Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 Don't look now, but Doc Rivers is once again in turbulent waters . His Milwaukee Bucks are mired in the standings with a 2-8 record and have lost twice to the Boston Celtics , the team he deserted in 2013 because he did not want to be part of a rebuild. His two stars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damien Lillard, are having fine seasons, but the rest of his cast just can't get the job done. In 2020, Doc left his position with the Clippers - and in 2023, he was fired as coach of the 76'ers. But the veteran coach took over the reins of the Bucks in January of 2024 after Milwaukee fired Adrian Griffin . Such is the lot of the modern NBA coach. So what happens now in Milwaukee? Trading The Greek Freak and tanking won't help due to a paucity of future first-round picks. Ditto for trading Lillard. The Milwaukee Bucks have little in the way of tradeable players or draft picks, so almost realistic any trade scenario would not improve their immediate future . So, back to Doc. Ri...

The Celtics do-everything forward, Gordon Hayward, has been through the mill since coming to Boston in 2017. First it was a season lost with the devastating ankle injury and then a turbulent year of playing while still recovering and rehabbing. Portland's Damian Lillard has now announced that he will not participate in the All-Star game due to injuries, and Commissioner Adam Silver will choose his replacement. The Suns' Devin Booker has been mentioned as a logical substitute, but Gordon may be a more appropriate one. Hayward participated in the 2017 All-Star contest when he was in Utah. His averages that season are compared below to his stats from this season: 2017 (Utah): 34.5 MPG, 21.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 47% FG, 40% 3P, 1.9 TOPG 2020 (Boston): 32.8 MPG, 17.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 51% FG, 39% 3P, 1.8 TOPG The numbers are very similar, but that is not the whole story. The choice of Booker-as-replacement makes sense to a significant extent. He is doing it all for a P...