Is JB unappreciated? Whether or not he actually is disgruntled... if he were would it be valid?
If the reaction of a minority of fans makes somebody disgruntled, then no, it’s not valid.
The real question for the Celtics is, what is the probability that JB leaves in free agency in two years? If it’s 50% or higher, we probably need to pull the trigger on a Kevin Durant trade.
It was very unpopular trade that brought KG to Boston , but it was far more likely to have led to a title than Al Jefferson a fan fav would have.
I see similar deal here today with Brown . …..if you really want to win now and get at least one title KD is more likely to punch that ticket .
KD , Tatum can have their pick of stars to round out the team . It would be THE team to play for and worth playing taxes . If your the owners , you now have the BEST basketball show on the planet .
I m a huge Brown fan , but I definitely see what KD could mean
I don’t think the Al Jefferson - KG situation is that similar to JB and KD at all. Jaylen just came off leading us in scoring in the finals after being a pretty awesome #2 to Tatum in the previous series. Al Jefferson didn’t have the resume that Jaylen has, it isn’t close.
Some people may want to trade Brown for KD but this situation isn’t as cut and dried as trading Al for KG.
Ehh agree to disagree. Because like Roy, I remember many fans (not casual ones) who didn’t want to trade Al for KG. IIRC, it was mainly because Al was developing into a franchise-level player and KG was old.
JB is more accomplished than Al, sure, but Al was younger and had more “potential”. KD (mvp, 2x finals mvp) is also more decorated than KG (mvp) was at the time of the trade.
I think the JB/Al comparison is fair enough. Definitely a lot of fans saw Al as a perennial 20/10 guy, in the days when an old school lie post big man had more appeal than today.
Everything else about the situation is hard to compare— Pierce and Allen being much older, all the other assets on top of Al in the deal, etc etc.
I think KG was easily as revered as KD, though. Everyone knew he was an MVP level player that had been stuck in Minnesota. Some questioned his winning, but I’d say KD has way more questions about work ethic, loyalty, drive to win, etc at this point despite his GS titles.
KG was the biggest loser among great players in NBA history before Boston. Won just 2 playoff series and had 3 straight years of not even making the playoffs his last 3 in Minnesota when he was in his prime and peak. He was 7-22 before Sam I am and Spree in the playoffs and went 10-8 that year, and the next year they didn't even make the playoffs with basically the same team.
The simple reality is, KG just wasn't a winner when compared to other all time great players. He always needed a closer to take over and finish games, because he could never do it. That is why he never won a playoff series without Spree & Cassell or Pierce (& Allen in Boston or Johnson in BKN).
That is not Durant. Durant is one of the best closers in NBA history. He is also the 2nd best shooter ever and because of that he should be able to play for several more years. KG took a beating and his body wasn't going to last that long (as we saw). Durant though certainly could play at a high level the rest of his contract. Probably not top 5 player the whole time, but still very much a top 20 guy, and he will be able to score. Especially with a guy like Tatum that can do a lot of the heavy lifting. Durant has always been at his best with a primary ball handler to initiate and create. That was Westbrook and then the machine that was Golden St. Brooklyn never came together because they never played together enough for it to work.
