Jaylen Brown's season-ending injury can clarify Celtics future

If the playoff picture for the Boston Celtics was rosier, I would be writing that Jaylen Brown's season-ending wrist injury was a tragedy. But with the information on his torn wrist ligament coming just prior to the playoffs, it is tough news for the All-Star, but not so horrendous for a team most analysts pegged as going nowhere this year.

Jaylen Brown will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the scapholunate ligament in his left wrist. He will have the ligament surgically repaired later this week.
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) May 10, 2021

Prior to the bad news, NBA analyst, Jalen Rose, had already stated the Celtics were heading to a first-round exit in this season's play-in tournament. The analysis this morning isn't any better with most pundits now in agreement with Rose.

Any pressure to go deep into the post-season is now kaput. The expectations can not be any lower for The Green. Both Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens need to take full opportunity of the situation and clarify just what is needed to improve the team's performance going forward.

How good a season was Jaylen having prior to the injury? His best season yet! He set career-bests at minutes (34;5 MPG), points (24.7 PPG), assists (3.4 APG), steals (1.2 SPG), field goal percentage (48.4%), 3-point percentage (39.7%) and free throw percentage (76.4%). Attempting to replace that stat line with a mix of subs should go a long way to determining what path this team will take next season.

Stevens already had a good idea of what Semi Ojeleye, Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards can, and cannot, do. All three should see time in the remaining regular season games, but the focus should be on Evan Fournier, Payton Pritchard and Aaron Nesmith. Rob Williams is plagued once again with a nagging injury (turf toe), and there seems little to gain in putting him out there for any extended period.

I honestly don't see Luke Kornet as any part of Boston's solution, and fans have seen little of Jabari Parker since his acquisition. Significant minutes for either player makes little sense.

Fournier supplies a lot of the veteran stability that Gordon Hayward contributed, and Ainge should think seriously of signing him for the future. Pritchard has proven to be a durable addition (team-high 62 games played) - hits the accelerator on the team's pace when he is on the floor - and looks to be a reliable substitute at the point guard position, at the very least.

I have been high on Aaron Nesmith since pre-draft time, and his play in the last four games has been revealing. He is tough - he can shoot - he always seems to be on the ball - and he scores in so many ways. But mainly, he hustles. He works hard. Fans want to see more of him.

Jayson Tatum may be Boston's main building block for the future, but it should not go unnoticed how Brown has continually improved, and added to his game, every season. Whether Danny Ainge sees him as having more value as a critical second-option to Tatum in Beantown, or as major trade chip remains to be seen. But look for the Celtics cloudy future to be clarified in the next several weeks. And sincere wishes for a quick and complete recovery for Jaylen.

The Elm Street Nightmare

A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.) Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube Elm Street surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He resided on Elm Street in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He kidnapped a woman at gunpoint on Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was tried, convicted and sentenced for the murders at Superior Court , corner of Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely. I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby: 25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players. and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...

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