KG traded to Celtics for Jefferson/othercrap

[Toro]

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What type of odds would be fair in making a bet that we will sweep three sports (Sox, Celts, Pats) winning championships this year in each?

Obviously they will have to be pretty big, some sportsbook should put this up, as I'd love to throw some money away on it.

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Just parlay your bet. Start with Sox and bet $100. When they win let it ride on Patriots and when they win let it ride on the Celts. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[teamdonkey]

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It's funny how this deal has erased a lot of the heat on the NBA over the ref scandal.

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Stern needs to grab the momentum here and run with it:

1. anti-flop rule - make flopping a technical foul. Hard for refs to recognize in-game, so let the same crew that reviews ref's calls after each game assess them when they watch the tape. Fine and suspend players just like the league does with other technicals.

2. anti-tank rule - penalize sub-500 teams for not playing their top players at the end of the season. If the top 3 players in minutes/game over the first 60 games have their minutes reduced by more than 1/3 in the final 22 games, barring injury, team is penalized. Injuries in this case must be verified by a team of league doctors. If 2 out of the 3 players have reduced minutes, team is penalized regardless of "injuries". Penalties aren't in dollars, but in ping pong balls.

[EPiPeN11]

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It's funny how this deal has erased a lot of the heat on the NBA over the ref scandal.

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Stern needs to grab the momentum here and run with it:

1. anti-flop rule - make flopping a technical foul. Hard for refs to recognize in-game, so let the same crew that reviews ref's calls after each game assess them when they watch the tape. Fine and suspend players just like the league does with other technicals.

2. anti-tank rule - penalize sub-500 teams for not playing their top players at the end of the season. If the top 3 players in minutes/game over the first 60 games have their minutes reduced by more than 1/3 in the final 22 games, barring injury, team is penalized. Injuries in this case must be verified by a team of league doctors. If 2 out of the 3 players have reduced minutes, team is penalized regardless of "injuries". Penalties aren't in dollars, but in ping pong balls.

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Rule #2 is ridiculous. Players can just play and coaches will prob tell them to tank instead, making it even worse.

Just make every team that doesnt make the playoffs have an equal chance of winning the lottery. Problem solved.

[Green Kool Aid]

donkey,

terrible lottery odds is punishment enough.

pierce had an in between injury last year. if we were in a playoff series he would have played sooner, but there was no incentive to risk aggravating his foot.

should the celtics be penalized for not starting jefferson and rondo at the beginning of last year when 100 percent of celtics fans were begging for it?? was that an early attempt at tanking??

[owsley]

that rule would be a nightmare, imagine the disputes that it would ensue. plus it forces teams to play players who might be borderline hurt etc. If this is enough of a problem, a better idea would be to even out the bottom 5-6 teams shot at the top 2 picks or something like that. I think the teams with the least talent should get the best new talent to a certain degree, but when you get that far down it is probably a matter of mismanagement, so I don't really see how the worst team in the league deserves that much of a better shot at a #1 pick than the 5th worst.

[Aloysius]

Abbott, Hollinger, Stein, Thorpe Weigh in On Who's Coming Out of the Eastern Conference

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7. Which East team will have the best-regular season record?

Abbott: I'll guess Chicago, because they play hard, effective defense and have great young players coming into their prime.

Hollinger: I'll go with Chicago by a nose over Cleveland and Detroit right now, although with the caveat that I haven't done all my prognostication homework yet.

Stein: Cleveland and Chicago will be a year older and thus theoretically more consistent during the regular season. I see Detroit as a bit of a sleeper because the Pistons' kids (Jason Maxiell, Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson and Cheikh Samb) are underrated and will pump some life into a team that still has a strong core. But I can't deny it: I've got Celtics Fever.

Thorpe: The Bulls should hit the ground running and will be a solid threat to be the East's best team. Luol Deng has jumped up to a new level, and the addition of an energetic Joakim Noah should help the bench.

8. Which team will represent the East in the NBA Finals?

Abbott: I'd rather pick this in a few months when we see the rosters settle down, but I'd guess the Bulls. They have been playing together for awhile, they are built for the playoffs, they got a taste of success last year and want more. ... Plus, I'm a big fan of Luol Deng. I think he's only going to get better, and could become the reliable scorer they have lacked.

Hollinger: As much as I'd love to spend a week in Boston in June, I'm not banking on it. Chicago and Cleveland are deeper and defend better, and that will put one of them over the top.

Stein: There are probably 12 or 13 teams that have legit playoff aspirations in the conference, but my fever is such that I just don't think KG, Allen and Pierce need a lot around them to get to the Finals in this East. As LeBron James just proved.

Thorpe: At this point, I like Chicago. Had Detroit not peaked against them and knocked them out, the Bulls could have made the Finals last season. That experience, along with the improved play of Tyrus Thomas and the emergence of a superstar in Deng should add up to home-court advantage throughout the Eastern playoffs and a Finals appearance.

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My main takeaway from reading this is I continue to find Marc Stein irritating.

-Al

[tuq]

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My main takeaway from reading this is I continue to find Marc Stein irritating.

-Al

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LOL. I don't mind him at all, but it's funny how he was nonstop "Celtic fever" and the other guys didn't mention them a single time.

Also, you guys are high about that sixth man thing, regardless of Ray Allen's ego. When McHale was coming off the bench he was playing behind Cedric Maxwell, a worthy starter on one of the league's best teams. Havlicek and Ramsey were sixth men behind HOF-level talent. Not exactly the case today.

[kidcolin]

you guys? I think only Hanster asked about it.

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Hm. Anyone brought up the idea to bench Allen to make the bench more deep? He'll still get 30~35 minutes a game. It sounds retarded at first but it's just an option. Also, is a coaching change imminent? I would love to see this team get coached by someone who has at least a .500 career record. Bring back JVG!

Last question: To all Celts fans. Is anything less than a championship a disappointment and failure of the hype? Not just this season but the duration of the trio's reign?

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No on the 6th man. It'd be worth considering if there was anyone who could actually start in his place, even a case like Finley starting over Manu. But there isn't. The dropoff is too big, even when Tony Allen gets healthy.

As for JVG, one can only dream. I really wouldn't mind this team sucking out of the gate if it got Doc fired mid-season.

And for the final question, I don't think anything short of the championship is a complete failure. Championships are hard to win. I do think anything short of the Finals is a pretty big disappointment. For this upcoming season, assuming nothing catastrophic happens and we make it to the playoffs, getting bumped in the first round would suck bad.

[tuq]

kidcolin,

How differently do you think the C's would have handled this offseason if they had landed Oden or Durant? I mean, a LOT different I'm guessing, but not sure.

[kidcolin]

I dunno. They'd extend Al Jefferson. They'd ship Telfair regardless and hold onto Delonte. They'd still shop Wally. Not sure about Pierce. They'd probably want to keep him but he might try to force a trade. Scalabrine would become team captain.

As much as I love Al and wanted Oden, I don't know if I'd be happier with that scenario. I know I should be, but Kevin Garnett gets me pretty giddy with excitement. Maybe I'll sing a different tune when all of the big 3 are struck with Alzheimer's.