A Great Day for the Boston Celtics

A Great Day for the Boston Celtics

if at all for you guys is getting under the luxury tax. I think you’re roughly about 12 million above it. And what kind of guidance, if any guidance at all, have you gotten from Bill in terms of trying to do that? Yeah, I think so. It’s a good question, Chris. I think obviously if you looked at this summer and you look at as we move forward, the the summer demanded a reset under the second apron. You know, if you go back to the Derek White trades, the Porzingis or Holiday trades when they came here, those wouldn’t be able to happen if you’re over the second apron because you can’t aggregate contracts and you can’t take more money back than you send out, right? So, like you have to give yourself the flexibility and opportunity to jump at the right deals. You don’t always know when those are going to present themselves. So, the second apron was the key. After that, we’re looking at it from the standpoint of again, let’s see what this team looks like. Let’s put our very best foot forward. Let’s let Joe, the staff, the players, let’s all work to maximize oursel and with an attitude of no ceilings and no limitations and go after it. Let’s go after it, says Brad Stevens. Brad Stevens also uh did not shy away from the idea that, you know, if there’s a move to be made in season this season, it sounds like they’re ready to do it. If it requires money, they’re ready to go there. That’s good. But he also talks about like the apron, like getting under that second apron and all that. So, if you’re conscious of that and you still want to go for it, how do you do both? You got two guys making a hell of a lot of money. There’s not a ton of space. Hower’s making money. Pritchard’s making money now. Derek White’s making money. How much room do you really have to really go for it? Like like what type of move? It’s something smaller than like a Derek White, right? Well, I don’t know what the move would be. I’m just telling you that they’re committing to the resources if a move presents itself that would make the team better and would cost them money. They’re willing to go there. Okay. I don’t know what that move is. I mean, we haven’t heard at the trade deadline. The thought of it like though, like are they zero expectations for Tatum, right? There’s no timeline. So, they’re they’re approaching this with no timeline even though Tatum is probably trying to come back. So, in the back of their mind, like, wow, we still have to figure that out. Like, if he comes back, maybe we make that type of move where shoot, if we’re the fourth or fifth seed and he comes back, we got a shot at this thing. At least make some noise in it. There’s no tax goal. That’s what Brad Stevens said. Now, obviously, this all needs to be uh played out and it needs to be action before you believe it. But they didn’t really shy away from saying these things. I don’t think he says it if Chisum if Bill didn’t didn’t tell him that, right? He said the second apron was key, but there’s no tax goal. And there’s nothing set in stone that they have to get to a certain level. And um you know, they did have to cut some guys. They moved on from a lot of salary. They moved on from Porzingis. They moved on from Holiday. They moved on from Al Horford. They moved on from Luke Cornet. Those guys aren’t here anymore. They all went elsewhere and got paid. So, they did lose something, but that also could be just part of a reset of their roster. Now, I think it was because they wanted to cut the salaries, and they should, of course, but I also think that it might just be smart from not just a monetary resetting your salary sort of uh standpoint. It could just be smart from a time to turn over the roster standpoint and build our next team. No doubt that will be around Tatum and Brown. I mean, I’m not doing the thing that Tim McCon likes to do, which is he wants to tank. He wants to go to the bottom and reset that roster. I actually think the Celtics are going to be decent this year. No, they’re not tanking, unfortunately. I got him as a four seed. Yeah, you’re you’re closer to right. Yeah. How many games they win, McCone? Four seed. 47. I say I said 46. say they’re going to win more than 40 games here for sure they are and then they’re certainly not going to take the approach of tanking but I think you’re right when it comes to Porzingis you want a championship with him but he has not been available for either of the postseason runs did you really though like he he gave you that one big well he gave he gave you something he g he contributed to it no but I I I I just think you’re 0 for two in terms of relying on him in postseasons so you move off of a guy that was making a lot of money Drew Holiday was not the same player this past season as he was first year he was he was he was a good ad two guys making a ton of money that weren’t giving you the production that they were or were expected to even a year ago. Like if you’re going to take your lumps at, you know, with bigs because you lost Horford and you lost Porzingis, well, this would be the year to do it before you figure out who that next guy is going to be because those guys were not going to be f even if both of them were still here, there’s no way they were going to be factors next year, right? Does that make sense? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. relying on Horford going into this season and then like you said even next I the guy’s 67 years old at this point. They got more out of him last season than I thought they would. Yes, definitely. So I feel like they were already getting bonused on that player. So I think they’re going to be okay and they sound committed to spending. I thought it was I I think it was a great day for the Celtics, fellas. I do. No, you feel pretty good coming out of that. I I feel better and thank you. Bang the drum. I feel better about it today than I did previously. I So their PR yesterday, it worked. Their PR, their press conference, it worked. It worked on me. You got me. You got me in. I’m buying in. I’m buying in on Bill Chisum. I feel good that he’s keeping Wick around. I’m in. Stevens is pumped up saying there’s no no one’s telling me what to do monetarily. Believe it when I see it. But still, I’m buying in for a day on this particular day. I’m in. I think that start of the season, too, is going to factor in with the Tatum stuff. So, Oh, absolutely. How about like one year from now going poorly play? I think I think both. I mean, like if you get off to a hot start and you are squarely in the mix for the Eastern Conference with the way that he’s rehabbing, you can’t tell me that they don’t have a target date in terms of him potentially coming back here. And if he can push it and you think that you’re squarely in the mix, I think that they’re going to give it a shot if they think, you know what, this is a piece that could actually push us over the top in the Eastern Conference. Absolutely. They they won’t talk about the date, but they have to they have to think about that date in the back of their head. We’re green teaming, baby. Think about green teaming. Think about potentially in one year or a year and a half where maybe they go get another big piece. You know what’s great about this too? I said this last night on our Bella Early Edition. Everyone nationally is going to doubt this team. They’re going to say they’re going to be garbage. You watch. And there is no better player to be disrespected and have a chip on his shoulder than Jaylen Brown. 19th player. You just wait. You wait for angry Jaylen Brown. Pissed off. Chip on his shoulder. Why are you doubting me again, Jaylen Brown? Get ready for that. All right. Yeah, that in and of itself is going to win them games this year because I can feel it now. You know, the Stephen A. Smiths or uh name your favorite basketball guys, the Brousards of the world. They’re just going to dump on them. I can feel it. They’re going to dump on this team. They’re going to say, “No, Perk. Perk. Perk will take a shot. It’s going to happen.” And then when it does happen, it’s gonna work to their advantage. You won’t get that kind of doubt right here though, McCome. Nope. Not from this seat. No, hasn’t been. No way. No way. When’s Bill coming in for his interview here? We should have him in. Send an invite. Bright wife, too. Yeah. Bring them all in. Bring them all in. They They went to NBC the other day to talk to Forsber. Did he get the invite to dinner the other week or or did we saw that Bill? I don’t think we invited him. No, it was a private affair. A private affair. It was a dinner. What do you say to billionaires? Like you’re picking up the bill, pal. That’s what I’d say to him. That must suck being the rich guy. Always. Everyone expects you to pay. Always. Deep pockets.

Zolak, Bertrand, and Tim McKone react to comments made by Celtics ownership and Brad Stevens.

Photos Courtesy of USA Today Sports

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