Getty Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics talks with Jaylen Brown #7.
Frustration has hit an all-time high for the once-perceived title-contending Boston Celtics. 30 games into the 2020-21 season and the Cs sit in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference, boasting a mere .500 record with just six games until the All-Star break.
Blame has been widely cast across the organization; From Kemba Walker’s seemingly diminishing skillset to Brad Stevens reportedly being “tuned out” to the readily trade happy Danny Ainge staying put despite being presented with multiple trade options that would have perceivably strengthened their immediate title hopes.
Recently, media personality Colin Cowherd harped on the latter take during a fiery segment on FS1’s The Herd. Comparing the Celtics to the Green Bay Packers for their conservative ways, Cowherd believes Boston has blown their title hopes.
“Congratulations on being patient, saving money, being frugal, and winning trades, you’re just not that good of a basketball team,” he said of the Celtics. “Brooklyn in an hour is suddenly better.”
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Cowherd Calls Celtics ‘Frugal’
Fresh off blowing a 24-point lead to the Pelicans, Boston has now dropped six of their last nine games. They’ve readily been linked to numerous trade suitors as they bolster a historic $28.5 million traded player exception, yet thus far they’ve been reluctant to pull the trigger.
Three words: Go for it. I’ve watched the Boston Celtics twice over the last three, four days. Boston would make an account proud. They’re frugal, they develop players, they draft well, they’re smart. The did everything right, they’ve got the smart head coach, they win every trade… I watched them yesterday blow a lead to a very average New Orleans Pelicans team.
My take away is; This morning the Celtics are sixth in East, their roster doesn’t have a legitimate big, Kemba Walker is deteriorating physically, and they don’t have enough good players. They’ve become the Packers. Frugal, put their money away, pay off their house.
Have Celtics Been Too Reluctant to Compete in the East?
Cowherd highlighted Boston’s trigger-shy mentality when it comes to roster moves over the post-Big Three era as the biggest culprit in the team’s inability to keep pace with NBA’s elite.
Go look at the last 5 NBA champions – The Lakers went out and got AD, the Raptors went and aggressively got Kawhi, the Warriors aggresively got KD, the Cavs got LeBron and Kevin Love, and the Heat got LeBron and Bosh. The Celtics were in the James Harden sweepstakes this off-season and do you know what Danny Ainge said? ‘The price is a little too high!’ They were in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes and Danny Ainge said, ‘The price is a little uncomfortable for us!’ They were in the Paul George sweepstakes. They were in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes and they talked themselves out of it. In the last 35 years, the proud Boston Celtics have a title. Remeber the year? They went for it with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
Whether or not Ainge decides to pull the trigger on a trade, Boston already boasts a roster with two of the league’s most prominent young stars (Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum) and a former All-Star point guard in Kemba Walker. Even if Walker isn’t the player he once was, the Cs are still vastly underperforming. While a drastic change to their roster may not be on the near horizon, a change in their on-court production is a must.
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