With Silly Season in full swing and the summer free agency nearly upon us, making sense of potentially explosive rumors, trade proposals and free agent signings can send one&#39;s mind into a tailspin.The Boston Celtics might trade away longtime point guard Marcus Smart -- or extend him. They could end up dealing for New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball, Brooklyn Nets floor general Spencer Dinwiddie, Los Angeles Clippers veteran guard Reggie Lewis or a small army of other targets. And now we are hearing that we need to have a conversation about the King in the Fourth!How to make sense of what might happen, what has, and what we don&#39;t yet know enough to say?  Join us for a pre-free agency edition of the Celtics Lab where your regular hosts Alex Goldberg, Cameron Tabatabaie and Justin Quinn dive into the madness about to descend on the league.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Celtics Lab NBA Basketball Podcast

Sorting through the chaos of the 2021 summer free agency period

There are some strong opinions out there on whether or not the Boston Celtics ought to trade for Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal, but even if the team doesn&#39;t end up dealing for the potentially disgruntled All-NBA guard, they will need to have an alternative plan in mind.To that end, on this episode of the Celtics Lab, we dive into our thoughts on a potential deal for Beal as well as some other directions the team might take in the short term in order to prepare the franchise for bigger moves down the road. We even have an alternate blockbuster in there that may be far-fetched, but then perhaps so are dreams of a certain University of Florida product in green and white.Check out all this, some more draft chatter, and some news catch-up among several other topics covered in this episode of the pod, hosted as usual by Cameron Tabatabaie, Justin Quinn, and Alex Goldberg.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Does a Bradley Beal trade make sense for Boston, and if not, what's next?

With every passing moment, Boston Celtics fans draw closer to the 2021 NBA draft, and while they may not have a first round pick, that doesn&#39;t mean the Celtics can&#39;t extract a valuable player with some careful drafting on the part of new team president Brad Stevens and company.With that in mind, we brought in friend of the pod and NBA draft expert Bryan Kalbrosky of USA TODAY SMG to talk all things draft-related for Boston&#39;s 2021 options, zeroing in on some of the more likely suspects who could conceivably fall into the Celtics&#39; range and a few more who likely won&#39;t.We also get into the Olympics, trade rumors and a host of other news in the podcast embedded below. So, join your usual hosts Alex Goldberg, Justin Quinn and Cameron Tabatabaie for the lowdown on where the Celtics ought to be sniffing around regarding the draft and a whole lot more.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Sniffing out value for Boston in the 2nd round with Bryan Kalbrosky

The NBA&#39;s offseason tends to shift the focus of its fans to a more international context as favorite players spend time abroad and potential overseas players come into focus for the season to come. But in an Olympics year in particular, we can find the league&#39;s media attention focused outside the ambit of the NBA even more than usual.And for fans of the Boston Celtics, a much-anticipated guard previously stashed abroad coming stateside in one Yam Madar makes for a most cosmopolitan basketball summer. To that end, we brought on Sports Rabbi&#39;s Moshe Halickman to get us up to speed on Madar&#39;s potential in the NBA, and some context about what he&#39;s accomplished so far.Halickman has covered the Beit Dagan native including breaking his contract arbitration news, and has plenty to say that won&#39;t be slowing down the Yamaniacs and their hype train any time soon. Our regular hosts of Cam Tabatabaie, Alex Goldberg and Justin Quinn also talk Team USA&#39;s struggles with Celtics Lab O.G. Josh Coyne (also of Double Clutch U.K.) to get an unbiased perspective on just how much we ought to be worrying about the potential of the U.S. National Team.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Will Yam Madar be a Celtic next season, and can the U.S. count on Gold?

While there isn't any Boston Celtics basketball to watch, there is news of current and possibly future Celtics gearing up to play some roundball in Las Vegas. There's also several Boston alumni about to play in the 2021 NBA Finals to keep us busy basketball-wise, and some disheartening commentary regarding covering them making the rounds. On this episode of the Celtics Lab, hosts Cameron Tabatabie, Alex Goldberg and Justin Quinn talk about Jayson Tatum and Team USA prepping for the Tokyo Olympics in Sin City, the news stashed 2020 guard prospect Yam Madar may join the Celtics' Summer League squad slated to take the court in Las Vegas later this summer. They also address the controversy over Rachel Nichol's comments regarding Finals coverage that's in the news for all the wrong reasons. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Talking Tatum and Yam in Sin City, and saying the quiet part out loud

While it might have been a trade that not only was predicted by half the Boston Celtics media, it's also one the fanbase effectively wished into existence -- the deal in question of course being the Al Horford return to the Celtics from the Oklahoma City Thunder. And with Al comes the Horford clan, and friend of the podcast Anna in particular. A Boston lifer who was as happy as anyone -- maybe even Al -- that her brother is back in green and white, we had to catch up with Anna to talk Al's return, her thoughts on the Celtics as they are currently composed and some thoughts on NBA fandom from her unique perspective. Check out the pod embedded below to hear her thoughts on the Horfords' return and the new-look Celtics under head coach Ime Udoka. Join hosts Alex Goldberg, Cameron Tabatabaie and Justin Quinn as they catch up with the host of the CLNS Podcast "Horford Happy Hour" to talk all things Boston, and Al. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Talking Al's return and the new-look Boston Celtics with Anna Horford

The Boston Celtics have a new head coach in former Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka, and former Celtic big man Al Horford made his first appearance with the press after his trade back to the team from the Oklahoma City Thunder. With all this in mind, we felt we needed to make an early podcast appearance to discuss some of the significant goings-on with the team, taking the temperature of the Udoka hire and talking through our excitement --and Al's -- for the return of Horford to the Celtics. In a week of significant change for the team, we just couldn't wait any longer to talk through some serious developments for Boston. Listen to the podcast embedded below to get up to speed on the Celtics' new coach, Horford's fit in today's Boston roster and more with your usual hosts Justin Quinn, Alex Goldberg and Cameron Tabatabaie. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ime Udoka hired as head coach, Al Horford speaks on return

While it might be an era ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-irving-exit-book-nets-sullivan/ ) many Boston Celtics fans would prefer to forget, the story of Kyrie Irving's exit ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2021/06/13/nba-boston-celtics-bad-baby/ ) to join a Brooklyn Nets superteam is a window into some uncomfortable truths about the city ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-kyrie-agai/ ) and a subset of the team's fans. And while certainly no stranger to self-created controversies through his communicative style and mercurial persona, there's still quite a lot of ties between the former Celtic and several contemporary Boston players. To simply focus on broken promises and over-the-top gestures in questionable taste misses much of a story about today's NBA and even the Celtics that should be told. To that end, former Bleacher Report and Esquire editor Matt Sullivan wrote a new book detailing Irving's exit from Boston to form the Nets as we know them in the present, touching on how franchise icons like Bill Russell helped shape his decision to decamp. Sullivan's book, " Can't Knock The Hustle ( https://www.harpercollins.com/products/cant-knock-the-hustle-matt-sullivan ) " also deals extensively with activism in light of the broader societal upheaval taking place as a backdrop to the so-called "Disney Bubble," which of course was inseparable from Jaylen Brown's activism and voice. Join us on a special episode of the Celtics Lab with your usual hosts Cam Tabatabaie, Justin Quinn, and Alex Goldberg. We take a deep dive into Sullivan's recently-released book, the stories behind it, and how it intersects with issues much bigger than basketball -- and be sure to stick around to the end of our conversation. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Talking Kyrie's exit, logo stomps and activism with author Matt Sullivan

Al Horford ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2021/06/18/nba-boston-celtics-walker-horford-trade/ ) is a Boston Celtic again and Kemba Walker ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-walker-hrford-brown-trade-official/ ) is now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Moses Brown -- the big from that team you probably hadn't heard of before he hung 21 points and 23 rebounds on the Celtics -- is also headed to Boston in a trade that took most by surprise in timing if not structure. Boston's first-round pick is headed to Sam Presti's ever-growing war chest while both teams swap second-rounders, and there's a host of things to discuss from cap implications to the fit of the players with plenty more in-between. To that end, we hosted an emergency Celtics Lab podcast ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2021/06/16/nba-boston-celtics-lab-50-maxwell/ ) with the editor of our sister site Thunder Wire, Logan Newman, along with our fellow USA TODAY family cap expert, Yossi Gozslan of HoopsHype. We talk all things Horford reunion, try to divine what our favorite UConn product will be doing in his new home, what this means for team-building in the short term and run the gamut of imminent concerns for the Celtics and the Thunder after this deal set the stage for the Brad Stevens era as Boston's team president. Listen to the podcast embedded above to get up to speed on the trade with your usual hosts Justin Quinn and Alex Goldberg -- and don't worry, Cameron Tabatabaie wasn't included in the trade, he just had the night off. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hello again, goodbye; Boston deals Kemba Walker to OKC for old friend Al Horford

Former NBA Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell helped bring two titles to the Boston Celtics, and played his career under a number of famed coaches of the storied franchise, so he knew a thing or two about the dynamics a coaching change can have on a team with title aspirations even before he tried his hand at the trade himself. And now with the Celtics neck-deep in a coaching search, Maxwell has made a point to call for a person of color -- perhaps even a woman -- as the next head coach of the team he once carried on his back to win one of the 17 banners hanging in the rafters of TD Garden. We were lucky enough to have the Boston great join us on this most recent episode of the Celtics Lab, where we talk not only what sort of head coach Boston's front office ought to hire, but also the moves the team should make this critical offseason, the apparent lack of fight the team displayed at times last season, and a lot more. Join your usual hosts Justin Quinn, Alex Goldberg and Cameron Tabatabaie on this episode to get the low down on the Celtics shake-up from our special guest. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Breaking down Boston's coaching search, offseason with Cedric Maxwell

With some time to have thought about both, it's time to reflect on the 2020-21 Boston Celtics ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2021/06/08/nba-boston-celtics-dantoni-to-boston/ ) and how the team's major front-office shakeup will affect its future. With longtime team president Danny Ainge stepping down ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-danny-doc-star/ ) from that role in favor of (then) head coach Brad Stevens, the Celtics have as much on their plate to work on as they have at any point in the last two decades. Head coaching searches ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/lists/nba-boston-celtics-coaching-search/ ) , potential further moves in the front office, bringing back some players and perhaps shipping off others -- the list is truly ponderous when you get down to brass tacks. And we can't forget about the season that was given how much of an imprint it will have on everything moving forward! To that end we brought in two of our best experts on the landscape of the league and Boston's financial situation, Michael Scotto and Yossi Goszlan of HoopsHype. They join your usual hosts Alex Goldberg, Cameron Tabatabaie and Justin Quinn in sizing up the season past and how it shapes the needs of the Celtics in the present -- as well as what might be coming down the pike. There's a lot on this podcast to wrap your head around, and we'll go further in-depth on a lot of these topics as the offseason dictates, but let's all get our collective bearings after a tectonic shift of sorts within the wider Boston landscape. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A look back at 2020-21, and a glimpse at the Celtics' future

The Boston Celtics followed up a disappointing first-round exit at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets in the 2021 NBA playoffs with a truly major shake-up internally, easily the biggest set of changes the organization has seen in nearly two decades. The announcement of longtime Team President Danny Ainge's retirement and the elevation of Head Coach Brad Stevens to the position of Head of Basketball Operations not only radically transformed the Celtics organization at a critical moment for their aspirations of chasing an NBA-record 18th title. It also raised a host of questions about the future and direction of the storied franchise. Who will replace Stevens as head coach? Did Ainge make the right call? Is Stevens the right man to replace him, and who else might have been in the mix -- or perhaps should have been? In this episode of the Celtics Lab, we talk about the tumult currently in process within the organization and what we think about the future of the club under its new structure. Join hosts Cameron Tabatabaie, Alex Goldberg and Justin Quinn as they get down to brass tacks about the future of our favorite franchise in light of the earth-shaking news. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

CLAB 48: Boston trades Ainge for Stevens as top exec as Danny steps down

Former Boston Celtics and current Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving poked the third rail of Boston sports ahead of his first appearance in front of fans since leaving the team in free agency by (rightly and justifiably) asking for a response from the fans coming to Games 3 and 4 free of casual racism. In asking the fans of his former team to 'keep it hoop,' he seemed to breach his own social contract by symbolically stepping on the Celtics logo at midcourt, which may or may not be in some way tied to a fan throwing a water bottle and (rightly and justifiably) getting arrested and banned from the arena for life. In this episode of the Celtics Lab, we take a quick look at those events and the general trend of terrible behavior around the league, and try and make sense of our thoughts on this complicated set of interrelated issues. However you feel about Irving's choice of symbolism after Game 4, the trend of how players in arenas are being treated is a problematic and highly visible phenomenon the NBA needs to find ways to address more effectively. We aren't sure if upping the ante with increasingly aggressive criminal charges is the answer, but ignoring the problem certainly isn't the answer either. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

CLAB 47: On not 'keeping it hoop'

When Boston Celtics fans were hoping for a distraction from the turd of a series their banged-up Celtics club was producing vs- the Brooklyn Nets in the East's first round, they probably weren't looking to get sucked into the city's sordid history of fraught race relations nor the reprehensible behavior sweeping the league at the moment. But former Boston point guard Kyrie Irving said some things, and some well-respected Celtics said some things in response, and suddenly not just Boston but much of the NBA more generally is debating what ought to be done about fans acting like sociopaths in the league's recently reopened arenas. Joined by Off the Glass' head honcho and "Brooklyn Buzz" podcast co-host Nick Fay, we dive into some difficult but important basketball-adjacent issues on this episode of the Celtics Lab. With the NBA forging ahead in one of the most difficult years in modern history on a number of levels that affect fan engagement in live game action, it may be time to re-assess how the league and we as fans come together to enjoy sport. And things much bigger than it, while we're talking about it. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

CLAB 46: Easy series, hard conversations

prospects for winning even a single game of the matchup diminished, it would be easy to doom and gloom about the Boston Celtics' 104 - 93 loss to the Nets Saturday night. But despite the sting of defeat, there were a fair amount of positives ( https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2021/05/23/nba-boston-celtics-iii-vs-bky-5-22-21/ ) to take from the contest -- and the potential for an upset win or two are still out there if with fewer chances to accomplish them. To take stock of what we saw and bring in an opposing view on the series, we invited the editor of our sister site Nets Wire ( https://twitter.com/TheNetsWire ) to come on the Celtics Lab podcast ( https://twitter.com/CelticsLab ) , and to that end Ajayi Browne ( https://twitter.com/ajayibrowne ) had plenty to say about the series so far. We get into Robert Williams III's big game, where the Celtics could have done better, and even take a look around the league's other postseason games to close things out. In a season of soured expectations and countless setbacks, there's been some real value in riding out the storm to see who has the chops to grow with the team moving forward. Join your usual hosts Justin Quinn, Alex Goldberg and Cameron Tabatabaie for a deep dive into the positives -- really, there were some -- coming out of Game 1 against the Nets. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

CLAB 45: Finding some positives in a Game 1 loss to the Brooklyn Nets

On Celtics Lab, we go deep into the details, finding compelling narratives, data, stories and interviews you won't find anywhere else.

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Celtics Lab NBA Basketball Podcast

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