Kevin Durant would’ve been fun to watch here in Boston. Kevin Durant will be very fun to watch with the Warriors.

The former Thunder star disappointed Boston fans when he announced yesterday that he was choosing to join the Golden State Warriors, a team that won a league record 73 games but lost in the NBA finals to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Durant is under criticism in some corners for choosing to go to a team that already has three established stars, with the knock being that should the Warriors win the NBA title, Durant will have just tagged along for the ride, rather than taking a team on his own to the championship.

I don’t really buy into that. If all Durant wants is to win, and to win right away, Golden State was the choice. This doesn’t feel the same to me as when superfriends LeBron, Wade and Bosh teamed up in Miami. Durant was also smart in signing the two year deal with the option after one, not only for the raise he’ll be able to command next offseason, but also in case this just doesn’t work out.

It’s tough to swallow as a Celtics fan, but I can’t get too upset over this.

The Celtics still have more building to do. Al Horford is a nice piece and will make them better, but he’s not the star they need to really challenge the Cavs in the East. They need more shooting, though the youngsters put on quite a show in that area in last night’s Summer League game.

The extremist factions of the Boston sports media will paint this as another failed offseason for Danny Ainge and his “assets.” They can be ignored on this topic, just as you would on many of their other precious opinions.

  • The Brady en banc decision should be coming down any day now. I was optimistic that the court would at least order the NFL to respond, but my hopes are going down in that regard. I now think it is Supreme Court or bust, and I think Brady’s team believes that as well, which why Ted Olson was brought on in the first place.

  • The calls for John Farrell’s head on certain sports radio shows has been loud and adamant. My thoughts on Farrell is that in-game decisions, which is the most visible part of his job, is also his weakest area. I don’t know this for sure, but my sense is that Farrell is strong in the other aspects of the job, the parts that aren’t seen by the media and fans. This could explain why he’s hung onto this job through multiple last-place finishes.

Published by Bruce Allen

Automattician.

17 thoughts on “Now What?”

  1. Bruce:

    On John Farrell I have no idea why he still has a job (the cancer? pictures? he is a fun guy to drink with?). Not only is he weak with in game decisions, whatever they are doing with the pitching staff, conditioning, philosophy and developing is all failing miserably. So if they guy can’t manage in game and he can’t run the pitching staff…why is he still employed? In the last 6 years his teams have come in last twice, 4th twice and he once won a world series. Which one is the anomaly? After a fast start…and 6 elections to the all-star team does anyone think the Sox have a better shot of catching Baltimore or collapsing and challenge tampa and the yankees for the bottom?

    With Terry L on the bench this should be a no brainer.

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    1. I think it’s time for him to go. Buchholz and E-Rod have regressed this year, so the argument that he’s good for the pitching staff isn’t receiving much backing right now. Also, you would think, by now, he’d have learned that Kimbrel doesn’t like to pitch in non-save situations. Some closers are like that. It’s just how they roll mentally — Papelbon, in fact, was like that, too, but Francona was wise enough to stay away from him in those situations most of the time. But, nope: last night he went to that well once again, and once again Kimbrel was hammered and the game put out of reach.

      My guess is they won’t do anything until the All Star break. Given the four (or five) day break in the schedule, that would be an opportune time to make a move, I think (that’s when they fired McNamara in ’88, and begat the summer of Morgan’s Magic).

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  2. Note that Durant has an opt-out after one year in his GSW contract. I think that’s specifically so he could (potentially) win a title with Golden State next season, then bolt for a new max contract with someone like the Celtics or Wizards who will still (likely) have cap space to sign him and enter the Alpha Dog phase of his career.

    LTD, you’ll be interested to know that I’m coming around on the “fire Farrell” issue. The first inning issues, and the drop in performance between previous and current clubs for several acquired pitchers, indicates a coaching/preparation issue to me, which is on the manager. It seems like he just doesn’t run a tight program, his reputation as Francona’s pitching coach notwithstanding.

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  3. I find Price and Kimbrel as maddening to watch as anyone, but where does Sean McAdam get off telling me that they “haven’t delivered as promised”? Who the hell promised anything? They absolutely haven’t delivered AS EXPECTED by most, but approaching this as some kind of broken promise is kind of nutty. Just sayin’.

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  4. Not sure if this morning was a work or not, but God I hope it wasn’t and I truly hope that Gary Tanguay is gone from D&C fillins forever. Maybe now he’ll understand that his new “felger lite” hot sportz takez, apeal to NO ONE.

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      1. He walked out of the show in the last hour when he found out that he had been cut down from 5 shows to 3 next week.

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        2. I have been thinking about the Tanguay stunt. The real problem with it as I see it is this. If it is a work…I guarantee you no one other than the audience plants who WEEI had calling in to support Tanguay care at all about whether Tanguay is employed at the station. Ever year or two WEEI does a stupid summer stunt…welcome to stupid stunt 2016. With any luck this is not a stunt and Tanguay will not be on the radio ever again…but as they say in Pro Wrestling…if it is on TV its a work.

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  5. “Entercom Boston boss Phil Zachary has said WEEI is targeting the more mature side of the 25-54 demo to lucrative effect, and the station ranks first with men 35-64” How many Reeds Ferry sheds can the ‘mature side’ buy?

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  6. An angry John Dennis on Twitter is absolute comedy gold. Nice job John, (hiccup). But then again, he represents their “demographic “.

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  7. Oh look…Tanguay came back. The great thing about this “stunt” if you can call it that is that no one in the media picked it up except for some WEEI directed tweets. They tried to manufacture a story to drive summer ratings…something they have done in the past…and it fell flat. So again Tanguay is on the radio spewing nonsense, non facts and hotsportztakes that are so dumb I often find myself shaking my head as I reach for the dial to change the channel to something…anything else.

    Having said that, I am not in on the inside numbers thing. I am really starting to wonder if WEEI is keeping this clown around because somewhere there are ratings numbers that support his employment. If that is the case then I we have already lost civilization and I should go build a bunker.

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    1. I know, I thought the same thing when I turned on the radio the other day. Oh, ther’s Gary, click. Just the worst. I really hope he’s not the permanent host once Dino leaves. That woud be awful.

      Quick side note. As I can’t stand most of the local shows anymore I have turned a lot to podcasts. I like Kirk’s and have listened to every one. Except for the Tomase one, I deleted that as soon as I saw it on my phone. I also like the now Locked on Celtics, Rainin’ J’s podcast. They are almost doing one per day now which is great if you’re a Celtics fan. I also check out Danny Picard from time to time, but I don’t like one man shows as much. There’s only so many times I can listen to a guy ask and answer his own question.

      What podcasts do the good people of the site enjoy? I am always on the lookout for new shows.

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  8. In other news, I simply cannot believe the NFL is going to get away with this Deflategate scam. I simply cannot believe it.

    They made up this entire thing. They lied five dozen times about it, literally, and yet the Patriots are going to lose their HOF QB for the first four games of the season, basically sabotaging them for 2016 — just what this entire thing was designed to do in the first place.

    I am so done with that corrupt, despicable league.

    DONE

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