So, anything happen last night? Besides the draft, can’t think of much. Pretty quiet night in terms of the NBA. Everything went according to plan, no real excitement. Wait, what’s that? The Bulls finally traded Jimmy Butler? And not to the Celtics? I almost couldn’t believe it.
Honestly, this trade really annoyed me. Not that someone else got Jimmy Butler. As anyone who has read any of my thoughts on the NBA could tell you, I was not overly eager for the Celtics to get Jimmy Butler. But mostly because the Bulls were asking for every single draft pick the Celtics had until 2075 and half the roster. Then they turn around and give Butler to the Timberwolves, who were still run by Bulls’ front office arch-nemesis Tom Thibodeau last time I checked, for two players and a pick swap? Are you kidding me? Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn? Seriously? That’s all it takes? I love LaVine, but who knows what he’s gonna look like next year after his knee injury. Kris Dunn is trrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssshhhhhhhhhhh. Then they give up the 16th pick to thank the TWolves for taking their best player off their hands? And then they take Lauri Markkanen 7th overall? How can these people run an NBA team? To think the biggest display of idiocy by a front office last night didn’t involve Phil Jackson is dumbfounding. Even the Kings made good moves last night! Were the Bulls asleep? Were they drugged? Have they ever watched basketball before? Honestly, no profession in the world has more accepted incompetence than NBA GM. The morons that 90% of teams have running their billion-dollar franchises shouldn’t be trusted to manage a Bruegger’s Bagels. How can you go from asking the Celtics for absolutely everything to accepting the TWovles table scraps? And if you’re now committed to a rebuild, how do you not take someone with a higher ceiling than Lauri Markkanen? Dennis Smith, Malik Monk, OG Anunoby, even Donovan Mitchell were still there. Or, I don’t know, don’t give up your own first round pick, too and take someone like Harry Giles at 16. I just can’t believe how poorly they handled this trade. Now I’m pissed that Butler’s not on the Celtics, because apparently all they would have had to give up was Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier then swap picks. So annoying. Hey, Bulls, you stink!
Anyway, there was an actual draft last night. Most of it kind of went according to plan. No big shockers, besides maybe Malik Monk falling to number 11. Still, there’s plenty to talk about. I guess I should get used to Jayson Tatum now that a potential trade is probably off the board (I know, I can’t believe it, either). After throwing up multiple times thinking about the abomination that is St. Louis-style pizza, I was able to listen to him talk for a bit. If nothing else, at least he seems like a good guy who’s going to commit to the team. That shouldn’t be taken for granted, but I still have concerns. It doesn’t help that he’s the internet’s least favorite player.
Celtics select Jayson Tatum at #3, iso killer pic.twitter.com/iTarQG0i1d
— ChartSide (@chart_side) June 22, 2017
Could be due to shot selection, but in terms of advanced shooting percentages Tatum was underwhelming. pic.twitter.com/j7QOVxi39S
— Aaron Resnick (@aaronmresnick) June 23, 2017
Oh, well. Guess the Celtics are just going to punt on this year again, possibly get multiple picks in the top five, and trade both of them for future picks and take guys with no ceiling again. Sweet. Love Danny Ainge, man. Best in the business. On to what I liked and didn’t like.
Things I Liked
- Markelle Fultz to Philadelphia
- Dennis Smith to Dallas
- Josh Jackson to Phoenix
- Lavar Ball’s interviews
- Malik Monk to Charlotte
- All the old tweets that were dug up
- OG Anunoby to Toronto
- All the Kings picks (De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles, Frank Mason)
- All the Lakers picks besides Lonzo (Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Thomas Bryant)
- Jordan Bell to Golden State
- The huge number of random picks that were in the stands
- Frank Jackson to New Orleans
- John Calipari continuing to stay ten steps ahead of every other coach
Things I Didn’t Like
- Celtics not getting Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson, or Jonathan Isaac
- Jonathan Isaac going to the barren wasteland of Orlando
- The Bulls. Literally everything they did
- Bam Adebayo at 14
- John Collins to Atlanta
- Derrick White to San Antonio (I just wanted to be the only guy not praising them for this pick)
- Devin Robinson going undrafted
- Anyone mentally weak enough to stop watching before all 60 picks have been announced
- Not enough Fran Fraschilla
- Everyone’s suit is too conservative and classy now. Nothing to make fun of
Brian's Den 