My thoughts on what the Celtics might offer in a trade for Russell Wetbrook or Blake Griffin

This past week there were rumors of the Celtics trying to swing deals with the Thunder for Russell Westbrook, and the Clippers for Blake Griffin.  We posted roundtable articles on CelticsLife.com in which our writers suggested what Boston might have to give up for Westbrook and Griffin.  Below are my thoughts on each.

Westbrook is a free agent after next season (Griffin could be too):

"I think this is still a deal worth pursuing even with no guarantees [of him re-signing in Boston]. Al Horford is 30 and isn't getting any younger. Next year could well be his best season with the Celtics, why not make the most of it? 

If the Thunder deal Westbrook before the season starts, my guess is they're throwing in the towel on 2016-17 and may well try to tank. I think they'll go for potential more than established players, so C's get to keep Isaiah, Bradley and Crowder. Here's the offer: Smart, Amir Johnson (for salary purposes), 2017 Brooklyn pick, 2018 Celtics pick and two or three of Rozier, Yabusele, Zizic, Mickey, Hunter and Young, depending on who OKC wants. 

Even if Westbrook walks in 2017 you've still got a solid core of Isaiah, Bradley, Brown, Crowder, Horford and the 2018 Nets pick, plus tons of cap room on a team that at the very least just played in the conference finals."

The Griffin rumor included a three-way deal with the Kings, and was reportedly possible without the Celtics giving up either of their Nets draft picks in the next two years:

"The three-team trade might be what makes it possible for Boston to hang on to both Brooklyn picks because Rudy Gay is the centerpiece of what's going to LA:
-Celtics get Griffin
-Clippers get Gay, Bradley [Clippers GM Doc Rivers' guy], Celtics 2018 pick and some form of Young/Hunter/Mickey
-Kings get Amir Johnson, Ante Zizic and Terry Rozier
Even if Celtics lose Blake after a year, they still have Isaiah, Smart, Brown, Crowder, Horford and two Nets picks."

The key part of both deals for me is the Celtics leaving themselves in good position for the future, even if the star they trade for walks after one year.  It's likely a gamble worth taking either way--if they can pull it off.


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Big Papi's new SportsCenter ad, plus Gronk is a terrible Marco Polo player

Here's David Ortiz's latest SportsCenter commercial:



1.  I applaud Papi for his choice of t-shirt.
2.  How pumped do you think Eduardo Rodriguez is that he got to be in this ad with Ortiz and David Price?

And while I'm on the topic of Big Papi commercials, why is Gronk such a terrible Marco Polo player?




RELATED: Music videos from David Ortiz and Rob Gronkowski


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Blake Griffin to Celtics rumor gaining steam, is Kevin Love still a possibility?

From Sean Deveney of the Sporting News:

"The Celtics are up to something. Talk to any front-office executive here at the annual Summer League festivities, and the consensus is that a major deal involving Boston is coming soon." 

"...sources told Sporting News that [Russell] Westbrook’s representatives have been given no word of a potential deal." 

"The likely target for the Celtics, according to front-office sources, is Clippers forward Blake Griffin. The Clippers have been weighing trading Griffin all season, and the possibility of a three-team package involving Sacramento sending Rudy Gay to the Clippers has emerged. The Celtics would give up some number of their upcoming draft picks, but opposing front-office members say they don't want to give up either Brooklyn pick Boston can own in the next two years." 

"The other bit of speculation on the Celtics front is Kevin Love. While several front-office types brought up Love as a Celtics target, none believed that Love would possibly come available in the wake of the Cavs’ championship. Cleveland winning the title has greatly reduced the Kevin Love rumor-mill."

On the Love front, it doesn't sound as if there is anything new here--it's probably just Deveney mentioning a name people have associated with Boston in the past.  In regard's to Griffin, however, this is the same version of a deal we discussed on CelticsLife Tuesday (mentioned by Keith Smith).  It was easy to write off then, but Deveney bringing it up as well makes me think there's actually something too it.

Imagine the possibility of the Celtics getting Griffin without giving up either of their upcoming Nets picks?  Sign me up.  On the other hand, maybe that's the deal breaker that keeps this from actually happening...


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All-Star Game displays Red Sox changing of the guard

The 40-year-old David Ortiz batted cleanup in Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game, immediately followed by Xander Bogaerts fifth, then Mookie Betts seventh and Jackie Bradley Jr. ninth.  All four Red Sox starters reached base, highlighted by Bogaerts' double...

When doesn't #Xman hit? Congrats on an #ASG double! ❌ https://t.co/egOblqRauT pic.twitter.com/kafg5MmBY5

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) July 13, 2016

...and Ortiz's ceremonial exit after being pinch-run for:

Respect. #ASGhttps://t.co/UD0ICIwYmX

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) July 13, 2016

What stood out most to me though, is how this All-Star Game perfectly represented the transition from the ballclub's storied recent history to what is hopefully a very bright future:

This photo of Ortiz + Xander is called Passing of the Torch. Prints available on my website in time for the holidays pic.twitter.com/KT7ywpogrC

— Rich Levine (@rich_levine) July 13, 2016

If only Mookie had been hitting sixth and was standing on the top step of the dugout...

Xander Bogaerts & Mookie Betts are the 2nd pair of teammates 23 or younger to start the ASG as position players: pic.twitter.com/BmWYMGiCzZ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 12, 2016

Those other two guys seemed to work out pretty well for the Sox.


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Tim Duncan is Tom Brady--Imagine if Boston had both?

Tim Duncan retired yesterday after a legendary 19-year NBA career:

Tim Duncan will never know what it feels like to miss the NBA playoffs or even finish the regular season with a losing record.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 11, 2016

Tom Brady has also never had a losing record in 14 seasons as the Patriots' quarterback.  He did, however, miss the playoffs once--in his second year as the starter when New England tied for the AFC East division title at 9-7 but lost a three-way tiebreaker.

Duncan's Spurs went 1001-391 in all regular-season games he played, a .719 winning percentage. Brady owns a 172-51 record in the regular season (.771).

Duncan won five titles and three Finals MVP awards, while Brady has four championships and also three Super Bowl MVPs.  Both players are two-time league MVPs.

Duncan made 15 All-Star teams 19 years.  Brady has been selected for the Pro Bowl 11 times in 15 healthy seasons.

What if Boston had them both?

Reliving the 1997 #NBADraft lottery / Tim Duncan sweepstakes from the #Celtics perspective #WBZ pic.twitter.com/uRXdBF5mNE

— Joe Giza (@JoeGiza) July 11, 2016

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Awesome (not very) Old Song of the Week: "O.N.E." by Yeasayer

I noticed this song in the second episodes of Roadies, which appears to be Cameron Crowe's extended modern-day version of Almost Famous.  I knew I'd heard it before, but I wasn't exactly sure when or where.  I just assumed it was an '80s hit I never learned the name of, but upon further research I've learned that Yeasayer released O.N.E. in 2010:



I guess these guys nailed the "make a new song that sounds like it's from the '80s" concept five years before Walk the Moon did.



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Deep Thoughts, by Jaylen Brown

In the early '90s, Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey was one of the best parts of Saturday Night Live.  I remember thinking this one was particularly funny:

Here's what Celtics rookie Jaylen Brown had to say following a disappointing performance in Boston's 71-62 summer league loss to the Bulls Saturday:

Deep thought of the day from Jaylen Brown: "The biggest room in the world is a room for improvement."

— Brian Robb (@CelticsHub) July 10, 2016

Whoa.


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