Tag: celtics lab

What is going on with Boston Celtics alumni getting involved in insurance scams?

The scam was orchestrated by former Celtics wing Terrence Williams, who convinced other former Boston players and those of other teams to participate in making fraudulent claims

Some alumni of the Boston Celtics have been in the news lately for all of the wrong reasons, with some even staring down jail time for some seriously poor judgment with regard to making fraudulent insurance claims on medical procedures that never took place for profit.

The scam was orchestrated by former Celtics wing Terrence Williams, who convinced other former Boston players and those of other teams to participate in making fraudulent claims. The scheme included submitting fake medical reports for insurance claims, which led to suspicions due to misspellings and irregularities. Several former Celtics players were implicated in this scandal, including Williams, Sebastian Telfair, Tony Allen, Keyon Dooling, and Glen Davis.

To hear more about the ill-advised misadventure that is costing some Boston alumni their freedom, check out the latest episode of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast for all the awful details and plenty of other recent news.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 210: FIBA flubs, insurance fraud and fan surveys in the doldrums with Wayne Spooney

From rumored injuries and poor decisions with regards to insurance fraud and new NBA 2k ratings getting dropped, there’s plenty for Boston fans to think about this week.

The Boston Celtics and the league are supposedly in the summer doldrums period of the NBA’s 2023 offseason, yet a surprising (and not always entirely positive) flow of news is still percolating.

Among the headlines were rumored injuries and withdrawals from FIBA World Cup play, the long arc of justice finally connecting with some very poor decisions made by former Celtics regarding insurance fraud and new NBA 2K ratings getting dropped.

As a result, Boston fans have plenty to think about this week. And with the Celtics Wire’s annual fan survey results compiled, we even have our own thoughts on the Boston season to come, the one that was, and what was done in between them to consider.

So for this week’s CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, the hosts reached out to “First To The Floor” podcast host Wayne Spooney for some help sorting through an unexpectedly busy week for Celtics news in early August as we see just how much we agree with you about this Boston ball club, and whether it’s got the goods to deliver Banner 18.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 209: On covering the tougher stories in NBA journalism with Gary Washburn

While sports can be an escape, the human side of the tale matters too — and isn’t always the easiest aspect to cover.

The past few seasons have been some of the bumpiest in recent memory for the Boston Celtics off the court, with everything from the pandemic to internal scandal taking a toll on the on-court product just as the team starts to pursue another title in earnest.

One cannot tell the story of the Celtics last season without including the mess made by former head coach Ime Udoka, or why the team was among the last four clubs in the Orlando bubble without saying why they were there in the first place. While sports can be an escape, the human side of the tale matters too — and isn’t always the easiest aspect to cover.

As the Celtics emerge from one of their choppier campaigns in a while due to such issues, their summer teambuilding nearly finished, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with Boston Globe beat writer and “A-List” podcast host Gary Washburn to talk about how to cover and engage with those difficult aspects of the sport.

They also assess the offseason so far and get into what little news is still trickling out for the truly stalwart Boston fans.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 208: Jaylen Brown wants a new Black Wall Street in Boston and more from his supermax presser

The Celtics star made use of signing his new contract to help shed light on efforts to address systemic racism in the city and hopes to found a new Black Wall Street in Boston, a sign of the depth of his commitment to the community.

Star Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has officially signed his historic supermax contract extension, and did so with the sort of pomp such a moment deserves, with Olympian and civil rights icon John Carlos in attendance along with lead governor Wyc Grousbeck, team president Brad Stevens, and head coach Joe Mazzulla.

But the most interesting guests at the signing and press conference were Brown’s Steam students from his MIT bridge program, Black and brown youth from the greater Boston area. The Celtics star made use of signing his new contract to help shed light on efforts to address systemic racism in the city and hopes to found a new Black Wall Street in Boston, a sign of the depth of his commitment to the community.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast dove into Brown’s supermax extension contract presser, what we can learn from what was said and done at it, and what the extension means for Boston moving forward.

They also get into the news of Mike Gorman’s final season calling games and the rest of the trickle of news still percolating this late in the NBA offseason, so tune in and get up to speed on all things Celtics this last week of July.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 207: Sorting through the best remaining options for Boston team building

The Boston Celtics are likely to be nearing the finish line when it comes to team building for the 2023 offseason, with limited spending power for a shrinking pool of potential free agent signings.

The Boston Celtics are likely nearing the finish line of the 2023 offseason, given their limited spending power and shrinking pool of potential free agent signings.

While trades big and small remain on the table for reshaping the Celtics’ roster for the 2023-24 NBA season, signs are starting hint this is close to Boston’s finished roster until the trade deadline, at least.

That is not to say that there are some options still unsigned who could provide some real help to the Celtics’ designs on contention, so the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast sat down and worked their way through the best remaining free agents to identify which ones make the most sense for the team.

We also get into the ongoing Jaylen Brown supermax extension saga and some Las Vegas Summer League-adjacent chatter catching up on the also-shrinking flow of news as we inch closer to the doldrums of the offseason.

This episode of the Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 206: On Red Sox history and Boston offseason team building with Chad Finn

As Boston preps the players it hopes to make history with next season for the task at hand, there’s a new book out on the history of the Red Sox out and another on the Celtics on the way.

New England sports fans have been spoiled lately, but some lengthy eras of dismay are part of the storied histories of the Boston Celtics, the Bruins, the New England Patriots and Red Sox. They provide ample fodder for the region’s equally rich history of sports writers and journalists.

Ahead of the start to the doldrums of the NBA’s 2023 offseason, plenty of unresolved aspects remain for this season’s Celtics. Chief among them are the Jaylen Brown supermax extension and the finishing touches to the 2023-24 roster.

But as Boston preps the players it hopes to make history with this season, there’s a new book on the history of the Red Sox out and another on the Celtics on the way. Author Chad Finn of the Boston Globe sat down with the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast to talk about all of the above with a few spicy takes mixed in for good measure.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 205: Taking stock of Boston’s offseason so far – and what else might be coming with Sam LaFrance

What else might be coming from Boston’s front office now that the major moves are nearly done?

The Boston Celtics made a big splash to start the NBA’s 2023 free agency period by trading away veteran point guard Marcus Smart for star center Kristaps Porzingis, drafted Arkansas Razorbacks standout Jordan Walsh, then signed forward Oshae Brissett and point guard Dalano Banton.

Soon afterward (and just before this podcast was recorded), the Celtics dealt away reserve forward Grant Williams for draft assets and breathing room below the new collective bargaining agreement’s dreaded second apron. Now the Celtics only need to secure a signature from star forward Jaylen Brown’s supermax contract extension to put a bow on their offseason team building.

Or do they? With rumbles out there that the ball club might yet have more moves to make, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast linked up with co-host of the “How ‘Bout Them Celtics?” podcast Sam LaFrance to talk about the Celtics offseason so far — and what else might be coming down the pike.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 203: On the lack of love and trust in Boston after Marcus Smart’s trade with Jack Simone

Emergency podding to talk over the unexpected Smart news, and what it means for the team, for fans, and for the future.

Many fans of the Boston Celtics went to bed thinking they would wake up to 2023 Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon as a Los Angeles Clipper, reserve forward Danilo Gallinari a Washington Wizard, and Kristaps Porzingis a Boston Celtic. Some who went to bed earlier may have thought they’d wake up with Brogdon and Gallo on the Wiz and Porzingis a Celtic.

But pretty much no one had Marcus Smart a Memphis Grizzly well before dawn on the next day. The move by team president Brad Stevens to shake up the club by dealing away its longest-tenured player for the Latvian big man and draft capital hit Boston fans right in the feels, even the ones who believe it was a savvy move under the new collective bargaining agreement.

And not everyone is thrilled to have put so much of the team’s salary cap into a player who has averaged less than 60 games played per season over a seven-season career and has problematic allegations in his past.

The cohost of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast, Cameron Tabatabaie, linked up with Celtics Blog’s Jack Simone to talk over the unexpected news, and what it means for the team, for fans and for the future.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by FanDuel and Better Help.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 202: Surveying Boston’s prospects for the 2023 NBA draft with Bryan Kalbrosky

The 2023 NBA draft could be key to any big moves made by Boston or they could have a quiet night picking No. 35; we explore that range.

The 2023 NBA draft takes place this Thursday, June 22. While the Boston Celtics traded their first-round pick, they possess an intriguing selection at the top of the second round via a pick owed them by the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 35.

The Celtics could trade up, back or out depending on what sort of trades might be on the table ahead of their time on the clock late Thursday evening. Offseason rumblings have already connected several Boston players with potential moves around the league.

To get a handle on which prospects might be of interest to the Celtics, where in the draft they might be, and what Boston might need to do to get there, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast brought on friend of the pod Bryan Kalbrosky of For The Win and USA TODAY.

The trio makes sense of the first big trade of the 2023 offseason: Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns. They dive into some of the meatier rumors making the rounds, take a first look at the hire of Phil Pressey as an assistant, and tie it all to the main event on Thursday.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by Fan Duel and Better Help.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 201: Setting expectations for Boston’s 2023 offseason with Howard Beck

What will a successful offseason look like for the Celtics in light of the sting of the loss in the East finals? How should they progress in light of Jaylen Brown’s potential supermax extension and the new collective bargaining agreement?

With the action of the NBA’s 2023 offseason about to start unfolding, it’s fair to say events beyond the control of the Boston Celtics set the team up for failure last season even before the 2022-23 campaign began.

Now, the Celtics have a full offseason to surround head coach Joe Mazzulla with the support he’ll need and the time to make the trades and other moves needed to secure Boston’s pursuit of a title next season and in the future.

What will a successful offseason look like for the Celtics in light of the loss in the East finals? How should they move forward given Jaylen Brown’s potential supermax extension and the new collective bargaining agreement?

Where does Grant Williams’ restricted free agency factor into these things? What else does the roster need, and for the players coming back, where is improvement needed?

With a host of things on the Celtics’ to-do list, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast reached to GQ’s Howard Beck to put together some expectations for this team’s offseason and the campaign ahead of it.

We even get in a little chatter about some of the bigger rumbles we’ve been hearing ahead of silly season’s full florescence along with some criticism of teams holding fanbases hostage.

The Celtics Lab podcast is brought to you by FanDuel and Better Help.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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