Weekly Friday Self-Promotion and Fan Art Thread
Jaylen Brown on reports claiming he thinks he’s the smartest person in the room: “No offense to everybody in sports, but the bar is fuckin’ low.”
In response to Stephen A. Smith questioning how the Lakers could win with three white players, Jeff Teague : “What if they would’ve been like, ‘How are you going to win in soccer with five Black guys on the field?’ How are you going to win with a Black quarterback?”
If the Knicks hadn’t won, there would be no board. He’d be going to the Knicks — Rich Paul
Max: “Is Denver actually a legitimate destination (for LeBron)?” Rich Paul: “It wouldn’t be on the board, Max.”
Bill Simmons on LeBron’s Free Agency: “I haven’t seen this possibility mentioned yet. What if he doesn’t pick anybody?… what if he just says, I’m gonna take my time with this, watch the league, play golf, stay in shape… and have people keep talking about this for the next 6 months.”
[Stein] It has been long assumed that James is bound to turn his final season into a lucrative documentary product that has the capacity to make up for whatever bargain contract he ends up settling for. It’s a wrinkle that could strengthen Cleveland’s case. The most storybook docuseries backdrop.
VJ Edgecombe called into Jaylen Brown’s Twitch live. “You on str3am gang, it’s JB.”
“I know it’s JB bruh. I got your number.”
[Charania] Boston Celtics 7-footer Neemias Queta will sign a new four-year, $56 million extension with the franchise
Rich Paul just plainly laid out Lebron’s options on his podcast
[Charania] Warriors are NOT the top team on LeBron’s list: “The Warriors going into FA dreamt up a grand plan of Dray, Steph, Bron, but the big domino with them is trying to get a player like AD to bring LBJ & AD as a package deal. Short of that, they’re not really looked at as the top of this list”
The Celtics won the trade because Paul George is taller, significantly more handsome, has a great smile, and has an immaculate hairline while Brown is balding and spray painting his scalp
Jaylen Brown on the trade: “Brad is getting a lot of criticism, I wasn’t thrilled at how he facilitated a lot of the conversations, but I definitely think there was more to it”
Jaylen Brown: “You got LaMelo and Antman, who knows what they about to be getting into outside the court…I love both of them mfers but they gotta get some supervision and some council or something”
Jaylen Brown strėamed live his response to Colin Cowherd saying athletes shouldn’t livestrėam: “The world craves authenticity right now. Everything is so PR. Everything is so scripted. Everything is so fictional or packaged. People want real emotions and to see what’s real.”
[Michael Grange] Kyle Lowry will be retiring as a Toronto Raptor. One of the most significant players in franchise history and the backbone of the most successful era the Raptors have ever had will follow through on a long-time pledge to retire with the team he led for nine seasons.
The official candidates in The Decision 2 sweepstakes.
[Game Over] Rich Paul whiteboard session for LeBron’s next team: Cores of Sixers, Heat, Wolves, Nuggets, Cavs prominently featured. Warriors, Mavs, Celtics, Spurs, Knicks secondary.
Bill Simmons on hearing about the Jaylen Brown trade from his wife picking him up from a colonoscopy: “I think I’m dead. The anesthesia killed me. Are there more first round picks?…I had a camera in my ass, and I had Paul George rammed up my ass”
[Stein] Sources say Hachimura was very much in play for San Antonio before Tobias Harris signed. As the market has developed, sources say Hachimura has now been in contact with Minnesota and Golden State as well. Hachimura is said to be the Timberwolves’ current top choice at the position.
[Charania] Billy Donovan has agreed to become the lead assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs and head coach Mitch Johnson, sources tell me and @PeteThamel. After 11 seasons as a head coach in Chicago and Oklahoma City, Donovan accepts the position with the Western Conference champions.
Kuzma responds to Anthony Davis criticizing Pelinka for not getting a center: “You can’t get a center when two people making 600ms”
[Jones] Athletic’s Jazz reporter on Kessler “He’s one of the 4 or 5 best rim protectors in the league. He affects winning. I think he can be another Rudy Gobert. He’s good enough defensively that he can be a walking top-10 defense. He’s a guy who can one day win a Defensive Player of the Year award”
Tyler Herro expresses anger towards the Heat fan who screenshotted his shade to Bam: “You lame for that. That’s bitch shit. That’s female shit. I wasn’t badmouthing we was just talking hoops.”
[Charania] Free agent forward Javonte Green has agreed to a one-year, $3.95 million deal to return to the Detroit Pistons
LeBron James played against someone now eligible for Social Security payments
Bill Simmons: “Kawhi won 4 playoff series with Toronto and 2 with the Clippers”
Jaylen Brown: “For the past 10 years, I’ve been programmed to hate Philadelphia.
[Lewenberg] Kyle Lowry is set to retire as a Toronto Raptor | The Raptors will sign Lowry to a one-day contract next week for his official retirement and plan to retire his No. 7 jersey during the upcoming season
[Woike] “According to league sources, Luka was “excited” about the Lakers’ signings, with the team addressing his biggest desires for the roster by keeping Austin Reaves and getting an elite rim-protecting center in Kessler. Sources said Lakers kept in regular communication with Doncic and his team”
[Amick] “A current general manager, speaking anonymously to comment on internal team discussions, told The Athletic in the wake of the trade that he doesn’t view Jaylen Brown as a top-50 player in the NBA. Even in the Boston front office, some believed Brown’s impact did not match his reputation.”
Jaylen Brown calls for the media to stop using anonymous sources: “I’m tired of these damn anonymous sources. I think yall are the sources, or you shouldn’t say it. They’re trying to hide behind about how they actually feel or examples of bigotry. They don’t see the damage they do to my character.”
[Charania] “The big domino with [the Warriors] is trying to get a player like an Anthony Davis, you can bring in LeBron James and Anthony Davis as a package deal. Short of that, they’re not really looked at right now at the top of this list.”
Jaylen Brown responds to a sad young Celtics fan, “It’s ok lil bro ❤️ we will always be friends”
[Charania] Just in: Free agent guard Anfernee Simons has agreed to a two-year, $12.3 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, with a player option in second season, sources tell ESPN. Simons chose the 76ers over other suitors believing his fit is perfect with the revamped 76ers roster.
[Charania] Jaylen Brown’s statement after being traded from the Boston Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers:
Jayson Tatum with the walkoff winner against the high-schoolers at Elite Camp in Las Vegas.
Jaylen Brown: I went up to the facility, my key card got rejected, damn I just wanted to see if it was real, packed me up bro
I must say the unrelenting and systematic scrutiny surrounding Jaylen Brown in all facets of his game, character, and career for the last week has been incredibly bizarre. I can’t remember the last time it’s been to this extent with another star n the league.
This “xyz team has no chance to beat OKC or San Antonio” argument is so dumb: we just watched it happen. Teams should try and go for it.
[NBA PR] The NBA will test the “one free-throw rule” at NBA Summer League this year: Any foul that would typically result in one, two, or three free throws will instead result in a single free throw attempt. That attempt will be worth the same total number of points as the free throws it replaces.
Zach Lowe on the current Lakers roster: “They look like a team that has next to no chance to beat the Thunder and Spurs in a playoff series in the next 2-3 years, and almost no outs at all to change their team”
[Highlight] Jaylen Brown hits Jayson Tatum with the “Too Small” celly on back to back possessions during the 2023 All Star Game.
[Charania] Restricted free agent Tari Eason has agreed to a five-year, $81.5 million deal to return to the Houston Rockets, sources tell ESPN. The deal is fully guaranteed for Eason.
What if roster moves were kept hidden until opening day
Jaylen Brown: “The Process is back”
[Charania] Free agent forward Kyle Anderson has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN. Anderson enters his 13th NBA season providing depth to the Raptors roster, and reunites with former San Antonio teammate Kawhi Leonard.
Bill Simmons was getting a colonoscopy when the Jaylen Brown trade was announced
[McMenamin] “There was no personal rift between LeBron James and Doncic, multiple team sources told ESPN. There was more of a disconnect between James and the organization, sources said, one that started during the doomed 21-22 season following the Russell Westbrook trade and never fully recovered.”