Tag Archives: Minnesota

“Mutual Interest” Between Jamal Crawford and Celtics

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Jamal Crawford could be shipping up to Boston.

According to Jared Weiss of the Athletic, there is apparently mutual interest between the 38-year old and the Boston Celtics. The Celtics don’t currently have a roster spot available. However, with the recent fiasco around Jabari Bird, Bird is expected to be released from the roster at some point in the near future. This leaves the door open for the team to sign the 3-time Sixth Man of the Year, likely for a one year contract.

Crawford has had an illustrious career, spanning across eighteen seasons and seven teams. He spent most of his time with the Clippers and the Knicks, being with both for five seasons. Crawford also spent four years with the Bulls, two years with the Hawks, and one season each with Portland, Golden State, and most recently Minnesota. Crawford has produced a stat line of 15 points and 3.4 assists per game over the course of his career. While he only shoots 41% from the field, “JCrossover” is a 35% career three point shooter.

His Fit

The fit with the Celtics is clear. Crawford can become a solid shooting specialist off of the bench. Crawford proved last year with the Timberwolves that he’s still got it, even in the twilight of his career. In 20 minutes per game last year, he averaged 10.3 PPG off the bench for Minnesota. Though his defense is lacking, he would provide an offensive spark that was missing from the second unit last year.

Crawford would also be another veteran presence in the Celtics locker room. Boston is a very young team, and he would join Horford as one of the older players on the team. With a litany of developing guards, Crawford could serve as a useful mentor for the younger players.

If Boston is able to get a deal done, Crawford would be a valuable addition to the team. He would make an already deep squad even deeper if he ends up replacing Bird on the roster. Though he’s nearing the end of his career, he wants to get one more ring, and Boston could end up being the place for him to win one.

Potential Trade Packages for Jimmy Butler

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It looks like All-Star shooting guard, Jimmy Butler, does not want to play in Minnesota anymore. He has grown tired of playing for a young, nonchalant Timberwolves team, according to recent reports. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Butler is looking to team up in free agency with Kyrie next season.

The question is if the Celtics should pursue Butler or wait to see if they can get him in free agency.  Butler has not stated that he is interested in playing for the Celtics, but has said that he would love to team up with Kyrie. Both Kyrie and Jimmy Butler are set to become UFAs in 2019.

With the Golden State Warriors adding Demarcus Cousins to their team, this could be the Celtics counter-move in the war of attrition. Butler has proven that he is top-20 player in the NBA. He is a four-time All Star, Most Improved Player, four-time All-Defensive second team, and two-time All-NBA third team. He even looked like he was on his way to being a nominee for MVP last season before he got injured.

Jimmy had 22.2 PPG, 4.9 APG, 5.3 RPG, and 2.0 SPG in 59 games. Over the past four seasons, he has averaged over 20.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 5.0 RPG. He is an inarguably solid scorer and one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

With Butler saying he won’t re-sign with the T-Wolves next season, he is most likely on the way to the trade block. If the Celtics were going to get him, it would cost some big assets, but nothing too big since Butler already said he is out of Minnesota. Here are some trade packages the Celtics could do for Jimmy Butler:

Terry Rozier, Sacramento/Philadelphia Pick, Marcus Morris

Photo Credit: NESN

This trade involves Terry Rozier, Marcus Morris, and the first round pick which will either be from the 76ers or Kings. Rozier has one year left on his contract and will look to get paid this upcoming season. His role was significantly increased after Kyrie got injured. He started 16 regular season games and all 19 playoff games.

Marcus Morris also has one year left on his contract. Morris was acquired from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Avery Bradley last year.

Lastly, the first round draft pick the Celtics would give up will most likely be a high pick with the recent history. This adds even more value to the pick.

https://twitter.com/TheRenderNBA/status/988941821299625984

Jaylen Brown

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

Jaylen Brown has been thrown into a lot of trade scenarios this offseason. Brown was the third overall pick by the Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft. He showed last year why he was selected so high with 14.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, and starting in every game in which he played (70). Jaylen is one of the best perimeter defenders in the Eastern Conference. He is a target of interest for many teams. However, Brown looks to be a future all-star in the NBA and would be tough to give up.

Other Considerations

If the Celtics do acquire Jimmy Butler, they would have no cap space to sign Marcus Smart. The Celtics are placed in a tough scenario with Jimmy Butler. Butler and Kyrie want to play together, but the C’s would have to break up the core chemistry to acquire him.

But at the end of the day, Celtics are among the favorites to make it out of the East. Jimmy Butler could be the reason the Celtics hang banner number 18.

On This Day in Red Sox History: Baseball Is Back!

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On April 26, 1995, baseball returned to Boston. The strike was finally over and there was to be baseball again at Fenway Park. The prior season had been cut short due to the strike in August. In addition, the new season was getting a late start, causing a very long winter for baseball fans. On this day however, baseball was back and the Red Sox were playing host to the Twins to begin a new season.

A New Team

The Red Sox brought a new look team with them following the strike. The Butch Hobson era was mercifully over, as the team finished under .500 all three seasons with him at the helm. In came former Rangers manager Kevin Kennedy to take his place. In the starting lineup on Opening Day, the Sox featured four brand new players. Luis Alicea was the leadoff hitter in his first game with the club. Mark Whiten was in the lineup as was new catcher Mike Macfarlane. The most notable addition to the lineup however was the designated hitter, Jose Canseco. Canseco was coming off a 31 home run season despite the shortened year. He had been acquired from Texas for center fielder Otis Nixon and prospect Luis Ortiz and was expected to add some thump to the lineup alongside Mo Vaughn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Season Gets Underway

With Roger Clemens beginning the season on the disabled list, the Red Sox sent Aaron Sele to the mound for the opener. Sele was looked to as the de facto ace after having gone 15-9 with a 3.35 ERA over his first two seasons. He was opposed on the mound by Scott Erickson, despite the fact Erickson had lost 30 games over the past two seasons with an ERA above 5.00.

A Jose Canseco single in his first Red Sox at-bat highlighted a scoreless first inning. Sele cruised through the second with three ground ball outs. In the bottom half, another newcomer (Mark Whiten) started the inning with a base hit. A passed ball advanced him to second and Mike Greenwell promptly drove him across the plate with a single to score the Red Sox first run of the new season.

The Red Sox threatened in the third when John Valentin tripled. However, Jose Canseco popped out to end the inning with a chance to give his new fans something to cheer about. The Sox got two more on base in the fourth yet failed to score. Meanwhile, Aaron Sele was dealing, allowing just the walk to the opening batter of the game through four innings.

Aaron Sele autographing baseballs for kids. (Boston.com)

Red Sox Take Charge

Sele allowed his first hit leading off the fifth, but retired the next three batters to conclude his day with two baserunners allowed over five shutout innings. In the bottom half of the inning, Luis Alicea got aboard with his first Red Sox base hit. After a Jose Canseco walk, Mo Vaughn hit a line drive to right-center that got down for a hit and scored Alicea. The Red Sox led 2-0 after five.

After prospect Frankie Rodriguez set the Twins down in order on eight pitches, the Red Sox bats went to work. Carl Willis (the future pitching coach of the Red Sox) replaced Mark Guthrie with one out and walked Mike Macfarlane. Tim Naehring bunted him over to second to get a man in scoring position with two outs; then the rally began. The nine-hole hitter, Lee Tinsley, came through with a run scoring single to center. After he stole second, Willis issued back-to-back walks to Luis Alicea and John Valentin. The bases were loaded with the big bats coming up. Jose Canseco lined one into center field to score two and the Sox were ahead 5-0.

With Mo Vaughn due up the Twins went to the left-handed Vince Horsman. That decision did not fare any better than the one to go to Willis. Big Mo doubled off the lefty to score both Valentin and Canseco. A walk to Mark Whiten was followed by another RBI hit for Mike Greenwell and Horsman’s day was over without recording an out. Mo Sanford hit Mike Macfarlane with a pitch to load the bases back up. Tim Naehring then hit a ball that was stopped by Scott Leius, but he had no play to make. The infield hit scored another run and the Sox had a 7 run sixth inning.

Red Sox Win First Game Big Following Strike

The rest of the game was rather uneventful with the Sox having a big lead. The Twins only got one more hit against three different pitchers. Mike Greenwell ended up collecting his fourth hit of the game, finished Opening Day 4-5 with 2 runs batted in. The pairing of Jose Canseco and Mo Vaughn in the middle of the order got off to a good start, with Mo Vaughn driving in three and Canseco bringing home two. They would end up flip-flopping spots in the lineup after just a few games, with Vaughn batting third and Canseco batting cleanup for most of the next two seasons. Baseball was back, and the Red Sox had a 9-0 win to start the season.

1995 Red Sox team photo (Bostonredsox.com)

 

Feature picture from WCVB TV