Boston Celtics Daily Dish: Watching The Dominoes Fall
A good Sunday morning to you all, Boston Celtics fans!
Now that Lebron James has decided to return to Cleveland, NBA free agency can OFFICIALLY begin! All of the teams and players who were awaiting King James’ announcement with baited breath can now get on with their lives . . . starting with Carmelo Anthony, whose decision amounted to much ado about nothing:
Carmelo Anthony re-signs with Knicks despite lure of Chicago http://t.co/aio9kSE4LH
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) July 13, 2014
Two weeks of waiting . . . all for ‘Melo to stay in New York. Boring!
At least Pau Gasol got the memo that free agency is about change, baby!
It hasn't been easy. After meditating it a lot I've chosen to play with the Chicago Bulls. Looking forward to this new chapter of my career
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) July 12, 2014
And he even MEDITATED about it!!! Take that!
Of course, the free agent who probably drew the most attention from Boston Celtics fans this weekend is Paul “The Truth” Pierce, who has fled Brooklyn for the exciting, up-and-coming Washington Wizards:
"Free-agent forward Paul Pierce agreed to terms on a two-year, $10 million contract paying the midlevel exception with the Washington Wizards, a league source told Yahoo Sports on Saturday. Pierce averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds with the Brooklyn Nets last season. The 16-year NBA veteran became a prime target for the Wizards after they lost free-agent forward Trevor Ariza to theHouston Rockets on Saturday. Pierce was hoping to land a deal paying him $8 million to $10 million per year for at least two more seasons, sources said. The Nets thought those contract hopes for Pierce were too steep, one league source said."
I didn’t see that move coming, but playing alongside John Wall and Bradley Beal? Can’t blame The Truth for jumping at that opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics are . . . doing a whole lot of nothing this offseason. According to this piece, though, that may be okay: 2015 is worth waiting for if you’re the Boston Celtics.
"The Cavaliers certainly benefited from their location in bringing back James, but Cleveland also had two things working in its favor: An intriguing young core of talent and the necessary cap room to make a big splash. Which got us thinking: Hey, Danny, with the right moves, maybe you could be in that position. While everyone is clamoring for fireworks this offseason, we’ve maintained that Boston might be better off positioning itself for next summer. Sure, the mere idea of another rebuilding season leaves Celtics fans nauseated, but what if it meant having the opportunity to pursue as many as two star players next offseason? Hear me out here."
Finally, Celtics fans may not be feeling great about free agency so far, but make no mistake about it: we should be feeling good about what the Celtics accomplished in the Orlando Summer League. Thanks!