Tag: Dennis Johnson

Jacobian Guillory opens up about Jamar Cain’s exit

Guillory offered high praise for Cain on his way out to join the Broncos staff.

[autotag]Jamar Cain[/autotag] took a job on Sean Peyton’s staff with the Denver Broncos, leaving LSU looking for a defensive line coach.

Cain only spent a year at LSU, but he did a lot of good work in that time, both developing and recruiting. It’s a big loss, and [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will have to make a good hire to find an adequate replacement.

One of the toughest aspects of this sport is seeing how coaching departures affect the players. [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag] talked about Cain’s exit, offering a bittersweet tone.

“I have nothing but love for coach Cain,” Guillory said. “To see him go, it does hurt. I cried after practice.”

Guillory went on to speak about how this was Cain’s goal — getting an NFL job. Guillory said he’s happy to see Cain getting this opportunity and wishes him the best.

Guillory praised the work Cain did with himself and fellow defensive tackle [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag].

Guillory originally committed to [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] at LSU. When he took his official visit in June of 2019, [autotag]Dennis Johnson[/autotag] was the defensive line coach. Including Johnson, Guillory has seen LSU go through four defensive line coaches in that span and will soon see a fifth.

Guillory is part of a defensive tackle group that could be one of the nation’s best in 2023. Whoever takes over that room, whether it’s [autotag]Gerald Chatman[/autotag] or an out-of-house option, plenty of talent will be waiting.

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Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson’s secret pass with the Boston Celtics

The Hick From French Lick and DJ had a secret play they would deploy against unsuspecting opposing defenses.

Hall of Fame Boston Celtics stars Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson had an undeniable chemistry together on the court that helped them win two titles together in the mid-1980s, and it was not just a good sense of each other’s abilities on the parquet that helped make it so elite.

The Hick From French Lick and DJ had a secret play they would deploy against unsuspecting opposing defenses that they were able to make use of for over a half-decade. With Larry Legend roaming around near the basket looking like he was going to run out to make himself free for an easy pass, instead to see Johnson launch a no-look rocket of a pass directly to Bird under the cup.

To see it in action for yourself, check out the clip put together by the folks at the Book of Basketball YouTube channel that we have embedded below for your viewing pleasure.

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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Larry Bird on how important Dennis Johnson was to the Boston Celtics

The Hick From French Lick was not alone in his doubt of the skill DJ would show with the Celtics.

While legendary Boston Celtics point guard Dennis Johnson had won a title (and even that season’s finals Most Valuable Player Award) with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979, doubters questioned his ability to play the game at a high level — apart from his athleticism — before he was traded to the Boston Celtics in 1983.

In fact, many believed his game might be too one-dimensional to be a good fit on the Celtics during the prime years of the Larry Bird-Robert Parish-Kevin McHale era. Larry Legend said as much in a speech praising just how wrong he was about DJ’s potential ahead of his being the floor general for Boston’s 1984 and 1986 titles.

Take a look at the clip embedded below courtesy of the folks at the All Basketball TV YouTube channel to hear that speech for yourself.

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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How a house fire nearly ended Dennis Johnson’s basketball career

Long before he came to Boston, a tragedy nearly derailed DJ’s future with the Celtics.

The notion of a butterfly effect — the idea that small changes can have massive effects throughout history — could very well have been in play had Dennis Johnson’s uncle not been as generous as he was when tragedy struck Johnson’s family while he was still in college.

The future Boston Celtics champion got word that his family home had burned down while he was playing for Pepperdine, and nearly ended up dropping out of school to help his family get back on their feet. For the Los Angeles native, whose basketball career had been quite tenuous up to that point, making sure things were okay at home was no minor concern

“Sometime during the Christmas season, my mother phoned me with news that our house had burned down,” explained DJ to Michael D McClellan of Celtic Nation (H/T to Sportscasting’s Mike Thomas).

On this day: Rondo traded for Crowder; most team assists in ’85

On this day, the Celtics traded Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks for Jae Crowder, and Boston logged 46 assists against Dallas, their most ever.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise traded champion point guard Rajon Rondo and center Dwight Powell to the Dallas Mavericks in 2014 in exchange for small forward Jae Crowder, point guard Jameer Nelson, big man Brandan Wright, draft assets, and a $13 million trade exception.

The move finally brought to an end the last remaining player from the team’s 2008 NBA title tenure with the franchise, Rondo having been with the Celtics since the Phoenix Suns drafted him out of Kentucky with the 21st overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft and dealt him to Boston on draft night.

Powell was a more recent arrival, having come over in the deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Keith Bogans in September of that year.

Dennis Johnson credited two Boston Celtics legends for helping his game as a Seattle Supersonic

While still in the Pacific Division, the future Boston champion point guard would learn from two Celtics alumni.

Hall of Fame Boston Celtics point guard Dennis Johnson made a name for himself as a defensive menace long before he got to the Celtics, earning nine berths on an All-Defensive team over the course of his 14 seasons in the NBA.

Though he won the bulk of his three titles in Boston, it was a Celtics connection that the San Pedro, California, native credited as providing the foundation for that championship-caliber defense: Hall of Fame Boston big man legend Bill Russell, who was his head coach with the (then) Seattle SuperSonics (now, Oklahoma City Thunder), his first team in the league.

“Having Bill Russell as my coach was intimidating, but he did a good job of pulling me aside and pointing things out,” Johnson said to Michael D. McClellan of Celtic Nation.

On this day: Dennis Johnson jersey retired; Kendrick Perkins debut; Charles Claxton, Andre Turner born; Woody Sauldsberry signed

On this day, the Celtics retired DJ’s number, Perk played his first game for them, and Charles Claxton and Andre Turner were born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the Celtics raised champion point guard Dennis Johnson’s jersey to the rafters, honoring the two titles and seven seasons the San Pedro, California native played for Boston. A product of both Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine — Johnson matriculated from the former, a junior college, to the latter — the point and shooting guard was taken with the 29th overall pick of the 1976 NBA draft by the (then) Seattle SuperSonics (now, Oklahoma City Thunder).

DJ — as he was often called as a nickname — would play for that team and the Phoenix Suns before being dealt to Boston in 1983, winning a title with the Sonics in 1979.

The Celtics acquired Johnson for Rick Robey and draft assets, quite a steal in retrospect.

HoopsHype updates their top 75 all-time NBA player list for 2022, dropping several Boston Celtics

We might be biased, but we’re not too crazy about the update.

While some NBA media outlets are dialed into the 2022-23 NBA season for their annual exercise to fill the late September content desert that is ranking season, our sister site HoopsHype has its eyes on a bigger prize.

Drawing on the popular all-time NBA list released adjacent to the NBA’s version put together for the league’s 75th anniversary, HoopsHype has gone a step further and updated the list again for 2022. There’s quite a bit of change (including the absence of many Boston Celtics who made the last list), and to be frank, we are not fans of an all-time list that would see so much turnover a mere 365 days later.

Take a look for yourselves at the various Celtics greats who were omitted and where those who remain are ranked now, and let us know why we are wrong if you feel so compelled.

On this day: Radja, Johnson, Brown drafted; Dennis Johnson traded for

On this day, the Boston Celtics drafted Dino Radja, Joe Johnson, and Dee Brown; they also traded for Dennis Johnson.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the 2001 NBA draft was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, and the Celtics took three players of note in the draft.

The first of the three was small forward Joe Johnson, taken with the 10th overall pick out of the University of Arkansas. The Little Rock native only had one incomplete season with the Celtics. He played in 48 total games and recorded an average of 6.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game, shooting 43% overall from the field in that stretch with the team.

In February of his inaugural season in the league, he would be dealt with Randy Brown, Milt Palacio, and draft assets to the Phoenix Suns for Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers.

Celtics alumni have strong showing in new HoopsHype assessment of the greatest players drafted at any position

These former Celtics have been judged the greatest to play the game at their draft position.

With the Boston Celtics and the league now well past the 2022 trade deadline and in the thick of the stretch run, attention begins to shift to the draft as the next big, bright beacon of promise for teams to improve their fortunes with. And when it comes to the draft, not all front offices are created equal.

But the Celtics have deep institutional memory to draw on in that regard, with a well-established history of drafting well throughout the annual event’s history. They have also rostered several other players who were evidently not appreciated where they had been selected initially, spreading their wings in Boston instead.

Frank Urbina of our sister site HoopsHype put together a list of the best players drafted at any position in the history of the draft as a whole, and the Celtics have a strong showing of alumni on that list, even if they weren’t always the team doing the drafting — let’s take a look at where they placed.