This is MUCH better than what Miami reportedly offered.
After months of speculation, the Portland Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard. In return, they have received a hefty package of players and picks.
The seven-time All-Star was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade involving the Phoenix Suns. He was traded alongside former teammates Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little and Keon Johnson.
In return, the Trail Blazers received a package centered around Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday. Portland, however, then re-routed Holiday to the Boston Celtics and landed two helpful players (Robert Williams and Malcolm Brogdon) and additional draft assets.
Two first-round pick swaps with Bucks (2028, 2030)
So that’s three first-round picks and two pick swaps as well as a former No. 1 pick (Ayton) and other valuable assets.
Meanwhile, the package could grow a bit more before it is all said and done. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Trail Blazers are expected to keep Williams to pair alongside Ayton in the frontcourt.
However, the trade package could continue to grow if Brogdon is traded to another team before the season begins at the end of the month.
All things considered, this return is obviously much better than anything the Miami Heat reportedly offered.
You have to hear Kevin Harlan’s call of Robert Williams’ monster dunk during Celtics-Heat Game 6.
As the Boston Celtics battled with the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night, center Robert Williams gave Boston a major spark with a beautiful dunk.
Williams got a lob during the second quarter and slammed it down on Miami. TNT broadcaster Kevin Harlan, like most folks watching at home, got blown away by the Celtics center’s arena-shaking bucket.
Harlan’s call was the perfect mixture of awe and genuine excitement.
“Up high, down hard!” a giddy Harlan exclaimed on the dunk, one that showed why Boston is still pushing for the conference title after falling behind 3-0 to Miami earlier in the series.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 28, 2023
If you had a similar reaction at home, it’s understandable.
Williams’ big dunk is one of the best during this entire NBA playoffs, and Harlan knew exactly how to top the moment with the kind of reaction that makes him one of the most beloved broadcasters in all of basketball.
Robert Williams III shared an update on his recent knee surgery and explained why he has no regrets about coming back early last spring.
Robert Williams III may be out until Christmas, but that doesn’t mean the big man didn’t participate in this year’s Boston Celtics Media Day proceedings. Predictably, many of the questions he answered revolved around his recent knee operation.
The surgery in question was dubbed a “clean-up” scope on his left knee. Last spring he suffered a torn meniscus, only to return early as the Celtics marched to the Finals. As a result, Williams played through pain, missing a few games along the way. This latest arthroscopic scope was aimed at alleviating further complications, especially persistent fluid build-up and other nagging concerns.
Timelord was asked about the decision to have this surgery. As he explained, it was indeed to prevent further issues, but also to help him move on from the initial injury.
For Boston’s Grant Williams, group success, communication will be the Celtics’ focus in 2022-23 https://t.co/5pAo6wrk3y
“The medical staff has ensured [Robert Williams] that he is not at further risk of worsening the repaired knee.”
During his time with the Celtics, two-time All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas played through injuries during the playoffs, and it was costly.
Thomas, who was dealing with hip issues, suited up for Boston in the 2017 postseason even after learning that his sister died in a car accident. He scored 53 points against the Wizards in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but the Celtics were then eliminated in the subsequent Eastern Conference Finals.
The guard was traded that offseason. After the trade, medical examinations revealed news about Thomas’ health so concerning that the move was nearly voided. He suffered a torn labrum and other injuries to his right hip that were exacerbated by playing through the pain.
He has admitted that he should have sat out the playoffs and that he made his injury worse by playing through it. Thomas, who later required hip surgery, couldn’t help but notice the parallels between his story with Boston and what may be happening to Celtics big man Robert Williams right now.
Williams suffered a torn meniscus at the end of March, and he required a meniscectomy procedure on his left knee.
During a recent conversation with league insider Chris Haynes, Williams said he was told he is not at risk of making the injury any worse (via Yahoo):
“I was really having my knee drained a lot last series,” Williams III confirmed to Yahoo Sports. “I stopped draining it because there was no point, in my opinion. My knee kept filling back up with fluid. So, I’ve kind of learned how to manage it to be able to play.”
The medical staff has ensured him that he is not at further risk of worsening the repaired knee. It’s all a matter of pain tolerance.
Williams has played a massive role for Boston, especially on the defensive end of the floor, during the postseason and in the NBA Finals playing against the Warriors.
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka, meanwhile, has told reporters that they’re monitoring Williams’ situation closely and if he can’t get on the floor, they’ll understand.
Williams’ situation is also different from Thomas’ because the big man has already earned a lucrative contract extension, while Thomas was up for a big payday before the injury troubles. Thomas, though, still a useful cautionary tale for Williams to consider.
Robert Williams is a key part of the Boston Celtics, a shot-blocker and rebounder in the middle who is having a great NBA Finals just four years after the franchise selected him 27th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
But you may be here because you’re wondering why he’s called “Time Lord.” It’s an awesome nickname, but it’s kind of weird, right?
Here’s the thing: The story behind it is kind of hilarious in hindsight.
Back in his rookie year, Williams missed his first conference call with reporters because he overslept and missed a flight to Boston. With fans ripping on Williams, a Celtics die-hard named Ryan Hebert decided to turn Williams into someone who didn’t operate under normal time laws.
“So (we) started joking that he wasn’t late, he was operating on a different timeline concurrent to the one we are in, as evidenced by the fact that I knew he was a Celtic two years before he was a Celtic. And we would do it with people taking themselves really seriously and they’d get very mad at us for thinking they were too uptight. So from there he became a T I M E L O R D, like the characters in Doctor Who whose time travel can tie together terrible holes in the plot of a shoddy script.”
Williams has taken it on and owned it. From Sky Sports:
“So when I when I got drafted, I missed a press conference over the phone,” Williams III told Sky Sports. “So I missed the press conference over the phone or whatever. And they start calling me ‘Time Lord’, like being late. But I got on the court playing and it was saying like, ‘Oh, he’s stopping time to go over there and block shots’, so, I can’t hate on that it was decent. I liked it. I’ve been rocking with ‘Time Lord’ ever since.”
Mark Cuban has never been shy about letting everyone know what he thinks about the NBA as a product. He’s shot down ideas like an in-season NBA tournament despite it becoming a pretty popular idea around NBA circles.
Now, he’s even coming out against a product the NBA already has — the play-in tournament.
The play-in is something Adam Silver has consistently vocalized that he wants to keep around for the NBA. It’s a product he thinks is good for the game. The tournament is fun! But it also had its downsides, too. We’ve written about them plenty here.
There were already plenty of reasons to be anti play-in tournament already. But Mark Cuban seems to have come up with another one after seeing this year’s NBA playoffs play out.
He thinks the tournament’s slot in the NBA schedule is leading to more injury and fatigue during the actual postseason.
Now, hold on. Before you push back against it, just hear him out for a second. He tweeted an explanation and it actually makes a lot of sense.
As fun as the Play-In Tournament was, it led to playoff games being played every other night. Which raises the question of whether that has led to teams being tired and possibly injured. We can’t extend the last day because of TV. Should the PlayIn be just 8th seed or not at all?
“As fun as the Play-In tournament was, it led to playoff games being played every other night. Which raises the question of whether that has led to teams being tired and possibly injured. We can’t extend the last day because of TV. Shoudl the Play-In just be 8th seed or not at all?
That’s a pretty interesting point. We are all seeing the effects from the league throwing another wrinkle into its schedule here.
If the NBA’s playoff games have felt bunched to you, don’t feel weird. It’s because they have been. There’s normally a bigger gap between each series and, typically, when teams traveled to the away team’s arena for games 3 and 4 there’d be an extra day of rest included.
Those baked-in rest days are gone because of the play-in scheduling. And that’s led to a lot more constant action. We’ve seen that play itself out throughout these playoffs.
Marcus Smart is nursing an injured ankle. Jimmy Butler has an ailing knee. Robert Williams has been in and out of the lineup for the Celtics. Luka Doncic consistently looks gassed.
Let’s be honest about this. The play-in still isn’t going anywhere and Cuban’s comments aren’t going to change that. And if there’s going to be any change here, there needs to be something more than anecdotal evidence from Cuban’s observations.
But, regardless, this should at least lead to a conversation. Because, at the end of it all, the job of the NBA is to put its best product on the floor. If the play-in needs to be adjusted to make that happen, that’s what the league needs to do.
Boston dropped Game 1 in Miami 118-107. Check out the highlights from a disappointing yet also encouraging loss for the Celtics.
The Boston Celtics dropped Game 1 in Miami to the Heat 118-107. The Celtics came out of the gate looking like the team to beat, but a disastrous start to the second half ultimately doomed Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the rest of the team. Boston lost the third period 39-14, and from there, Miami’s Jimmy Butler simply wouldn’t let his club falter.
Despite the tough loss, though, the Celtics looked pretty dang good at times. Without veterans Al Horford and Marcus Smart, they managed to play the Heat even on the glass. Robert Williams III came up big with two loud blocks. Payton Pritchard connected on a number of deep threes. And save a few too many turnovers, Tatum and Brown more than put their marks on the game.
Missed the action? Check out the game highlights via NBC Sports Boston. Game 2 tips off Thursday night in Miami.
I’m going to miss seeing what outfits Ben Simmons wears on the bench.
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We all have a lot of complicated thoughts about Ben Simmons. Somewhere in the process, though, we may have forgotten how good he actually is at this sport.
Simmons is one of the most interesting players in the league because his skill set is so unique. I’m not sure exactly how much he will be able to give to Brooklyn in his debut for the Nets, especially considering how long it has been since he has last played in an NBA game.
The playoffs are a tough time to jump in with a new group of guys, especially considering Brooklyn already trails Boston in the series.
But if he comes in and uses his length and versatility to defend, it could do wonders in slowing down the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. I’m glad he plans to play in Game 4, although I’ll miss seeing what he wears to the bench in each game.
Meanwhile, I’m just as pleased that Celtics big Robert Williams also intends to return to action for Game 3 on Monday. He was a legitimate candidate for All-Defense consideration before his injury, and Boston is giving Brooklyn nightmares on the defensive end of the floor.
The Tip-Off
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
It’s a controversial opinion, I know, but I’m a fan of the transfer portal in college sports. I think the roster fluidity leads to fascinating decisions for players and coaches alike.
The transfer portal is always loaded, but allow me to tell you about my favorite player potentially on the move: Tyrese Hunter. The freshman had a solid debut campaign for Iowa State, and I think he can only get better:
“I had a first-round grade for Hunter in my most recent mock draft, and when I release my initial mock draft for 2023, I’m confident Hunter will have a first-round projection once again no matter where he lands via transfer. Although he was one of the youngest players in college basketball, he was incredibly productive.
Hunter was one of the best playmakers among players in his class, and he is an excellent perimeter defender as well. While his jumper was inconsistent, it looked phenomenal at times, including an especially brilliant March Madness debut performance in which he hit seven 3-pointers.”
For a full list of the other most notable names to watch in the transfer portal, including more blurbs on my favorite players, click here.
One to Watch
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Heat (-1.5, -130) vs. Hawks (+105), O/U 221.5, 7:00 PM ET
I’ve long felt that the Heat were the best team in the Eastern Conference, and I’m only more convinced based on what I’ve seen in the playoffs thus far. We saw Jimmy Butler score 45 points with no turnovers the last time he played!
But now that Trae Young has his back to the wall as the series heads to State Farm Arena in Atlanta, I’m expecting some fireworks.
Who’s in and out?
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
— Suns: Devin Booker (hamstring) is out until early May
— Bucks: Khris Middleton (knee) is out until early May, George Hill (abdominal) is out and Bobby Portis (eye) is probable on Friday
— Heat: Bam Adebayo (quad), Caleb Martin (ankle), Markieff Morris (hip), and PJ Tucker (calf) are all questionable on Friday
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Now in his fourth year as a pro, the Time Lord has become one of the most effective centers in the NBA this year. He is the anchor for Boston’s notoriously stingy defense and offers a consistent and punishing threat around the rim on offense. As a two-way compliment to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, he is an integral part of this Celtics club.
With his return right around the corner, it’s worth breaking down why Williams is so important to Boston. How will Robert Williams impact the Boston Celtics this postseason?
Shams: Robert Williams III ‘is close to a return and could play in Game 3 … or Game 4 … vs. Nets’ https://t.co/JyRiREfusb
It’s always best to keep all of your cards close to the vest during the NBA postseason.
You never want to tip the opposition off on your gameplan and you almost certainly don’t want to give them any bulletin board material. If you tell the opposing team who you’re about to attack and how you’re about to attack them, you kind of throw all of that out the window.
That’s what Bruce Brown did on Tuesday after the Nets beat the Cavaliers through the individual brilliance of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to move up to the 7th seed and face the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
In his postgame press conference, Brown was asked about the matchup. He noted that Celtics’ center Robert Williams was out with a torn meniscus and that Brooklyn could “attack [Al] Horford and [Daniel] Theis.”
He really said that.
Bruce Brown: "Them not having Robert Williams is huge. Now we can attack Horford and Theis."
That’s…almost certainly not a great look. Not only are Theis and Horford two rock-solid defenders at their position, but now they’ll be motivated to step up to the challenge of protecting the paint.
Probably not the best idea. Kevin Durant knows that. That’s exactly why he immediately pushed back on it.
Kevin Durant wasn't a fan of what Bruce Brown said about the Celtics' bigs at tonight's press conference 😅
“That’s caffeine pride talking. He takes something before the game. Those two dudes can do the same stuff. It ain’t going to be that easy, I tell you that.”
He tried to soften the blow a little bit and for good reason. The Celtics take this stuff to heart. That’s almost certainly going up in their locker room.
They used Joel Embiid simply saying their scheme was easier to defend because it was iso-heavy as motivation back in February. Those comments actually might be what sparked their turnaround.
Ime Udoka said before last night’s game, he showed the Celtics the quote from Joel Embiid when he said they weren’t as difficult to guard as Charlotte.
So, yeah, for Brown to give them something else to push themselves with? Not the best move, certainly. Of course, it’s easy to talk that sort of trash when you’ve got what might be the best player in the world on your team.
We’ll see how it all works out on Sunday when these two teams finally meet up. From the look of it, things just got a lot more fun.
