in the fold, it’s always news when the quarterback is involved. For the second straight spring he’s chosen to do his prep work on his own, which is unfortunate because it would be great to watch Brady work with rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry a bit more extensively. Still, there should be some chances for the two to connect this week and we’ll likely hear from Brady at some point as well.

Finding Wynn – So far we’ve had just one chance to watch practice (May 23) and Isaiah Wynn was not present. Instead we saw left guard Joe Thuney man the left tackle spot in place of the departed Trent Brown. Wynn continues to recover from a torn Achilles that wiped out his rookie season and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia said several weeks ago that he hadn’t yet been cleared for full on-field work. Although it’s not with pads, it would be nice to see Wynn in uniform and working his way back into form. If not, it will be worth watching to see if Thuney remains at left tackle, a position he played at a high level while earning All-ACC honors at N.C. State.

Crowded secondary – Joejuan Williams was drafted in the second round, one year after Duke Dawson was taken in the same round. The two corners join J.C. Jackson, Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones and Keion Crossen in a fight for playing time with No. 1 corner Stephon Gilmore. Williams’ size is intriguing as a potential matchup weapon for Belichick, who could use a rotation of corners depending on a specific opponent from week to week. Williams should get a lot of chances to lock horns with Harry in a battle of tall, physical performers. We’ll be watching those closely.

Tight quarters – The tight end position is arguably the one that has drawn the most concern among Patriots fans this offseason following Rob Gronkowski’s retirement. The former All-Pro added a measure of finality to that over the weekend when he told reporters that rumors of a possible return could be put to rest. Whether that ultimately is true or not, it’s time to figure out how the position might look without him. Benjamin Watson will miss the first four games while serving a suspension for PED use, and we’ve yet to see veteran free agent addition Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Matt LaCosse looked like a candidate to fill a pass-catching role a couple of weeks ago, albeit in shorts under far-less-than-competitive circumstances. LaCosse moves well and it will be interesting to see what if any work he gets to do with Brady.

Bennett Brothers 2.0 – Michael Bennett has yet to make an appearance during practice but is expected to be in Foxborough this week. He ostensibly replaces Trey Flowers, and while at 33 he may not be able to handle the full workload, he possesses more explosiveness as a pass rusher. Again, shorts and T-shirts work will only tell so much but Bennett is an interesting character very much in the mold of his brother Martellus, who had a couple of stints as a Patriot. Bennett will be worth a look as well as a listen.

Original content from Patriots.com

Stanley Cup Game 4 Highlights: Blues 4, Bruins 2

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Original content from NBC Sports

Bill Belichick Says Tom Brady Would Be A Goalie If He Played Lacrosse

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Patriots head coach Bill Belichick soaked in some lacrosse at Gillette Stadium over the weekend, as the Premier Lacrosse League kicked off its season in New England.

Belichick has always had a special place in his heart for lacrosse, playing in high school at Phillips Andover and collegiality at Wesleyan University. He spoke about his love of the game on the NBC Sports Network broadcast on Sunday, and also gave a scouting report on how some of his Patriots players would fit on the lacrosse field.

Though some of them would make solid players in Belichick’s mind, he didn’t sound so optimistic that quarterback Tom Brady’s success on the football field would translate to lacrosse. Asked what position Brady would play, Belichick said the quarterback’s mobility issues would limit him to just one position. “Goalie,” Belichick said without missing a beat. “You need to be able to run here. I think some of our players, like Devin McCourty and Pat Chung, guys like that who are fast and have good quickness could play at 200-205 pounds, 210 pounds, somewhere in there, that they would be pretty tough. I think [Tedy] Bruschi would have made a good defenseman. Rodney Harrison and [Mike] Vrabel, guys like that who are long and tough.”

The Patriots have their mandatory minicamp at Gillette Stadium this week, so don’t be shocked if Belichick has a few lacrosse drills added to the mix this year. If that’s the case, it’s clear that Brady will be in net for those drills.

Original Article can be found at CBS Boston

NBA Mock Draft 2019: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and what might happen if the Boston Celtics traded up?

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With the 2019 NBA Draft approaching quickly (seriously, somehow it’s already June), it’s time to take a shot at a second mock draft. The first one came immediately after the lottery, without the benefit of a couple of weeks of draft workouts and the subsequent rumors. This one has the benefit of … more rumors, which somehow create more uncertainty.

So as we guess our way through the first round, we added another element to the lottery: What if the Boston Celtics traded up for each pick? The Celtics have three first-round selections, with which they could go in almost limitless directions. If they packaged them together, they might be able to chase better talent, or even shore up a selection they really want. But as you will see, there might not be much reason to move up only a few slots if their top targets look like they will slide anyway, and moving up higher than that in a top-heavy draft could be tricky. The first six or seven draft selections are essentially just thought exercises — the Grizzlies, for example, are obviously not dealing the No. 2 pick to the Celtics.

In any case, we gave it our best shot. Here’s our 2019 Mock Draft 2.0.

1. New Orleans: Zion Williamson, Duke. This is the least mysterious part of the night.

If the Celtics had this pick: Zion Williamson. Don’t sprain your brain overthinking this one.

2. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, Murray State. Morant spent the season beating up on inferior competition, which should be slightly worrisome for Memphis, but not nearly worrisome enough to draft someone else.

If the Celtics had this pick: Ja Morant. Don’t overthink this one either.

3. New York Knicks: R.J. Barrett, Duke. Feels like the Knicks have been telegraphing this one a bit, but given how safe the first two picks are, that’s probably fine.

If the Celtics had this pick: Darius Garland, Vanderbilt. Garland has star potential at point guard thanks to his long-range shooting off the dribble, and the Celtics might very well need a primary initiator after this offseason.

4. Los Angeles Lakers: Darius Garland. Garland makes more sense than Jarrett Culver for three reasons: His star power is higher, his trade value is higher as well, and he’s represented by Klutch Sports.

If the Celtics had this pick: Darius Garland. Presumably in this case, the Celtics could still get Garland once the Knicks took Barrett.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech. Cleveland gets a nice piece on the wing — a starting-quality two guard who can also initiate the offense alongside Collin Sexton.

If the Celtics had this pick: Coby White, UNC. With Garland off the board, the Celtics go with the next best point guard, and he’s a good one — White has excellent size and athleticism, and he can score from every level.

6. Phoenix Suns: Coby White. The point-guard-desperate Suns finally get their primary initiator (and take themselves off the table as one of the teams likely to pursue Rozier).

If the Celtics had this pick: Again, Coby White, for the same reasons listed above.

7. Chicago Bulls: De’Andre Hunter, Virginia. The Bulls have a nice young core in Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter. Hunter gives them spacing and some defensive versatility on the wing.

If the Celtics had this pick: Cam Reddish, Duke. If I were the Celtics, I would gamble on Reddish’s size, athleticism and shooting ability, as well as the chance that playing at Duke limited his effectiveness.

8. Atlanta Hawks: Cam Reddish. Atlanta already has its point guard of the future in Trae Young, and both John Collins and Kevin Huerter look like keepers. Adding Reddish gives their intriguing roster a little more diversity.

If the Celtics had this pick: Cam Reddish. Guys who can score are always useful.

9. Washington Wizards: Brandon Clarke, Gonzaga. What the Wizards will do this offseason remains an open question, but Clarke — an impressive athlete at the four with plenty of length and versatility — would fit in nicely.

If the Celtics had this pick: Brandon Clarke. The Celtics aren’t going to have Al Horford forever, and Clarke would be a nice pick-up to replace some of his defensive versatility.

10. Atlanta Hawks: Jaxson Hayes, Texas. Filling out the roster of young players with a rim-running big who could add more to his game down the road suits Atlanta very well. This would be a nice result for the Hawks.

If the Celtics had this pick: Jaxson Hayes. He wouldn’t be a perfect fit necessarily, but Hayes is too good to pass up.

11. Minnesota Timberwolves: Sekou Doumbouya, France. Minnesota is trying desperately to build a contender around Karl-Anthony Towns, who submitted a wonderful season last year. Doumbouya has plenty of potential as a stretch four, and while he’s raw, he could be one of the draft’s better talents (in the non-Zion division) when he’s fully developed.

If the Celtics had this pick: Romeo Langford, Indiana. Thus starts a run of Langford-to-the-Celtics speculation on my draft board. He feels like a great fit, if he’s still available at 14.

12. Charlotte Hornets: Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga. Hachimura’s athleticism lends him special potential as a slasher and defender. The Hornets need a little bit of everything, but Hachimura could be a start.

If the Celtics had this pick: Romeo Langford. Hachimura is tempting for the Celtics, but we will stick with Langford, who shores up Boston’s guard depth and adds a talent that could start alongside Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, if everything works out.

13. Miami Heat: P.J. Washington, Kentucky. Miami gets a rock-solid big man who can space the floor, post up and move his feet.

If the Celtics had this pick: Romeo Langford. You get the idea.

14. Boston Celtics: Romeo Langford, Indiana. I can’t get a sense of where Langford will end up — he feels like he might last until the Celtics make their selection, but teams might talk themselves into a player who was supposed to be a high lottery pick before dealing with a hand injury all season.

15. Detroit Pistons: Tyler Herro, Kentucky. The Pistons add a valuable shooter to provide some floor spacing around Blake Griffin. Detroit probably remains a few pieces short of a deep playoff contender, but Herro helps.

16. Orlando Magic: Nassir Little, UNC. Orlando is already tough defensively with its length and versatility. Little brings more on the wing. If he can find some semblance of a shot, he could be deadly.

17. Brooklyn Nets: Bol Bol, Oregon. At this point, the Nets are stockpiling assets. Bol’s skills as a shooter/ball-handler at his height make him a high-risk, high-reward prospect, but the risk is significantly lower this late in the first round (especially for a Nets team with another pick).

18. Indiana Pacers: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech. The Pacers could lose several free-agent guards, but Alexander-Walker could help replace them with his ability to score off the dribble and run the offense.

19. San Antonio Spurs: Goga Bitadze, Georgia. Bitadze very well might not slip this far — he seems to be rising up draft boards with his 3-point shooting and passing as a 7-footer — but he would be a perfect fit within San Antonio’s system.

20. Boston Celtics: Talen Horton-Tucker, Iowa State. We keep hammering this, but if the Celtics are going to deal Marcus Smart for Anthony Davis — and essentially any deal for Davis would have to involve Smart — getting a 6-foot-4 ball-handler who can guard positions one through four wouldn’t be a bad move.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Porter Jr., USC. Porter could be useful quickly if he can spot up and knock down 3-pointers in the NBA. His offense could shore up OKC’s bench depth.

22. Boston Celtics: Darius Bazley. Is this insane? Maybe a bit (okay, yes, it is), but the Celtics can afford to gamble on an intriguing young talent with their third pick in the first round. Bazley can handle the ball at 6-foot-9, and he can both pass and get to the rim with his length and athleticism. Other aspects of his game are a work in progress, but he would be an intriguing swing with Boston’s third pick of the first round.

The better bet? The Celtics don’t get to this point, having consolidated picks somewhere along the line.

23. Utah Jazz: Keldon Johnson, Kentucky. Utah bolsters its wing depth with a high-motor shooter who should be able to maximize himself with his work ethic.

24. Philadelphia 76ers: Matisse Thybulle, Washington. The 76ers haven’t always had reliable wing defense coming off the bench. Thybulle is an excellent athlete with great length at 6-foot-5 who looks like a lock-down defender at the next level.

25. Portland Trail Blazers: Mfiondu Kabengele, Florida State. Kabengele has potential as a floor-spacing, rim-protecting five. Jusuf Nurkic should be back next season, but drafting a reliable back-up center might not be a bad move.

26. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Houston): Cameron Johnson, UNC. Cleveland’s second pick of the first round is one of the best shooters in college basketball. At 6-foot-9, Johnson could stick in the league for a while.

27. Brooklyn Nets: Grant Williams, Tennessee. Williams shouldn’t slide this far, but if he does, Brooklyn could be ecstatic to pick him up. He’s a little undersized, but very versatile for his position with good pick-and-pop abilities that stretch to the 3-point line.

28. Golden State Warriors: Chuma Okeke, Auburn. Okeke tore his ACL last season, but he showed a lot of flashes of NBA talent. A 6-foot-8 power forward with good athleticism and wingspan who can shoot 3-pointers, Okeke is a nice fit at the next level despite his lack of elite size.

29. San Antonio Spurs: KZ Okpala, Stanford. Somehow, the Spurs pick up Bitadze and Okpala in the same mock draft here. Okpala struggled as the season went on at Stanford, but he showed flashes of lottery potential with his size, athleticism and ability to score in a variety of ways. San Antonio feels like the perfect place to maximize him.

30. Milwaukee Bucks: Carsen Edwards, Purdue. The Bucks nab a solid back-up point guard option who should be able to fill it up from deep both off the catch and off the dribble.

Original article can be found at www.masslive.com

Why David Price is the Ace of this Staff

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Through 10 starts in 2019, David Price is quietly having one of his best seasons. Since coming to Boston, he had been relegated to a number 2 or 3 starter role, with his ERA through his first four seasons at 3.74.

However, we are now into year four of David Price. And we might finally be reaping the full rewards of what he has to offer. He’s only had a sub-3.00 ERA once since 2012 (in 2015), and right now he’s comfortably under the mark at 2.83.

Right now, his SO/9 has risen to 9.8, which would be tied for the highest single-season mark in his entire career. Finally getting the pitcher that we paid for is truly a fulfilling feeling for both Price, and the fans.

Since giving up eight runs against the Yankees last July, Price has rebounded to post the 5th best ERA in baseball (2.77) in 23 starts. Just another example of the resiliency he continues to show.

David Price last 5 starts:

24 IP, 20 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 22 K. #TheDealer pic.twitter.com/ZwQb5OKuW4
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) June 3, 2019

This isn’t meant to be a shot at Chris Sale. Or to say that his slow start means he’s not the best pitcher on this team. However, even though Sale may be more dominant strikeout-wise, and even though his numbers will improve, Price is still the best pitcher on this staff.

Rising to the Moment

I find that David Price has overcome two massive obstacles in his career. One being his playoff struggles, and one being his Yankee Stadium struggles. Conquering the first brought so much joy to Red Sox and baseball fans alike. Grinding his way through multiple gutsy starts in the 2018 postseason was his hero’s journey.

https://twitter.com/Starting9/status/1056776401666367488

With the postseason struggles in the rearview, it has allowed Price to alleviate so much pressure off his mind and off his shoulders. He came into 2019 with nothing to prove. All he had to do was go out there and pitch. Through 10 starts, he has done exactly that.

So now we get to June 2nd, and David Price is heading into his hell. Yankee Stadium. Price came into this start notorious for struggling in the big moments in front of the roaring crowd of the Bronx. However, Price added another card to his hand on Sunday.

Price went 6 and two thirds, giving up just two runs while striking out 6. He wasn’t perfect, but he pitched great. He got into a few sticky situations and was able to buckle down and work his way out of it. David looked comfortable the entire start, and with another weight off his shoulders Price can only go up from here.

David Price, ladies and gentleman. 👏 pic.twitter.com/U4nql3Jn4W
— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 3, 2019

Having these two things conquered, gives Price even more confidence in his back pocket. Not to say Chris Sale isn’t just as confident, but David has all the pressure off of him. He has that Cy Young. He’s got that World Series ring. He has those dominant performances in the postseason and in Yankee Stadium.

He is the ace of this team because of the adversity he’s faced, how he has handled it and bounced back from it. How he’s used it as a way to move forward and completely control his game, and turn it into something dominant.

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