Celtics 2023 Offseason Thread

Just amazes me a guy with his natural talent throws it all away

For now… also, just because someone is there who shouldn’t be doesn’t mean another should be.

His father was shot and killed when he was like 4 or 5 iirc. Definitely not the easiest upbringing I’m sure. Doesn’t excuse what he did but it could help explain why he has always had the issues he has. IIRC a few years back there was a video making the rounds of what was allegedly him fighting a woman…made these latest allegations unsurprising to me

I can condemn an action -- in this case, striking another (who, in this case, is a woman) -- without judging the actor (I have not walked one step in his shoes). I don't know whether these two players belong in the NBA, or not. I have scant information, and some of what I do have is fluid. 

My grandfather struck his wife & children. He drank to excess & struggled to provide for his family. That was his way and it was a different time. 

My mother married a man, my father, who struck his children but not his woman (not that I ever saw or heard about). It was called discipline then. It was a power bestowed on the head of the family. It was a privilege & right. It might involve a ruler, or a stick the child had a hand in choosing, or a smack across the kisser. It might be expected (note from school) or seemingly random. It was constant. 

When I was newly with children & woman my inclination (ie, learned behavior) was to discipline with force (spare the rod, spoil the child). This was my upbringing and I turned out ok, yes? So it must be a correct way to do things, was the thinking. But ultimately I rebelled against that inclination because I couldn't reconcile the conflicting messages: I love you; I hurt you. 

So I can envision how one who had a much harder upbringing than my own might easily fall trap to bad behavioral modeling. One might mean well, yet act abominably. 

If I was in charge of the NBA I would be leery of employing those who act repulsively, violently. I would establish strict collectively bargained protocols & disciplines and also seek to identify early on those with potential behavioral issues. Education & counseling would be insisted upon. I have no idea what policies the NBA has in place, but that is how I would want to govern. 

So I will not judge either of these two players and I'll let those better informed make the call whether they deserve to be employed by the NBA, or not. I feel badly for those receiving the violence they have meted out, while also feeling badly for the players: they have surely gotten what they are giving, and they likely act more in ignorance than malice.

Queta sighting!

Derrick White BALLED.

Wenyen Gabriel waived

Mazzulla is such a nice and interesting guy. I really do hope he turns out to be a good coach.

His name reminds me of "Forever Knight," a fun & too short-lived show. Nigel Bennett DJ'ing poetry bits into the middle of the night was very cool.

Hopefully Nathan will be fun or cool & not played but in blowouts.

This is the stuff you want to hear from a coach. Not stubborn..

“We didn’t force turnovers, and we didn’t get offensive rebounds,” Mazzulla said, “so I recognized it the entire year. If you saw 80 percent of our box scores, we won the 3-point margin (by attempting more 3-pointers than the opponent), but we lost the shot margin. And we were able to make up for that because we were kind of a really skilled offensive team, and we usually won the free-throw margin because we didn’t foul on the defensive end. But that’s not a recipe for long term in the playoffs and on nights when it’s not going well.”