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Boston Celtics: on day NCAA screws up, the NBA proves its mettle

By Andrew Hughes

BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 2: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics box out during a pre-season game on October 2, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 2: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics box out during a pre-season game on October 2, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The NCAA decided to continue to flex its tyrannical muscles when it put a rule into effect that all agents representing prospective NBA draft picks must own a college degree. On the same day, the NBA  created a compassionate solution for the Boston Celtics and the entire NBA.

As a Boston Celtics fan, one is privy to the entire NBA news cycle. Naturally, due to the progression of a professional basketball player, the NCAA and college basketball become intertwined with your consumption of the association.

And boy does that bring constant disappointment in the headline department. We’ve seen draconian style governing from the NCAA, which has resulted in some of the most head-scratching punishment-doesn’t-fit-the-crime scenarios from the sports world this side of the NFL (who quite frankly doesn’t deserve our attention).

Yesterday, the NCAA imposed a new law that prohibits agents without college degrees to represent incoming NBA draft picks. The rule is predatory by nature, and many are already calling it the “Rich Paul rule”. Just more soul-crushing news from an organization that has not evolved with the changing social climate in any way in eons.

Luckily, the collective mood was brought up in a huge way when the NBA announced a new rule that requires every franchise to have a licensed health professional. The Boston Celtics are the one of the franchises that comes to mind when it comes to how the game has adverse affects on the players in the locker-room.

It is not a coincidence that most of the team’s nucleus went their separate ways in free agency. And no, the Houdini isn’t spinning this by saying that having a mental health professional would have solved the dysfunction of last year’s Boston Celtics. What I am saying is that every player could have benefitted from being able to talk through their problems.

A healthy mind leads to less insecurity, which leads to less lashing out. In turn the Celtics, even if they fundamentally didn’t get along, could have handled the dysfunction better with someone able to deeply understand everyone’s point of view. In turn, the mental health professionals can help convey that to the each member of the team.

Next. It’s the Time Lord’s time. dark

Kudos to Adam Silver and the entire NBA. You restored humanity to the basketball world just as the NCAA continued its quest to show that evil wins far too much these days.

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