Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 There is often a reticence among pro sports participants to broach the subject of race - but back in 2004, Larry Bird,  as Pacers president of basketball operations, had no such restraints ( per ESPN.com ):  "Well, I think so," said (Larry) Bird, the Indiana Pacers' president of basketball operations. "You know, when I played, you had me and Kevin [McHale] and some others throughout the league. I think it's good for a fan base because, as we all know, the majority of the fans are white America. And if you just had a couple of white guys in there, you might get them a little excited. But it is a black man's game, and it will be forever. I mean, the greatest athletes in the world are African-American." Larry was sarcastically dubbed "The Great White Hope" by one or two of his new teammates upon his arrival in Boston, and he became just that . Many felt that this relatively slow, only-moderately-athletic white guy could not make a major mark ...

 There are parallels between former- Celtic, Al Jefferson , and present Celtics center, Rob Williams. Larry Bird praised Al's footwork soon after Jefferson entered the League, and despite early injuries, the 6'10" center broke out in his third season in Boston .Al became the main prize for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a deal that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston . And now in his fourth season, Rob Williams, despite early injuries, is having a breakout season , and be assured there will be much interest in his services from rival GMs. My take on all of this would be that RWill is the most-physically-gifted big men to grace the center spot for Boston since Bill Russell . He wing span and athleticism are through the roof, and his basketball IQ has progressed greatly. It would take a massive return (a la Kevin Garnett) to move him out of Beantown . Such a "massive return" would be the Pacers Domantas Sabonis, a multi-skilled 6'11" center who is only 25 year...

As a Celtics writer, many of my articles are based on ideas from my readers. In an earlier article I alerted Celtics fans that the major question relative to the present roster concerns the center spot. One of my readers, Pat Ram, proposed a Jaylen Brown-for-Domantas Sabonis trade: Main points are probably: - Awkward fit in Indiana in more PF mins beside Turner at C & his next contract should pay him more than Myles - Perfect fit in Brad’s system playing 80% of mins at C - Brown better fit as Indiana’s 2nd option than Celtics 3rd-4th Potential win-win — Pat Ram (@Celtics_PRam) October 7, 2019 Like Brown, Sabonis is in the fourth year of his rookie contract and will earn $3.5 million this season. The 6'11", 240-pound center/forward was chosen 11th-overall in the 2016 NBA draft, eight spots after Jaylen's selection at #3. Last season with the Pacers, Domantas averaged 14.1 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 2.9 APG in only 24.8 minutes per game. His per-36-minute numbers projec...