rusty - Griffin was on Sirius again today and was asked about a list of teams that had the brightest futures - most were lottery teams with young talent on the team and draft picks coming.

Griffin said, "None of them" .

He said Boston was the top team in the league in terms of being set up for the future. First of all, the one player they need is one they have - Hayward. They need that other scorer besides Kyrie.

Tatum, Brown with another year under their belts and Rozier taking off too. And apparently they are still ridiculously stocked with draft picks. Also arguably the best coach in the NBA.

No doubt, Boston is loaded with draft picks by future lottery teams. Ainge has coveted Love in the past and we know he is trying to get another scorer.

I would definitely attempt it.

It’s not certain that the pick the Celtics receive in the Fultz trade will be the Lakers’ unprotected 2018 selection, because the Sixers stuck new conditions on it. If the Lakers win the No. 1 overall pick, the Sixers keep it and Boston instead gets either the Sixers or Kings pick in 2019. If the Lakers’ pick falls below No. 5, the same condition applies: the Celtics get a pick next year.

Right now, the Lakers are the second-worst team in the NBA. Under current NBA draft lottery rules — which will change going into 2018-19 — the Lakers pick has an 80.1 percent probability of landing between No. 2 and 5.

As of now, based on current standings, there is an 80.1 percent probability that the Boston Celtics — first place in the East — will have another top-five pick in what looks to be a very nice draft. If the Lakers end up as the third-worst team, the odds of Boston getting the pick this year are virtually unchanged (in fact, a little better at 80.4 percent). Should L.A. become the fourth-worst team in the league, Boston’s odds of grabbing the pick this year would drop to 70.9 percent.

Danny Ainge is a wizard.

On the Cavs

The new pieces are fitting quickly

The Cavs didn’t add a single All-Star to the fold, instead dealing a struggling Isaiah Thomas away for four rotation pieces. Each has found their role quickly.

For George Hill, that’s meant defending opposing guards while playing off the ball next to LeBron on offense. For Rodney Hood, that’s been shooting off the catch. The Lakers duo — Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson — has been a scoring and rebounding spark off the bench. It’s working nicely so far.

In the win over OKC, they combined for six made three-pointers and 48 points.

So what do the Cavs need to do during the All-Star break?

Find another big

Tristan Thompson has looked better as of late, but the Cavs need to pick up another big — probably through the buyout market. Kevin Love’s broken hand will likely keep him out another month, and Cleveland’s backup options are scarce.

That almost came back to bite them against OKC, as Steven Adams had 12 offensive rebounds. That’s a gap they’ll need to fill before the March 1 deadline for buyout players.

Develop chemistry

There’s something to this lineup already, but they’ll need to be seamless on the court together to win in the playoffs. They have little time to perfect everything, and this is going to be challenging. The Cavs have 26 games left this regular season, and Love won’t touch the floor until March.

It’s going to be a tough stunt to get every new acquisition in rhythm, and they’ll need to take the All-Star break seriously. But if any unit can get this done, it’s the one with James.

I want to point out something I saw on NBA TV. Sam Mitchell was asked if he thought the Cavs could gel in time for the playoffs. As you know, this guy has coaching experience at 2 stops as well as playing.

He said no. In today's game he said that is overblown. Teams play such a similar style that adjusting isn't the problem it used to be.

I think we have seen that already.

IT got tossed yesterday after 5 minutes after a squabble with Rondo, but it wasn't his fault.

NEW ORLEANS -- On Valentine's Day, there was no love lost between Rajon Rondo and Isaiah Thomas.

The two former Boston Celtics point guards got tangled up, exchanged words and were handed double technical fouls before being ejected in the first quarter of the New Orleans Pelicans' 139-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rondo aggressively hounded Thomas' every move, even during stoppage in play late in the first quarter, before the two had to be separated and were tossed with 33.3 seconds left.
Thomas said Rondo hit him in the face three times and brought up the video tribute the Celtics had planned for him earlier this season. That video became a source of controversy because the Celtics had planned it on the same day as Paul Pierce's jersey retirement ceremony, which took place in Boston this past Sunday.
"Whatever reason, he's an upset guy about me," Thomas said after Wednesday's game. "I don't know what it is, but it's fine. He kept bringing the tribute up, when I was the one that shut the tribute down. I'm far past that. ... For me to be ejected was uncalled for."
Asked if he has had any other history with Rondo, Thomas said he didn't know. "I don't know what was going on with him. I don't know why I got thrown out. I don't want to comment too much on it. ... It was obvious what was going on. He was being too aggressive for whatever reason, and he also hit me in the face three times. At some point, as a human, if no one is going to protect me, I got to protect myself, and that is when I spoke up and got upset. I hope the NBA figures something out with that, because it was wrong for me to be ejected."

Cavaliers Trade Rumors: Ownership Approved DeAndre Jordan Deal Before Deadline
MIKE CHIARI
FEBRUARY 14, 2018

Prior to the bevy of deals the Cleveland Cavaliers made ahead of last week's NBA trade deadline, Cavs ownership reportedly approved a trade for Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal would have sent Jae Crowder, Channing Frye, Iman Shumpert and Cleveland's 2018 first-round draft pick to L.A. for Jordan.

The trade reportedly hit a snag, however, when the Clippers wanted to get a third team involved to take Shumpert and a draft pick in exchange for a center as part of the swap.

With the Clippers reportedly unwilling to take Shumpert, JR Smith or Tristan Thompson in the trade, Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman turned his attention to the L.A. Lakers.

Crowder went in a different trade, so we can't be sure that the deal for Hood and Hill would have happened if this one had.

There was never a chance for the Cavs to have the players they acquired and Jordan.

Glad they got the trades right. Jordan would have been nice but not realistic after other trades.

Only way to get jordan was clips taking tristan and some younger players. If they would have done that it would have been done sooner

Just to make it clear, when I first posted about the failed Clipper trade I said that we did OK. I love the trades we made, and early returns look awesome. I never proposed we should have did Jordan instead.

But I am sick of seeing good big men manhandle TT and Love and just score at will. Adams has killed us twice lately. ... Towns put up a thirty-burger in a recent game. (In all fairness he got hot from 3 point land though) ... Capela from Rockets, who I had never heard of, had 14 and 9. ... Recently we played Piston in a home in home in back to back games. Drummond had over 20 points and 20 rebounds the first game. He had 17 and 11 the next. ... Sabonis from Pacers had 17 and 11. ... Aldridge put up 30. ... I can go on and on...

But anyway, as I said, thrilled with trades. It's early but early returns has us all excited. Just think it would have been nice to somehow have added a real man in the middle too. Someone besides Jordan would have been OK.

Love is so soft that I heard LeBron is thinking about making a re-make of Ghostbusters and asking Kev to play the stay-puff marshmallow man. And TT left his manhood somewhere up Kardashian's big ass.

HB - assuming this new team gets to the finals a large big man would be useless vs. the Warriors anyways.

That said, it still wouldn't surprise me if they add someone via buyout or whatever for that role.

I dunno, TFIR. Maybe we're looking at it wrong. Why play their game? Maybe a great big man would be a problem for them.

Blazers beat them last night and Nurkic had 17 & 13. ... Adams had 14 & 10 when they beat them last. ... Nuggets beat them recently and Jokic had 19 & 9. ... Capela had 18 when Rockets beat them recently. ... Jazz beat them and they have Gobert. Clippers and Jordan beat them not long ago.

I think some teams like Cavs get sucked into playing their game. Trying to match up with them. Why not put some guys on the floor they can't handle and have match up problems with. The year we beat them Thompson was playing great. I think a great big man would help a team get past them.

Warriors may just be bored but they have looked beatable this year.

Warriors have been beatable all 3 years in the Finals.....

The Jordan trade in any manner would have taken almost all of the Cavs trade chips to get one guy. 2018 first round, expiring Frye, cheap Crowder (no Hood). Would not have helped that much. Jordan can not play near the end of games.

Bogut might be someone that they are looking at for a few minutes in the playoffs.

Hillbilly wrote:I dunno, TFIR. Maybe we're looking at it wrong. Why play their game? Maybe a great big man would be a problem for them.

Blazers beat them last night and Nurkic had 17 & 13. ... Adams had 14 & 10 when they beat them last. ... Nuggets beat them recently and Jokic had 19 & 9. ... Capela had 18 when Rockets beat them recently. ... Jazz beat them and they have Gobert. Clippers and Jordan beat them not long ago.

I think some teams like Cavs get sucked into playing their game. Trying to match up with them. Why not put some guys on the floor they can't handle and have match up problems with. The year we beat them Thompson was playing great. I think a great big man would help a team get past them.

Warriors may just be bored but they have looked beatable this year.

HB - certainly a valid argument. As for the Warriors, there is no doubt they are bored and burned out. Hard for them to take most teams seriously with the crazy talent they have. Like the Cavs in previous years, the regular season is one long practice exhibition to get ready for the REAL season.