34 Moments That Defined Paul Pierce’s Career

Future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce signed a 1-day contract on Monday to retire as a member of the Boston Celtics. Owner Wyc Grousbeck said Pierce’s No. 34 will soon hang in the rafters at TD Garden.

Paul Pierce signed a 1-day contract to retire as a member of the Celtics, the franchise he played with for 15 seasons. (Celtics Twitter)

Click HERE for a link to the article I wrote on behalf of The Cauldron, a Medium.com Platform, for Pierce's 34 greatest career moments.

Rockets Sign Luc Mbah a Moute, Adding Another Player to Match Up with Warriors

                With the Golden State Warriors retaining their core players this summer—re-singing Finals MVP Kevin Durant, giving two-time league MVP Stephen Curry a supermax contract and re-upping Andre Iguodala—while also bolstering the bench with the additions of Nick Young and Omri Casspi, the defending champions will be heavy favorites to win the title next year. For other title hopefuls, the most prudent move is to construct their roster to match up with the heavyweight Warriors. The Rockets—who traded for nine-time All-Star Chris Paul at the start of free agency—have done exactly that this offseason and Sunday’s signing of free agent combo forward Luc Mbah a Moute is further proof.

                An elite wing defender who shot a career-best 39 percent from three-point territory last season, Mbah a Moute is one of the most underrated players in the league. The 30-year-old Cameroonian small forward spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, earning 61 and 76 starts in the past two years, respectively. For all the awful moves Doc Rivers has made as the president of basketball operations for the Clippers, signing Mbah a Moute was a clear-cut home run. Mbah a Moute received an invite to the Clippers' training camp in 2015 and impressed the team enough to give him a guaranteed 1-year contract. He re-signed with the Clippers last offseason on a 2-year deal which held a player option for the second season. After declining his $2.3 million option last month, he has agreed to join a Rockets squad that has been busy this offseason in their title pursuit.

Luc Mbah a Moute became a catalyst for the Clippers' defense the past two seasons.  Kyusung Gong (Zuma Press)

                 Inking the defensive-minded Mbah a Moute to a veteran minimum deal is a steal for the Rockets, who are building one of the league’s strongest benches. While Mbah a Moute is a limited offensive player unable of creating his own shot, the 6’8” forward is capable of defending the likes of Durant and Iguodala. 

                Mbah a Moute joins the 2016-17 Sixth Man of the Year, Eric Gordon, among the Rockets reserves—along with Nene Hilario and the newly-signed P.J. Tucker. Tucker is another forward who prides himself on his tenacious defense. Tucker provides more on the offensive end than Mbah a Moute, however Mbah a Moute might be Houston’s best option to guard Durant because of his length.

                Rockets general manager Daryl Morey believes his team has "closed the gap" on the Warriors. Coming off a 55-win season, the Rockets do appear, on paper at least, to be the biggest threat to Golden State. They have two of the 10 best players in the league with MVP runner-up James Harden and superstar point guard Chris Paul in the backcourt. The team has also been linked to trade rumors for 10-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony all offseason. If Houston is able to land Anthony, they would feature three All-Stars in the starting five and potent backups. 

With James Harden and Chris Paul, the Rockets have arguably the NBA's most talented backcourt. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

                         The NBA Finals underscored the importance of a deep bench. The Warriors exposed the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lack of depth as Golden State’s reserves dominated their counterparts all series long.

                 In order to take down the Warriors, a team not only needs star power in the starting unit, but also capable, gritty role players off the bench who are willing to sacrifice individual accomplishments and do the little things on the court that the Warriors’ backups—Iguodala, Shawn Livingston, JaVale McGee and David West—did in their championship campaign last season. With Tucker and Mbah a Moute on board in Houston, the Rockets are following the most practical blueprint to go head-to-head with the Warriors and now serve as the most-feared challenger to dethrone the reigning champions.

5 Winners of 2017 NBA Offseason

                The 2017 NBA offseason has been an intriguing period, to put it lightly, after the league experienced its most lowbrow postseason in recent memory. With trades galore—some taking place before (and during) the NBA Draft and others occurring during the free agency frenzy—player movement has been abundant as the competitive landscape has again been remolded. Here’s a rundown of the five winners of the offseason.

Golden State Warriors

                The Warriors won the offseason for the second straight year. A summer removed from winning the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, the NBA champions re-signed Andre Iguodola to a three-year contract, gave two-time MVP Stephen Curry a supermax contract, retained Durant on a discount deal, kept backups Shaun Livingston and David West, brought back veteran starting center Zaza Pachulia and added guard Nick Young and forward Omri Casspi.

Shaun Livingston (left) and Andre Iguodala (right) re-signed with the NBA champion Warriors. (Russell Yip/The Chronicle)

                Curry, Durant, Iguodala, and Livingston have all proven their worth to the Warriors—so too have Pachulia and West, in limited roles, something Young and Casspi could do next season. Young shot 40.6 percent from three-point range last season and will get plenty of open looks on a loaded Golden State offensive attack. Casspi, inked to a veteran minimum contract of $2,106,470, can be slotted at both forward positions, shoots the three well and has the length to play reasonable defense. He dealt with injuries most of last year, but the season prior he registered career-high averages in points (11.8), rebounds (5.9), minutes (27.2) and 3-point percentage (40.9).

              It’s hard to imagine the Warriors not capturing a second consecutive title next season. They are far better than the second-best team in the league, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have done nothing to close the huge talent gap between the defending champion Warriors.

Boston Celtics

                Securing the No. 1 seed in the East was a huge accomplishment for the upstart Celtics, but they were clearly overmatched in the Conference Finals by the Cavaliers. While Cleveland remains the favorite to return to the Finals, Boston could give the three-time reigning Eastern Conference champs a run for their money. The Celtics signed All-Star forward Gordon Hayward—who has "unfinished business" to accomplish with his college (Butler University) coach and current Celtics head coach Brad Stevens—in free agency and now have a second scorer to take some of the burden off electric guard Isaiah Thomas.

                Trading Avery Bradley—a free agent in 2018—was a tough, but necessary move by President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. In shipping Bradley to the Detroit Pistons, the Celtics netted Marcus Morris, a lengthy defender who, in the past, has guarded LeBron James as well as any player possibly can.

                Though the Celtics relinquished the top pick to the Philadelphia 76ers via trade, they got their man in Duke forward Jayson Tatum with the third overall pick and collected an additional high lottery pick (the Los Angeles Lakers’ pick in 2018 if the selection falls anywhere from No. 2 through No. 5 in the Draft, and if not, the Sacramento Kings’ pick in 2019) and retained their deep cache of future draft picks.

                Jaylen Brown earned playoff minutes last season and could serve as a crucial piece to Boston’s team in 2017-18 and beyond. And if LeBron opts to bolt Cleveland in the summer of 2018, the Celtics could rule the East for the foreseeable future.

Oklahoma City Thunder

                The Thunder pulled off the shocker off the offseason by acquiring Paul George…for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Even if George is just a 1-year rental and leaves for Los Angeles next summer, this deal is 100 percent worth it. The Thunder scraped Oladipo’s bloated contract and picked up one of the league’s best players all in one single move.

                With George on the Thunder, NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, fresh off averaging a triple-double for the 2016-17 campaign, now has a superstar teammate again—merely a year after Durant ditched town in taking the easiest path imaginable for a title by joining the 73-win Warriors.

                Adding forward Patrick Patterson and re-upping defensive stalwart Andre Roberson to a three-year, $30 million contract was icing on the cake for Oklahoma City, which is now in the conversation with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets for the second-best team in the West.

Paul George and Andre Roberson are now teammates in Oklahoma City. (Brian Spurlock/USA Today Sports)

Houston Rockets

                Speaking of the Rockets, the 55-win franchise acquired Chris Paul, a top-10 player in the league and now-former Los Angeles Clippers superstar point guard.

                Though it cost the Rockets NBA All-Defense First-Team member Patrick Beverly, the 2015 Sixth Man of the Year (Lou Williams) and frontcourt youngsters Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell, this trade is a home run for Houston, which now has a juggernaut 1-2 punch of James Harden and Paul that is every bit as talented as any duo in the league.

                The logistics of a Harden-Paul duo—two players who love to have the ball in their hands—shall be interesting. But it was clear last year that Harden deserved more help after the NBA’s assist leader looked absolutely gassed in the team’s second-round postseason defeat at the hands of the Spurs.

                The Rockets are rumored to have interest in 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony. This trio would be full of star power, and while Anthony really feigns holding onto the ball, the hope is he can be utilized as a power forward who is switch-impervious in the pick-and-roll with Harden and Paul.

Minnesota Timberwolves

                The Timberwolves look destined to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2004. They landed Jimmy Butler in a Draft Night trade with the rebuilding Bulls. Butler rejoins forces with Tom Thibodeau, who coached the three-time All-Star in Chicago.

Tom Thibodeau and Jimmy Butler will be reunited in Minnesota. (Tom Zanine/USA Today Sports)

                Minnesota also added Jeff Teague, a formidable point guard who is two years removed from an All-Star Game appearance, and signed veterans Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford.

               Adding Crawford, the three-time Sixth Man of the Year nearing the end of his career, adds a needed three-point maker, but the shooting-deprived Timberwolves still need more guys to hit buckets from the outside on a consistent basis to join the likes of the elites in the West. With that said, Karl Anthony-Towns, Butler and Andrew Wiggins are a trio to be feared for years to come and gives a Minnesota franchise its first real excitement since trading away Kevin Garnett in the summer of 2007.

Bradley-For-Morris Trade Gives Celtics Another Defender vs. LeBron, Paves Way for Jaylen Brown to Start

                In order to make room for Gordon Hayward and his reported 4-year, $128 million max contract, the Boston Celtics opted to part ways with shooting guard Avery Bradley. The Celtics traded Bradley, one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, and a 2019 second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for forward Marcus Morris.

                Before President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge and his team sent Bradley to Detroit, Boston reportedly shopped Marcus Smart and Jae Crowder in trade talks. When the 2017-18 season concludes, Smart will be a free agent—albeit a restricted one—like Bradley (unrestricted), but the popular opinion held that Crowder was the most likely to be moved because he plays small forward, the same position as the newly-signed All-Star forward Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the No. 3 overall pick from June’s NBA Draft. That logic was flawed in many aspects. As evidenced by the 2017 Finals, the NBA is becoming a positionless league—a sentiment echoed by Celtics head coach Brad Stevens.

                “I don’t have the five positions anymore,” Stevens said. “It may be as simple as three positions now, where you’re either a ball-handler, a wing or a big.”

                By Stevens’ definition, Crowder is a wing—one who is fully capable of starting alongside Hayward. Crowder’s contract—which pays him $6.7 million this season, $7.3 million in 2018-19 and $7.8 million in 2019-20—is one of the best in the league and makes him an asset worth holding onto. Furthermore, the 6’9” 27-year-old remains Boston’s top defensive option against Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.

                The Celtics realistically had no shot of re-signing Bradley in the summer of 2018. They just inked Hayward to a massive deal—a summer after signing Al Horford to a monster contract—and still need to pay Isaiah Thomas, a free agent in 2018 who averaged 28.9 points per game last season and finished 5^th in MVP voting. Teams, including the Pistons, will likely offer Bradley a lucrative, long-term deal, perhaps in the $25 million (annual) range, a contract the Celtics will not be able to match.

                Even if the Celtics could fit Bradley in the team’s cap, it’d be senseless to throw massive amount of money at the guard who has sit his ceiling as a player. Not when his understudy Smart, 23 and three years younger than Bradley, can do many of the same things defensively and is still evolving on offense. Smart took a big leap this past season, elevating his scoring and ball distribution on offense, while also improving his off-ball guarding and one-on-one defense.

                Assuming Crowder starts next to Hayward and Horford in the frontcourt and Smart continues to be the first guy off the bench for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown is set to become a permanent member of Boston’s starting-five. Brown played much better as a starter, averaging 9.5 points in 20 starts and reaching double-figures in scoring 10 times. Brown, who saw in uptick in minutes as the season wound down and even managed to be a part of the Celtics’ playoff rotation, has as much upside as any player from the 2016 NBA Draft Class. And while the Summer League is hardly a preview of things to come, it’s impossible to ignore Brown’s dominance in the exhibition contests in Salt Lake City. In the summer league games in Utah, Brown averaged 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.

Jaylen Brown looks to build upon a strong rookie season. (Winslow Townson/AP)

               Brown’s insertion into the starting unit also opens up more playing time at the wing positions to rookie Jayson Tatum and the newly-acquired Marcus Morris, a tweener forward who last season averaged 14 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on 42 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point territory.           

                The 6’9” Morris is not nearly the player Bradley is, but he provides the Celtics with two things the often-injured Bradley did not: elite durability and a lengthy defender to guard LeBron. Morris has played in 77 or more games in each of the past five seasons and no player guarded LeBron more effectively than Morris in the 2015-16 regular season.

One under the radar positive about Marcus Morris? Durability. Here's his games played totals over last 5 seasons:
77
82
81
80
79

— Brian Robb (@CelticsHub) July 7, 2017

            According to ESPN.com’s Tom Haberstroh, James averaged just 20.5 points per 100 possessions when defended by Morris that season—much lower than his 36.5 points per 100 possessions average on the season.

LeBron James has words with Marcus Morris, then a member of the Pistons. (USA Today Sports/Tim Fuller)

                In this past regular season, Morris ranked 66^th among all players in defensive win shares. The only two Celtics players that ranked ahead of Morris?—the aforementioned Crowder and Smart.

                While it may be tough for the Celtics to wave goodbye to Bradley, who became a solid role player under former head coach Doc Rivers before ultimately becoming a First-Team All-Defense member (2015-16) and reliable offensive player (16.3 points per game in 2016-17) under Stevens, he was the odd man out after a trade became inevitable following the Hayward signing.

                        The Celtics were never going to get equal value for Bradley—not when it became obvious they were looking to deal the guard before he hit free agency—but acquiring another guy for Stevens to throw at LeBron on defense is hardly a major loss. And while Bradley’s tough-nosed defense and underrated shot-making ability will be certainly missed, especially as the Celtics’ newcomers take time to jell with their teammates, his departure opens the door for Brown to potentially become a star, something Bradley will never be.