Don’t deal Jaylen Brown, but maybe give him a hug
Jaylen Brown is looking for love in all the wrong places.
His quest for affirmation amid the purgatory of social media will forever be defined by torment and anguish.
You neither need to digest nor memorize “The Four Agreements” to find Eden when it comes to dodging digital snakes.
Just “ignore the noise,” as one might say in Foxboro. Muting your mentions also helps.
Talk of a potential deal involving Kevin Durant and Brown dominated NBA State Run Media this week. But Brown’s like of a tweet saying he is “so disrespected by Celtics” fans catapulted his name trending across social media.
If Brown wanted to find his unicorn amid the rubbish of Twitter, there are plenty of posts offering undying loyalty to the Celtics’ firstround pick in 2016.
Those who support sending Brown to Brooklyn and replacing him with Kevin Durant on the Celtics marquee are viscerally condemned by their digital peers.
Those Celtics fans “disrespecting” Brown remind me of the thousands of Bay Staters who gave up on the Patriots because Tom Brady once had a Donald Trump hat in his locker. They never existed, either.
The biggest question on Causeway Street these days is this: “How In The Hell Did Don Sweeney Get A Multi-Year Contract Extension?”
The second-biggest question on Causeway Street is this: “What Can The Celtics Do To Get Better?” Do they rebuild, reload, or relax? Legitimate discussion about improving the Celtics is necessary. Boston needs an upgrade if it wants to claim a championship.
We’ve often reminisced about the good old days when Duck Boat parades were the fail-safe point for major-league teams in Greater Boston.
Any fan over the age of 10 remembers it like it was yesterday. Because it was.
If Brown is feeling “disrespected,” Celtics fans are not the culprits. Brown has enjoyed full-throated support from the green-clad multitudes for six seasons.
Brian Scalabrine offered up the particulars of a potential Brown-Durant deal the other night. He then added this:
“Would the Celtics (make Brown available in a trade for Durant)? Yeah. It’s Durantula! KD! The Slim Reaper!” Scalabrine said on NBC Sports Boston.
Brad Stevens said last week he has the “OK to do whatever we need to do” from ownership when it comes to the luxury tax.
“We are going to do everything we can to get Banner 18 up there,” Wyc Grousbeck told “Felger & Mazz” later the same day.
A simple text “on background” from either Grousbeck or Stevens to one of their favorite media operatives would kill any chatter concerning Brown and Durant.
It has yet to be sent as of this writing.
If Brown is upset about all this “disrespect,” he ought to start with his bosses and ask them what is going on.
Perhaps he already has and did not appreciate their answer.
Brown has long been the topic of trade rumors and speculation. Brown was a potential lure for James Harden. The Celtics avoided an MBTA crash by taking a pass. When the 2021-22 season was crashing on the rocks of Singing Beach and breaking apart the “Jays” was considered inevitable, Brown was always cast as the “Jay” headed for Logan Airport.
None of those rumors were generated by “disrespectful” Celtics fans.
Brown could use the fact that he is seen as having equal value as Durant as a compliment. And as motivation next season, no matter where he plays.
Or he can passive-aggressively pout on social media.
The roots of Brown feeling “disrespected” began to sprout when the Celtics chose Tatum with the third overall pick in 2017.
Brown has come after the “and” ever since.
As in, the core of the Celtics is “Tatum and Brown.” Tatum has been 19 going on superstardom for five years. Brown’s game appears to have plateaued.
Brown has averaged 22.9 points and 34 minutes in the past three years. Tatum has scored 24.9 points and played 35.4 minutes per game over the same span. Tatum’s numbers have increased each of those seasons, while Brown’s numbers lapsed between last season and this one.
The Celtics lacked a consistent scorer and steady leadership on the floor against Golden State.
Tatum dissolved into antimatter. It was as if Thanos became the GM of the Warriors an hour after he got the final infinity stone.
Brown was granted an opportunity to become the Celtics Alpha. Not to mention an NBA superstar. There is nothing disrespectful in noting that he failed to meet those challenges. A star was born during the 2022 NBA Finals, but his name was Andrew Wiggins.
Legacy. Greatness. Respect. All within reach. But unattainable.
These trade rumors and talk of “disrespect” have an upside. Brown clearly wants to stay in Boston. The Celtics have become a desirable landing spot for top-tier NBA talent, if you consider Bradley Beal and Durant top-tier talent.
Boston and Milwaukee are the top teams in the East. The Nets, with or without Durant, remain combustible. Kyrie Irving continues to flick lit matches whenever he gets cell service. The process has failed miserably in Philly. The rest of the East is either not quite fully developed or on the downside of the bell curve.
If the Celtics window is limited to “next season,” trade Brown for Durant, and add whatever pieces would be necessary to complete the salary math.
But if the Celtics are thinking of Banner 20 instead of settling for just
No. 18, the sharp move is to build around the two “Jays” and Robert Williams.
And give Brown a hug along the way.
It can’t hurt.
Bill Speros (@RealOBF) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com.