Tag Archives: Blake Griffin

Five Power Forward Trade Options for the Boston Celtics

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This summer the Boston Celtics lost center Al Horford in Free Agency, a player that some considered to be the most valuable on the roster, as well as their starting power forward Marcus Morris. They even traded away center Aron Baynes, the Celtics answer to Embiid and Giannis. While they did sign Enes Kanter, among other role players to replace the losses, they still lack a sure starter at the four.

Today we will look at five potential trade acquisitions to fill the void and how you may be able to seize an inside track with power pay or something like it.

Paul Millsap

Yes, he is 34 and past his prime. But he is valuable in both his ability to lead a squad of younger players, as well his contract, which is expiring after this season. His offensive game is similar to that of Horford’s, and Millsap is even a better rebounder. But his best asset is his ability to anchor the defense, just like Horford. The Nuggets would most likely trade him because they fear losing him for nothing, as well as the prospect of getting young players. A deal with the Nuggets could potentially be a swap of Brown, Hayward, and a first rounder for Millsap and Grant.

Blake Griffin

Griffin, a top 20 player in the league, once again has a chance of joining the Celtics. The athletic “point” forward displayed quite possibly his best season yet last year, coming back strong from an only 25 game season prior. He’s not only a superb scorer, but he can pass and rebound as well. While he wouldn’t have the same defensive presence as Horford or Millsap, he is definitely not a liability. The Pistons, of course, would have to decide to start towards a rebuild, similar to the Thunder. That is more likely than people think, as the Pistons only went 41-41 WITH Griffin performing at a high level, as well as the fact that Drummond could opt out after this season.

The problem with getting him would be the surely high asking price. The Celtics would need to give up multiple young players like Brown, Edwards, Grant Williams, or maybe even Tatum as well as picks. But just imagine the all-star team up of Walker and Griffin, and Walker dishing out lobs for Griffin on the fast break!

Serge Ibaka

The Raptors have lost Kawhi ,and have no other smart direction to go besides a rebuild. They have many solid young role players, but only one young star at the power forward position in Pascal Siakam. That means they have no room for Ibaka. He is an older, win now player at the same position as Siakam, the same position the Celtics need. He is also on an expiring contract. The Raptors will consider something as simple as a young bench player plus a pick to suffice.

And he is more than worth it. Ibaka is coming off one of his best years in the league, where he showed off his ability to score, rebound, and be the defensive anchor that the Celtics need. Yes, he isn’t the best three-point shooter or passer, but he doesn’t need to be in an offense with Kemba and Tatum. It is about time we bring the king of blocks to Boston.

LaMarcus Aldridge

It is no secret that he hasn’t had the best relationship with the Spurs. There have even been recent reports about wanting to go back to Portland. But Boston seems just as likely a destination. Aldridge is next to unstoppable in the post, and his game has aged well as a result. The improvements he’s made to his outside shot, and on the defensive end, also show that even at an older age he can still improve to be an even better star. With two years left on his contract and the wish to leave, all Boston has to do is dangle Brown or Smart, as well as a pick or two, in front of the Spurs to achieve a trade.

Kevin Love

What may be the most likely trade option, Love could surprise people with a comeback season comparable to that of Griffin’s if he joins the Celtics. Love’s ability to play off ball allows him to thrive in virtually any system, especially that of the Celtics. It also wouldn’t affect the development of Tatum like some of the other options would. While he doesn’t address the Celtics need at the defensive end, he would make their offense one of the scariest in the whole league. His contract isn’t as bad as it once looked, as it isn’t a top-20 contract and it would end when he is about 34. What the Celtics would need to give up is one of the Williams’ and about three first rounders.

Are all of these trades a bit risky? Yes. But the payoff could be huge and allow for the Celtics to compete with conference foes like the  Bucks and 76ers, as well as the new duo’s of the West.

Featured image via The Undefeated

Celtics Edge Pistons 108-105: Three Takeaways

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Tuesday night’s action was a welcome sight to sore eyes in Boston. The wait for Kyrie Irving, the Celtics star point guard, to score a lot of points and shake the monkey off of his back is finally over.

Irving scored 31, his highest point total of the season thus far, and added 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal to his game totals as well. Irving, with a freshly shaven head, seems to have moved on from his horrid start to the season that saw him averaging just 14 points per game through the first six games, and a stretch where he eclipsed 20 points just twice, an scored a career low, 3 points in 23 minutes, against the Pistons on October 27th.

Let’s jump into this game and see what we can takeaway from it.

Kyrie looked like his old self again

Photo courtesy of @BCelticNews

Kyrie Irving started this season with an Afro. It was a new look for Kyrie, and he didn’t perform well. Hours before the game, he posted on Instagram that he had shaved the Afro away to his more traditional look.

Kyrie has really struggled this season to get going, and it must have been really frustrating for him. To finally shake (er, rather, shave) the monkey off of his back and have a solid game must feel great, and hopefully he can continue with that.

His shot chart looked better too, as you can observe for yourself down below. The most encouraging thing that we saw from Kyrie last night is he had his step back. Check out the video I attached that’s blowing up #NBATwitter.

Kyrie Irving’s shot chart 10/30/2018 Vs Detriot. Courtesy of basketballreference.com

What’s going on with Kyrie?

Kyrie’s game has always been his ability to score at the basket, and then come back down the court and knock down a pull up three. He’s always been an offensive weapon more than anything else.

Yesterday, he struggled in his usual game, the mid range. As you can see, he missed everything from the high post. Still, despite that, Kyrie looked smooth on the court. We’ve wanted to see that for a while now, where Kyrie can just settle into his game. He did so, and in a beautiful fashion.

Another crazy stat: Kyrie scored the same amount of points alone in the third quarter than the entire Pistons team scored (13). This speaks volumes on the defense that the Celtics are capable of playing.

Seeing Kyrie shoot 10 of 16 from the floor (4 of 7 from behind the line) is extremely encouraging as a Celtics fan. With his struggles from the floor all season, we all love that he has gotten back into things with a special game in a crunch-time moment.

The Celtics have had an answer for Blake Griffin

Photo courtesty @celticsblog

When the Celtics beat the Pistons on Saturday Night, 109-89, they held Blake Griffin to just 7 points. Not so much the case in this game, as Griffin led his team with a bruising 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Griffin had been pretty effective from beyond the three point line so far this year before his couple of games against the Celtics. Going into last nights game, he was 15 of 27 on the season from that range, getting basically any shot he wanted.

Griffin had never been that kind of a player, until last year, when he started taking more three’s. He still wasn’t a great three point shooter, but apparently it’s something he’s working very diligently at adding to his arsenal. This season, he’s been shooting lights out.

Part of the equation for Blake so far this year is no one has known how to defend him.  They can’t cover him like an above ground pool cover pump. He’s hitting three’s and driving to the basket. If you try to defend his three point shot, he drives around you to get the uncontested lay-up. What do you do as a defender?

The Celtics switched to Zone Defense.

The Celtics spent a lot of their time last night in a 3-2 zone. They know that Detroit really doesn’t have any serious perimeter shooting threats, and decided that they could place their four and five defending the low post. Because Jaylen Brown is an over-sized guard who can play forward, he could contest Griffin on any three he might try to take. If Griffin tried to drive around him, he would run into Jayson Tatum or Al Horford on the low post.

The Celtics are the first team so far this year who had an answer for Griffin, and held him to his two lowest point totals this season. In Griffin’s 3rd quarter shift, Detroit was -15 on the floor.  It’s truly special that Boston held him to 31 points in two games.

 Aron Baynes is a better player this year

Photo courtesy of @BostonSportsBSJ

We really weren’t sure what to expect from Aron Baynes this season. Last season, he was certainly a valuable defender, but I certainly didn’t expect to see the offensive output that Baynes has added to the bench.

To put into perspective, Baynes averaged 6 points per game last season. He was a board guy, took a three once every 3 games, and only hit 14.3% from that range.

This season, he’s hitting 40% from that range, and is averaging 8 points per game. I don’t think there is a game he hasn’t hit a 3 point shot in yet this season. He’s on fire from deep.

Baynes has been missed the last couple of games as he dealt with a hamstring injury. When Daniel Theis went down injured, Baynes was brought back to the active roster.

What a welcome addition, too. He scored 9 last night, 2nd most off the bench, and grabbed 5 boards, shooting 3 of 5 from the floor. Good to have you back on the court, Aron.

Overall…

Despite this ball game being a good bit closer than any of us wanted to see, the Celtics got the win, extended their win streak to 3, and get ready for an All Saints Day match-up with the Milwaukee Bucks on TNT, Thursday, November 1st. It should be a good one folks. Stay tuned.

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Which NBA teams should Celtics fans keep an eye on?

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The Boston Celtics will be must-see TV with superstars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward returning. It will be important for Celtics fans to pay attention to other NBA teams as well because they will determine the placement of Boston’s draft picks at the end of the year.

In order to make mid-first-round draft picks sound exciting, the following is a list of notable Boston Celtics first-round draft selections outside of the lottery: Terry Rozier (No. 16 – 2015), Avery Bradley (No. 19 – 2010), Gerald Green (No. 18 – 2007), Al Jefferson (No. 15 – 2004), Rick Fox (No. 24 – 1991), Reggie Lewis (No. 22 – 1987)

Memphis Grizzlies

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Mike Conley (11) of the Memphis Grizzlies flexes during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. (Photo from TheCommercialAppeal.com)

In 2015, the Celtics, Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans orchestrated a three-team trade sending forward Jeff Green from Boston to Memphis in exchange for Austin Rivers, Tayshaun Prince, and a protected future first-round pick. Rivers would eventually be traded to the Clippers for a second-round pick. Prince went to the Pistons in a three-team deal involving Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics still hold the Grizzlies’ draft pick, which will be protected if it falls in between No. 1 and No. 8 in 2019 or No. 1 and No. 6 in 2020, and will be unprotected in 2021.

Last season, Memphis finished 14th in the Western Conference with a 22-60 record. With the return of Mike Conley from injury, as well as the emergence of former Celtic MarShon Brooks, the Grizzlies may improve. If that is the case, the Celtics may get their hands on a draft pick in the back half of the lottery. Although if the Grizzlies are to struggle, it may be another season or two until the Celtics see any further return on Jeff Green.

Los Angeles Clippers

During the 2016 NBA Draft, the Celtics traded picks 31 (Deyonta Davis) and 35 (Rade Zagorac) to the Memphis Grizzlies for a future 2019 first-round pick from the Clippers. Boston still owns the Clippers pick, which is lottery protected in both 2019 and 2020. If Los Angeles has not conveyed the pick by then, they will instead convey a 2022 second-round selection.

With the Clippers returning to mediocrity, it seems unlikely the Celtics will receive compensation any time soon. Last season, the Clippers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010-11. With the departures of Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan, not one of their remaining players has ever appeared in an All-Star game.

When the Clippers inevitably struggle, it will be detrimental for Boston. Their best-case scenario would be to receive a first-round pick outside of the lottery. Celtics fans should be rooting for Doc Rivers once more, because the more the Clipper lose, the longer the Celtics will have to wait for a return.

Sacramento Kings

Celtics

Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) dribbles up court during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Prior to the 2017 NBA Draft, Danny Ainge made a bold, but brilliant trade, moving the No. 1 draft pick (Markelle Fultz) to the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 overall pick (Jayson Tatum) and a future first-round pick in 2018 from the Los Angeles Lakers. Boston would only receive the Lakers pick if it was between No. 2 and No. 5, which it was not, however. So, Philadelphia will send Boston the better of their own or the Sacramento Kings 2019 first-round picks.

Celtics fans should not expect to receive the 76ers pick, as they finished third in the Eastern Conference last season and have two of the NBA’s brightest young talents in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Rather, Celtic’s fans should expect to receive the Kings pick, as they are clearly the inferior team, finishing 12th in the Western Conference last season. It will be important to keep an eye on De’Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings, as they could have a dreadful season, which would drastically assist Boston come draft day.

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The Blake Griffin Trade from a Competition Point of View

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Earlier this week the Clippers sent shock waves throughout the NBA when they traded their star Blake Griffin to the Pistons. Our old pal Avery Bradley was also a part of the deal and will now be making LA his home after a minor stint in Detroit. The Clippers also received Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, a 1st round pick and a 2nd round pick. The Pistons received Willie Reed and Brice Johnson in addition to Griffin. I guess getting a max deal doesn’t mean ****.

Shaking Up the East

The Eastern Conference is already more competitive than it has been in recent years. But this desperate move by the Pistons to save this season has just made it more interesting, and I didn’t even think that was possible. On Tuesday night, they beat the Cavs to end an eight-game losing streak. They now sit in ninth behind the 76ers at 23-26. But I can see them sneaking into the top eight, and here’s why:

  • The Wizards are losing John Wall for the next two months due to a knee injury. This means that Beal will have to carry this team the rest of they way. I think it’ll be hard for the Wizards to win enough games to get where they want to be. I mean, they had a hard enough time when they had Wall AND the 4th easiest schedule. Now, they have one of the hardest schedules left and no Wall. Anything can happen.
  • Even though the Cavs sit in third, they still have some discord that needs to be harmonized. I know LeBron tried to fix it a bit by picking Kevin Love for his All-Star team, but I.T. is still feeling singled out. In addition, Love is now out with a broken hand for six to eight weeks. Bad luck all around; the Cavs need his scoring, especially since their defense is garbage.

Blake Griffin vs Celtics

When the Cs played the Clippers on January 24th, Blake Griffin had 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. His shooting wasn’t up to par, but he still found a way to put points on the board. Fortunately we won that game 113-102, but it wasn’t easy. And make no mistake — Griffin played a role. Now, the Cs must face him again when they play the Pistons on February 23rd. It was already a difficult match up when Detroit didn’t have a 5x All-Star, so imagine how it will be come the 23rd. The Pistons beat the Cs 118-108 in November, but then lost in December 91-81, splitting the series so far. Can a banged up Celtics team take the series from Detroit 2-1? Hopefully by then, everyone will be feeling close to 100% and if we’re lucky maybe Blake Griffin aggravates an old injury. Just saying!

Still Time for Things to Change?

I think the Pistons have caused a minor panic by trading for Griffin. Everyone knows he’s the real deal and can rejuvenate that team, so no one is taking this lightly. The Cavs have been talking about some possible trades, but the one that I heard could be a definite is the George Hill trade. Unfortunately, analysts have said this wouldn’t help their defensive woes, which should be their #1 priority right now. But the Celtics and Danny Ainge NEED to do something with the DPE they received for the Hayward injury. I think they need someone who can come in and be a consistent secondary scorer and who is also top-notch on defense. And they need this someone ASAP.

The East has outdone the West in competition thus far. Fresh faces in the playoff race. Bring it!

Jayson Tatum Wins Eastern Conference Rookie of Month for December

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NOT A TRADE CHIP, A BUILDING BLOCK

When I was 19, I was just trying to figure out how to pay rent and tuition. At the same age, Jayson Tatum is proving he can play at a high level in the NBA despite still being in his teens. Plus, I can only assume has no problems paying bills on time. It’s easy to see Tatum is light years ahead of his peers, but hard to imagine what his ceiling might be.

“I don’t think water will find its level because I don’t think there’s a level with Tatum, because he’s so young. I think he’s untouchable. He has the potential, from what we’ve seen … to be a multi-time All Star in this league.” -Mike Gorman, Boston Celtics Broadcaster (reeling Tommy Heinsohn back in for over 30 years)

STRONG ROOKIE CLASS

Ben Simmons is better than anyone in this class right now, but he’s not exactly in this class. It’s almost a shame he’s considered a rookie. It’s robbing us of what is probably going to be an incredible race for second in the ROY running. This is a strong rookie class, with some guys showing star potential. Lottery picks like Donovan Mitchell, Lauri Markkanen, Dennis Smith Jr. and Tatum are showing the future of the league is in good hands. Others further down the draft board such as Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Bell & Dillon Brooks are a testament to the depth of the class. Plenty of other rookies are getting opportunities and showing signs of being contributors early in their careers.

Even without Simmons in the mix, Tatum would have a tough time winning the award. This is a strong class with the unique blend of depth to compliment the heavy hitters at the top. Donovan Mitchell has already had a 41 point game, something that hasn’t been done by a rookie since Blake Griffin in 2011. He was the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December. Tatum winning the same award in the East over Simmons shows the race for ROY isn’t over yet.

At the end of the day, Tatum just doesn’t have a big enough role offensively to win the award. While it is increasing by the game, he won’t come close to the usage rate of Simmons (23.9) or Mitchell (27.6). Tatum is sitting at 17.7, but is also chipping in 4.9 win shares through 42 games, good for 13th in the entire NBA. This is where you can start to see the difference in Tatum and rookies on teams that aren’t winning. He is learning how to win from guys that have done it early in his career. This is something that can’t be overstated for his development. The sky really is the limit with this kid.

TAKING IT IN STRIDE

Stevens trusts Tatum despite his teenager status. Further, he wants the youngster in the game late, especially if it’s close. Some might say Stevens leaves him in so he can learn and get better. It’s also because he is one of the best options Stevens has at his disposal. The rookie has shown the ability to make the right play, and is starting to find his spots to be aggressive offensively. This has resulted in some big-time finishes at the rim in addition to his elite shooting from deep. He has been in the top 10 in 3pt% the entire season thus far. If Stevens is serious about upping Tatum’s touches in the second half of the season, teams could be in trouble. His efficiency might take a hit, but his overall production should be on the rise.

CLUTCH TIME

Tatum has been impressive late in games, and definitely has the clutch gene. His calm and collected approach towards life is unwavering in heated moments on the big stage. It’s rare for a rookie to have such a big role, especially in the 4th quarter on a talent-rich team. More impressively, his clutch time numbers are truly jaw-dropping. He has 45 points on 71% shooting in the last 5 min when the game is within 5.

“Some people have it and some people don’t. It’s just as simple as that. I think he’s pretty much shown that he can play, as people say, with the big boys at the end of the game.”       -Kyrie on Tatum in the clutch

Further, he’s 3/4 in the last minute when the game is on the line. When the game gets hectic, it slows down for Tatum. Nothing seems to shake his confidence. After his recent Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award, Stevens did his part to keep Tatum level-headed, not that he needed it.

“I sent him a text that there’s a lot of things that can derail forward progress.” -Stevens, when asked about Tatum’s achievement

WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Danny Ainge traded the #1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft fro the #3 pick and a future pick. After selecting Tatum 3rd overall, he stated he would’ve taken the Duke product at 1 if he didn’t make the deal. It was a risk, but he got his man. Still, the rookie has gone above and beyond what Ainge thought he was capable of already in his young career.

“We’ll see what minutes [Tatum] will earn. I’m not worried about how they will play when the lights go on. It will be unlikely that Jayson is Rookie of the Year because it will probably come from a team that starts their rookies and plays them 35 minutes a night.” -Danny Ainge, before the season started

A guy who should be a sophomore in college right now is instead beating out NBA vets for starting roles on the NBA’s best team. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He is already able to impact the game on both ends of the floor, and is contributing to winning on the highest level. Yet, he still has a long ways to go. What is sure to be a long and achievement-filled career has only just begun. The Tatum hype train, now far past Boston and still gaining steam, is running out of room for passengers.

“It will be four, five, six years before we see his best,” Ainge said. “The question will be how badly he wants to keep working to get better.”