Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

  Three NBA stars suffered season-ending Achilles injuries this post-season. Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton were the casualties. Why? "Overuse" seems to be the major culprit. And today's game involves a faster pace than fans witnessed in past decades, and the moves can be explosive . Existing calf injuries can also make a player more susceptible to tearing his Achilles tendon. It is no surprise that Jayson Tatum was high man for Boston in minutes per game at 40.2 MPG this post-season.   "Big deal", some may say. Hell, Bill Russell logged 42.7 minutes/game in the 1968-69 season. But the present game, as already indicated, is not the same now. Here's more on the Achilles tendon ( per ESPN's Maria Dawson): "The stresses that go through the Achilles tendon are probably the highest in the body, many times body weight, [just from] walking," he said. "... When you're talking about a professional athlete who's big...

 Let me go on record that I despise far-out, fantasy-filled NBA acquisition rumors , but the idea of recently-waived point guard, Damian Lillard, coming to Boston is intriguing. The 6'2", 9-time All-Star was waived by the Bucks , who by the way, will be paying for the remaining seasons on his contract. The chance of that happening is admittedly slim since Lillard has close ties to the west coast, and may favor landing on a team closer to home. Damian is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season due to a torn Achilles suffered in this year's playoffs. He averaged 25.1 points, 4.3 boards, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals during the 2024-25 season in Milwaukee. The idea of him coming off the bench as a volume scorer and able assist guy excites me. He could be returning to the court at about the same time as Jayson Tatum , and he can sign with Boston for very-low money - with Celtics rival Milwaukee paying the bulk of his salary. Lillard may not have the size and defensive in...

 Why is Tommy smiling you ask... I'll tell you because even though the Bucks added Lillard the C's will still win the East. Jrue Holiday used to kill the Celtics. Plus he was an absolute dog on D. Lillard while being an amazing player doesn't play a lick of D. It's funny to now see two of my favorite non Celtics playing together. Everyone knows my love for the Greek and when I first started writing I did a piece on Lillard.  This trade secures the Greek in Milwaukee long term. Which is the extremely important for the Bucks. You don't let future hall of famers walk out the door. Expect to see the max extension offered and accepted very soon. Now on to the Celtics. We have received news that both Brogdon and Porzingis are healthy and ready for training camp. Those two are key to the Celtics success. Their health needs to be pristine this season. If the Celtics are healthy they will beat the Bucks in an eastern conference finals series.  Jayson Christopher Tatum needs ...

  The list is long - NBA superstars that have spurned Boston . Hell, even Jayson Tatum didn't want to be drafted by the Celtics . He preferred tha Phoenix Suns and the Arizona sunshine.  Kevin Durant wanted no part of Boston. Ditto for Anthony Davis. Now it's Damian Lillard expressing no desire to travel to Beantown. And perhaps soon-to-be-bought-out Chris Paul may follow suit in discarding Boston as a destination. NBA superstars seem to want the sunshine, warmth, beaches and "Party City" environments. They flock to the Lakers and Clippers in California, and Miami seems to draw a few. I personally think that the elite players don't shun the Celtics for any real-or-perceived flaw in the team's structure. I honestly think these superstars visualize a solid five months of cold weather - driving in snow - and not having the party atmosphere they can find in Miami or California .  We can't finish this piece without mentioning the bright lights and endorsem...

  Danny Ainge tried this, and it failed miserably . In  2017, he acquired Kyrie Irving (trade) and Gordon Hayward (free agency) , both of whom wanted to be "THE GUY" to lead the Celtics to Banner 18. Boston fans know how that went! The main point here is that the 2021-22 season will determine if Jayson Tatum will take control of on-court leadership of The Green. Damian Lillard's name has surfaced as a potential target for the NBA teams, including the Celtics, but there is no way he ends up in Beantown. Dame coming to Boston at the expense of losing Jaylen Brown or Marcus Smart negates any such deal immediately, but Lillard would take over the reins of the Celtics in a season that is do-or-die for Tatum-as-on-court leader . Jayson will be 24 mid-way through the 2021-22 season, and at that age Larry Bird had control of The Green quite firmly. And at that same age, Paul Pierce was well on his way to leading his crew, unfortunately as a one-man show. The Celtics fal...

      Damian Lillard is a guy who any team would love to have, and each and every fan base as well. When you watch him play, you say damn he's got no fear at al l. No moment is to big for him. He's got it all.  He can drive and get to the hoop. He's good at the midrange game. When you talk about his three point ability, you know he can knock it down from anywhere.       Taken sixth in 2012 Draft out of Weber State, the sky was the limit and expectations were high. He did not disappoint in his rookie year where he captured Rookie of the Year honors . He also made the All Rookie First Team . He made the All NBA team in 2018. He's a four time All NBA second team and one All NBA third team as well.       He's a six time All Star and the only other Blazer to ever do that was Clyde the Glide Drexler  Talk about some amazing company. Especially given the players who have graced the Blazers organization over the years. Dame has won t...