Trade Talk: Brown vs. George + Draft Picks

I'm writing this post while neglecting other trades that recently occurred, because I'm tired of people making it sound like trading Brown for George + a couple of prime picks is like some historically bad deal.  In fact all things considered, outside of Boston now having to pay Paul's contract, this actually looks like a good trade.

WHAT WENT WRONG IN BOSTON?

Of course I don't know what exactly went wrong with the Celtics, but based on what I've observed, I can speculate.  As far as this past season goes, it all started with the team overachieving and looking more or less like contenders, even without Jayson Tatum.

Now I don't really want to get too deep here.  But there can be confusion - for lack of better word - if a successful team is able to achieve even without its franchise player.  We've seen it happen before, with the 1990s' Bulls for instance.

So the season is winding down, and Boston is like what, the second seed?  This is despite virtually no one, when it all began, expecting them to be competitive without Jayson.  So why rush him back once he did become (briefly) playable?

This is something I recently wrote about, and it's not an easy fix, because no one can see the future.  For instance, a couple of months ago I was arguing that Cunningham should just take the rest of the (post)season off instead of coming back immediately after suffering a "collapsed lung"(!).  But he came back anyway and proved instrumental in the Pistons at least not being totally embarrassed in the playoffs.

Tatum came back, and I remember he had one really heroic game against the 76ers in the postseason.  People were actually predicting, when he returned, that the Celtics would make the Finals.  That foretelling didn't age well at all.

So what I'm imagining, when Boston did get eliminated, is Brown, who had like his best regular season ever, was like 'did they really have to bring him back so soon?'  You know, dude coming into the lineup - starting even - and then getting re-injured at the time it matters most.  Is that actually good for the on-court chemistry of a team that was overachieving without him?  Considering that they had a better regular season record than Philly, is it possible that could have beat them without the distraction of Tatum's unpredictable health?

To be totally honest no, I don't think the Celtics would have beaten the Sixers, and the series might have been even worse for them without Tatum.  But I'm trying to make a point.

JAYLEN BROWN VS. COLORISM

Also, as I've been noting for years, Brown is a regular victim of colorism.  Dude is unapologetically Black yet plays for the only team in the NBA with a White male mascot.

The Celtics are an 'Irish' organization, and their most-popular iteration of the modern era was with a core of White players.  So who do you think is going to get more love, not only from Boston but the NBA at large - Jaylen Brown, or yellow-ass Jayson Tatum?

So you see, this isn't a Jordan vs. Pippen kinda of comparison.  As for Scottie, yes, I believe he'll never be truly recognized for how great he was.  He was more versatile than Michael, and he almost led the Bulls to the Finals - if not for a controversial call in favor of the Knicks - without Jordan.  But you'll never ever - ever, ever, ever - hear anyone argue that Pippen was actually a better player.

The same is not the case with Brown vs. Tatum.  I've been saying for years that they're just as good or, if anything, Jaylen is better, if even only slightly.  He may not as marketable or popular, but he isn't an inferior player, even if Tatum gets more love.

So what all these people who're criticizing the trade are saying under their breaths is something like 'wow, these guys actually traded away their best player'.  And the further implication is that if anyone were to be swapped in a major trade, it should have been Jayson instead.

PAUL GEORGE ≠ BUM

Paul George may be overpaid AF, but he isn't a bum.  Under his current contract, PG13 is making $50+mil/year(!).  He signed that deal as recently as 2024, not way back in the day, when he was considered a potential MVP.

As of the mid-2020s, we're now later in George's career, whereas has never led a team to the Finals and is regularly injured, to the point of him being out is disappointing but not unexpected.  So why give him so much money?  Remember that the Clippers, aka Steve Ballmer, also gave dude like $200mil back in 2020.  And I'll just leave it at that.

This past postseason, Paul managed to suit up for all Philly's games and averaged an admirable 16p.  He may not be the PG13 of old, but he can still score prolifically, as displayed in a couple of those playoff contests.  He's still a threat that opposing defenses have to acknowledge or, you know, ignore at your own risk.

AND DON'T FORGET THE DRAFT PICKS

Also the Celtics got what, two first-rounders and two second-rounders out of the deal?  So they traded one future HOFer for another, albeit the latter aged.  On top of that, they got draft picks which, to my understanding, are unprotected.  So Brad Stevens and co. gave up a disgruntled two-way star for a palatable one-way star and got some strong future security in the process.

When trading a superstar, there's really only two options.  You can swap him straight-up for another superstar.  Brown for Giannis may have been fair and square.  But TF wants to go to the Bucks, an organization not only in the boondocks but also one that doesn't look like it's going to win anything soon?

Or you can trade him for a lesser player(s) or/and some picks.  PG13 is still an offensive A-lister.  Meanwhile, Tatum, White, etc. are around, and Boston also acquired Mitchell Robinson, i.e. teammates who can help mitigate George's defensive deficiencies.   Is that really a bad trade?

Brown + Tatum have been together what, eight seasons, but only produced one championship.  So yes, it's possible that maybe now, all things considered, having both of them around is overkill.  We need to finally prove who's the superior player.

And that's the best part about it, imo.  Now we're finally going to see Brown vs. Tatum, head-to-head, in meaningful, competitive games - not some Lebron Era allstar shit - while both are still more or less in their prime and on teams with championship aspirations, not aged and symbolic, like Jordan was when he competed against Pippen later down the line.

CONCLUSION

After all this time, Jaylen Brown needed to go to a 'Black' team.  He won Finals MVP a couple of seasons ago and also just made a strong case for regular-season MVP, on a team that no one expected to do shit.  But as you can see, Tatum is still Boston's favorite, so apparently there's nothing Jaylen can do can change that.

It may all sound petty, you know, when dudes are getting paid gazillions of dollars.  But we're all still human, i.e. emotional beings, nonetheless.

Shoutout to Kyle Lowry

I first became aware of Kyle Lowry circa 2010, back when I was playing fantasy basketball.  During that era, I wasn't watching games or highlights, and I also wasn't reading the news regularly.  I was only focused on stats, and that's when I definitively became an NBA guru.  When you're reading stats without even knowing how most players look, it's a lot easier not to form favorites and to be objective.

This was when Lowry was on the Rockets, and I'm looking at dude's stats like 'wow, I never heard of him before, but he's really good, like allstar-ish'.  The way I remember it - I don't know if this is actually accurate or not.  But the way I remember it, he was totally under the radar and underrated, sorta like Brunson was a couple of seasons ago.  So Houston didn't really try to keep him, and he ended up on the Raptors, on that team alongside DeMar DeRozan that was really, really good but could never get pass Lebron.  I predicted to myself, based on stats without even knowing how dude looked, that he was an allstar on the low, that all he needed was the right opportunity, and that prediction came true in Toronto.

WHAT'S ALL THE CONFUSION FOR?

This story that he's about to retire, I first came across it a couple of weeks ago, via Yahoo!Sports.  Concurrently, there was another headline indicating that Kyle didn't actually announce his retirement, and that it was like fake news.

Well apparently, now that NBC is reporting it also, it wasn't false after all.  And concerning all this confusion, what I'm imagining is that maybe Lowry didn't want to retire, but, you know, better to just call it quits than end up an unsigned free agent after a storied career.  And if that's true, I'm kinda wondering why Toronto couldn't just give me a vet min, 13th-man-on-the-bench kinda contract.  I'm imagining that he can still go out there and produce on a high level (offensively) for like three or four minutes a night, like he was recently doing with the Sixers.

FORGET THE GRAVY

Kyle is also, by the looks of things, like the fattest guy in the NBA.  I don't know if that's actually fat under there, but he's really stocky for a professional basketball player.  Those kind of short, heavy PGs don't usually last long, thus indicating how strong he actually is.  But I'm sure I even said in this blog a couple of years ago, when he was with the Heat, that dude needed to drop some weight.

Maybe, if Kyle were a bit thinner, he'd be of more value, even this late in the game(?).  But at the same time, damn, 20 whole years - for a PG at that?  I criticize the Lebron Era a lot, for turning superstars into divas and making the All-Star Game suck.  But apparently, one positive is dudes now starting to push for 20-year careers standard.

It would've been kinda cool to see him back in a Raptors' uniform, even if only symbolically, i.e. as a 'locker room presence', now that Kawhi has also returned.  So, let's say there's like a ghost living in the locker room.  Would he also classify as a 'locker room presence'?

Concerning that championship that Kyle won against the Warriors, I don't remember much about that postseason but do recall that Leonard was the star of the team, but still, Lowry played a pivotal (and starting) role.  In memorializing him upon his retirement, the organization pointed out that he helped bring Toronto (and Canada) its first NBA championship, which is very much true.

CONCLUSION

I guess the moral of the story, all things considered, is that if you do want to pull a Lebron out this piece, you know, playing for 20+ years, then you should watch your weight also.  It's amusing to occasionally see a nigga looking poké but at the same time, you know what I'm saying?

Either way, shoutout to Kyle Lowry.  Vinsanity was the first superstar to grace Canada, but Lowry was like the second-ish and furthermore, instrumental in bringing a ring up there.  But yeah, retire my nigga, and hey, extra gravy from here on in.  If someone made you retire, they're probably doing you a favor on the low.  You don't want to be out chasing around these new, young whippersnappers.  

Lebron in the Mix

It’s pretty amazing that Lebron “Rushmore” James is still demanding this much attention as a free agent.

I’ve been advocating the idea of him going to the Pistons.  Yes, there are a lot of teams out there that could use LBJ.  When I made that suggestion for instance, that was before the Sixers acquired Brown.

Still, I can totally see Lebron helping the Detroit win a championship, because more than anything last postseason they needed another superstar scorer.  More than on any other true ‘contender’ in this conversation, King James’s defensive deficiencies would have been mitigated in the Motor City, you know, before they lost Stewart

That’s why it’s kinda hard for me to envision him on the Nuggets or Timberwolves.  If this was prime, still-interested-in-playing-defense Lebron, him + Jokic would definitely win a championship.  And I guess with Watson around and moving James to the 3, it might work.  But then, what’s going to happen to Cam Johnson?  And you have to presume that Christian Braun isn’t particularly exuberant about sticking around.  You helped dudes win a championship, but now they’re more interested in signing a former rival.

With the T-Wolves, taking nothing away from Gobert + McDaniels, but the defensive burden, as a starting 4, would be too much.  Remember that the Spurs and Thunder are still out there.  You wouldn’t want, for instance, “the Highlander” being stuck in a situation where he has to defend Wemby during a history-defining possession.

LEBRON A SIXER?

That’s one of the reasons why, out of the teams he suggested, the Sixers may make the most sense, because he’ll not only be in the East but playing alongside Jaylen Brown.  It remains to be concluded, but Brown may be one of those Kawhi types who can elevate an entire team’s defense.  Lebron + Embiid being tasked with defending the box isn’t ideal and may not happen consistently anyway given Joel’s health.  But I think inspiration + talent can carry this squad through.  The Sixers haven’t won anything of late but still are one of the most respected franchises in the league.

It isn’t only about if James can still play at a high level.  It’s about, at his age and with his résumé, what would inspire him to play defense every time he’s on the court?

Son is in his 40s.  He can just forget shit for a couple seconds like ‘oh shit Lebron, dude just ran right by you’.  So you don’t want to put him on a team where he might get bored halfway through the season.

You wouldn’t want to put him on a squad, like the two aforementioned, where there’s a possibility that they could still be mediocre.  You know what I’m saying?  He’s going to take a below-average contract.  So you don’t want December rolling around and dude is like ‘man, I’m not getting paid anyway, so fuck it’.

SHOUTOUT TO DAVION MITCHELL

I also like the Heat, and this is something I would really like to point out in this post.  Notice when Lebron, via Rich Paul, was giving a shoutout to Miami’s roster, the first player he mentioned wasn’t Bam or Giannis but Davion Mitchell.  That, my friend, is inspiration.

Also, even more than the Pistons were last season, we have to now presume that Miami is a defensive juggernaut in the post.  Andrew Wiggins is another above-average defensive player I think.   The way dudes’ G core got gutted these past couple of seasons isn’t ideal.  But defensively, remember that Bam and Giannis can also play the perimeter.

A NAKED FACE

The reason I don’t think a reunion with the Cavs would work comes down to two words - the Beard.  There’s no reason to have both Lebron and Harden on the same squad, because both are (divas and) best on the ball.  It also kinda puzzles me sometimes how the Beard is still demanding near-max money, while Westrbook and CP3 can’t even get a contract.  I’m thinking maybe it’s because of his passing ability(?).

On paper, Lebron (and Bronny) back in Cleveland would work, but they would have to shave the Beard.  And I don’t even mean forcing him to play the 2 or come off the bench or anything like that -  I mean not even like having dude on the roster, because it’ll just be a distraction.

Lebron could help mitigate the fact that even though Cleveland has twin towers, they’re not necessarily a team that’s known for its ability to dominate the post offensively.  Allen is a defensive player, and Mobley plays more like a 3.  And you know, I’m tired of Evan bashing already.  Maybe that’s what he actually needs, unc.

It’s kinda strange how the Cavs have never just entrusted Spider with the point.  But that being said, having Lebron by his side makes more sense than Harden, even if they did make (and got embarrassed in) the Conference Finals.

OLD BUT SPRY

One of the reasons GM Lebron hasn’t been as successful in recent years is due to embracing these sorta nostalgic, dream team movements instead of thinking more logically.  He and D-Wade won Olympic gold in 2012, immediately became NBA teammates and proceeded to win a couple of championships (or something like that).  Well, they were both in their prime then.

Lebron and Carmelo have won a number of golds together, but by the time they teamed up stateside, both were in like twilight years type shit, besides having another relative agemate, Russell Westbrook, around.  That didn’t work at all.

Lebron recently won a highly-competitive gold medal alongside Curry.  Despite being surrounded by a bunch of younger players, it took Rushmore’s heroics - besides Steph’s magic - to emerge victorious.  So the first thing we as NBA fans were thinking is like ‘wow, what if they played on same the team?’  And yeah, I believe Lebron thinks like that also, like he doesn’t have common sense sometimes.  But the moment has passed.

The Warriors are the quintessential example of why you can’t embrace the geriatric movement in the modern NBA.  Or let me say that if they’re insisting on staying old, then they shoulda just kept Klay around (instead of doing him dirty).

Jimmy Butler isn’t the problem per se but more like the scapegoat.  Some of these dudes, when they get hurt like that, you sometimes kinda wonder like  why don’t you just retire already?  You know, you’re a sportsman, and you have to think about how your ridiculously-large contract is going to affect the team if you can’t play.

Meanwhile, you’re a journeyman type shit.  You know what I’m saying?  Once it becomes like every time you’re watching a dude play you’re afraid he’s gonna get hurt, like Paul George or some shit, then maybe it’s just time to retire or at least take a pay cut.   Having Lebron in town isn’t such a bad idea if Butler were replaced by a younger star.  And as for Kristaps, don’t even get me started.

CONCLUSION

Nothing is written in stone, and Philly has taken some (non-Brown related) losses this offseason, losing Grimes and Oubre.  But out of every squad on Rich Paul’s list, they seem the most logical as they currently stand, if LBJ wants to win an instant championship.  They’re still not a perfect match though, and that shows how much James's expectations may be unrealistic, at least in a single season.  You don’t want to put him in a situation where your team’s fate is up to his defense - unless he’s really, really inspired - night after night.