Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

Considered a reach by many, I'm excited to see what Pritchard has to offer Coming into the 2020 NBA Draft, many were unsure of what Danny Ainge had cooking up behind the scenes. With the yearly rumors swirling of a possible blockbuster trade from Ainge, this time for James Harden, Danny unsurprisingly decided to stay put and use his picks in one of the least concrete drafts in recent years. After selecting Aaron Nesmith, a sharpshooting wing, at #14, Ainge surprised a lot of basketball fans by taking Payton Pritchard at #26. Pritchard was considered at best a late 1st, early 2nd round pick, despite his impressive college resume. During his 4 year stint of being the starting point guard for the Oregon Ducks, Pritchard's offensive game improved every year. He was rewarded for that growth in his final year of school by being named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and winning the Bob Cousy award (nation's best PG). Pritchard not only put up numbers, but also wins, leading the Duck...

We may find out why Danny Ainge wants to hold on to Tacko I just never envisioned a 7'5", 331-lb. Senegalese giant to make the Celtics roster. But that is just what Elhadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall may accomplish. Tacko, as he is known to us, is once again on the Maine Red Claws G League roster, and he insists, as do his teammates, that he has upped his game. Coach Brad Stevens has a reputation for not favoring bigs that fall (no pun) into the "old-school" category - back-to-the-basket, can't hit the long ball - that kind of stuff. That describes Tacko, but the tag can change. Danny Ainge originally signed the "Green Giant" to an Exhibit 10 deal when he went un-drafted in 2019. A look at what his per-36-minute stats from his rookie campaign show: 25.1 PPG, 21.9 RPG, 5.9 BPG, 1.5 SPG and 78.6% accuracy from the field. His propensity for fouling (10.2 per 36 minutes) and being slow afoot were the major negatives in his game. Happy 25th Birthday to Celtics...

Bringing in Jeff Teague as some guard depth this year could end up being a monumental move for this year's Celtics team. Teague is a well respected veteran in the league, and having gone to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015 with the Atlanta Hawks, knows what it takes to win tough games. Here's a brief look at why I think Jeff will be a great fit with the C's Every Celtics fan loves Marcus Smart , due to everything he brings to the table, from the defensive intensity to scoring outbursts. For all the good things he does, Marcus excels off ball, and can have his effectiveness diminished when he is forced to be a primary ball handler. He is often pigeon-holed into that role with the second unit (or when Kemba is out), and Teague's addition will hopefully allow him to play more off-ball and maximize his abilities.  At the deadline last year, Teague was traded to the Atlanta Hawks to play alongside Trae Young. His usage rate and effectiveness dipped considerably, as he ...

  Back in 2018, I wrote that Celtics star, Jayson Tatum, may still be growing , and I used a starting-5 photo to advance my stand. At that time, a doctor had made the prediction along those same lines. Blessed with smooth guard skills and a feel for the game, his recent growth spurt has allowed him to post up. He has extremely long arms and often throws over the top of shorter defenders. He sees the entire court. He'll see it even better if one family doctor is correct. That doctor predicted Tatum won't stop growing until he reaches between 6-10 and 7-1. "I was measured recently at 6-8½," Tatum said. "I don't know where I'll stop. But I'll keep working on my game."   Well, now it seems that coach Brad Stevens has indicated that Jayson may have reached that 6'10" mark. So will the Celtics cornerstone get any taller? I have no idea, but a player with his versatility and skills now listed at 6'10"? Great news to be given prior to t...

The results of my Twitter poll are in on the most beloved Celtic, all-time. Larry Bird ran away with the vote, taking 81.4% of the ballots. Bill Russell came in a distant-second with 10.2% of the vote. Paul Pierce grabbed 6.8%, and John Havlicek finished with 1.7%. Most-loved Celtics all-time. Not the best, Most-athletic. Most rungs. Most-loved is what I am talking about. — Tom Lane (@CelticsSentinel) December 12, 2020 So, why the distance between Larry and Russ? Was it racism? Possibly. That can't be totally excluded. Was it the fact that Big Bill played mostly in the 60's when fewer fans went to games or watched them on TV.?  I believe that most Celtics fans in-the-know would put Bird and Russell at the top of their Best-Celtic-All-Time list, so why the discrepancy in the vote?  Although I never personally met Bill, he lived near me in Reading, Massachusetts in the 60's, and without going into detail, some members of the community treated him badly. You have read the stor...

Here’s the good news: The Boston Celtics are at its a core a very young team. Jaylen Brown is 23 years old. Jayson Tatum is only 22. He’s actually younger that Payton Pritchard, Boston’s promising second round selection. Larry Bird at 22 was a senior at Indiana State leading the Sycamores to the NCAA championship game against Magic Johnson and the Michigan State Spartans. I repeat, these Boston Celtics are a very young team   Here’s the bad news: Young teams don’t win NBA championships. Michael Jordan was 27 when he won his first title. His game needed maturity.  LeBron James was 27 the first time he won the Larry O’Brien trophy. LeBron needed to be surrounded by 2 other all-stars to bring out the best in his game.  Tim Duncan did win his first title at 22 but like Magic Johnson before him Duncan joined a team with an established star center still playing at an all-star level. Steph Curry was 26 when he won his first title. Dirk Nowitzki was 32 when he won his only champi...

The NBA potentially is raising the number of players dressed for action in League games from 13 to 15. Rosters, thus far, remain at 15 players, but rules can change minute-to-minute in these times. Sources: The NBA Competition Committee has unanimously recommended to expand the active roster list from dressing 13 players to 15 for games in upcoming season. The Board of Governors are slated to meet Dec. 17 to approve the change. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 12, 2020 The Celtics currently have 17 players on their roster with #18 slated to be Amile Jefferson on an Exhibit 10 contract. Two of the 17 (Tacko Fall and Tremont Waters) are on 2-way deals. The Celtics G League affiliate Maine Red Claws will not be playing this season, but 2-way players can participate in 50 of the 72 regular-season games scheduled. The Maine Red Claws opted out of the season so any playing time they get will have to come from playing with the Celtics. — Christopher Landers (@armchairgminNH) Decembe...