Jaylen Brown will be a Celtic for life. Thank James Harden.
I have felt for awhile now that the Player Empowerment era was winding down. True, KD and Kyrie finally bullied and sucked their way out of Brooklyn last year but they are some of the last of the old guard, entitled, Lebron Era NBA stars. Listening to guys like Anthony Edwards and Tatum come into the league and shit on load management not only gets the plums fuzzy, but also feels like a shift in tide. Hell, Tatum even poo poo’d going to South Beach the other day in a random interaction with a fan. Who the fuck would say no to Miami from the banana boat crew? No one, that’s who. It’s not out of the question for these kids to see things differently. That’s what happens. It’s human nature for people to see things done one way for a generation, recognize the faults in their predecessors ways and adjust. I’m just sayin’.
And now we have the stand offs with Damian Lillard and James Harden vs their respective clubs. It had become such common place for these superstars to take max deals and force their way out of town as soon as the farts started to ripen. It was nearly a forgone conclusion Harden would sign his extension and get dealt. Or Dame would eventually find his way to Miami. But, nay. Both of these disgruntled stars remain in with their clubs.
Neither did themselves any favors by limiting their desired destination to ONE fucking team. The Miami Heat and LA Clippers are the two destination for Lillard and Harden. Neither team has shit to offer in a trade and even less cap space. That simply would not have mattered a few years ago. Please see Anthony Davis or Paul George. But, now things seem they are a bit different. And that’s a good thing if you’re a Boston Celtics fan.
Before we get to the change in philosophy as it comes to Jaylen Brown and Tatum for that matter, I’m glad this change seems to be real. I understand the pro athletes are and have been disproportionately paid compared to ownership, but… no shit. Welcome to employment. You want to get paid like the owner of the company? Go own a company. And when it comes to the contract. You signed it ya dope. The whole “it’s a business” sat a lot better with me when it was mouth service from a cut throat GM and slimy agent, not the players. When it’s the players “playing the game” it’s the wrong game. It takes away from the sport.
The mindset driving this change could be described in three words: Get that bag. Elite players realized that they could navigate themselves to desired destinations without ever having to become free agents. As a result, they could significantly reduce their financial risk by continuing to sign rich extensions the moment they were eligible, knowing they could always push their way out later.
In theory, at least.
In practice, this approach has a nagging fly in the ointment: The team is not actually required to trade you anywhere, at all, let alone to the lone team on your wish list. SOURCE
These players who are so hell bent on sticking to the man or doing what’s best for “their family”, do they forget who really pays their checks? The fans. I’m sorry if that’s a little hopeless romantic of me, but it’s true. Are kids growing up watching Lebron in awe of his business savvy now? Or do they buy the jersey and get drowned in his wake of bullshit as he jettisons his latest city for greener pastures. Or maybe it’s a fandom of individual player? Like every kid wants to be Steph and doesn’t give a shit about the Warriors. I literally read and article from Jeff Teauge not giving a shit about championships because he saw kids on the play ground imitating James Harden. Fuuuuuuuck that.
Listen, I’m biased to James because he was in my draft class and I played against him. I played against D-Wade too but I remember when James was James, he was giving you 30-8-11. Prime D-Wade gets you 36 and five then James had years where he averaged 34 or 36. It’s kind of crazy. I just don’t think people were putting enough respect on James. It feels like people are acting like I said D-Wade as a bum or something. D-Wade is a GOAT but I think James Harden is up there. He just don’t have the rings to show for it but rings don’t matter to me. When I go to the park, I see a little kid playing like James Harden. I don’t really see little kids playing like D-Wade. Not now. SOURCE
Sheeesh. Talk about a Lebron era guy. No wonder that 2021 Celtics team sucked. Seriously, how big could these pro leagues actually get? They are already creating billionaires. I fell another change of tide coming, but I digress.
As it comes to Jaylen Brown you have to think this is all a good thing. You got a principled man who leans more towards Anthony Edwards way of thinking on the court than say, Kyrie’s. (Off the court is a different issue, which is a little concerning). He’s signed the biggest contract in NBA history. A principled man like himself has to have some ownership over that fact and feel a need to live up to it for the people who actually gave it him. Right?Add in the fact that teams are less willing to bend to the will of the superstar looking to skip town and hijack the future of the franchise? Oh, and don’t get me started on the cave job Adam Silver laid out with this latest CBA negotiations. Either way, seems like a good chance Tatum and Brown remain in Boston for a long time. Hopefully they can be part of this new era of players with different values.