Bill Chisolm better have thick skin.
The new Celtics owner will be taking over at a difficult time.
If his rich guy dream was to own the sports team he’s been rooting for his whole life, this might have been the only chance he had to do it. But he just spent a whole lot of money to assume a position where people are going to accuse him of being cheap.
And it won’t be his fault. No matter who bought the team, this current roster would be unsustainable under NBA rules. Wyc Grousbeck was smart. He could leave a hero, while the next guy deals with the fallout. Grousbeck will still be around for a prolonged transition, but it will be the new guy who gets blamed.
But most of the fan base doesn’t have a working knowledge of the NBA’s incredibly complex salary cap and all of its second aprons and extreme repeater penalties. What they will know is that the new rich owner guy acquired the team from the old rich owner guy and then got rid of some key pieces to avoid paying a luxury tax. That’s obviously a massive oversimplification, but that is how it will be spun.
John Henry presided over four World Series championships and Red Sox fans don’t cut him any slack. Robert Kraft’s six Super Bowl rings don’t shield him from growing criticism either. Chisolm won’t have any of their built-up goodwill. Fans won’t know or care that the tax penalty would be $280 million for a total salary bill of $513 million for just one year.
The new Celtics owner will be arriving at a difficult time.
The guy who he can pay without any luxury tax worries is Brad Stevens. If the team president and de facto general manager can keep the Celtics in contention even after cutting payroll, he’ll be worth whatever he asks for.
Rebuilding Mac Jones
After his disastrous last two seasons in New England and his rough fill-in stint for the Jaguars, it’s easy to forget that Mac Jones once really did look like a promising quarterback on the rise for the Patriots.
But after a year with Joe Judge and Matt Patricia and another when he was frozen out by Bill Belichick, Jones was a mess. He looked confused, ill-prepared and anxiety-ridden — not the traits anybody wants from their quarterback and presumed face of the franchise.
Now at age 26, four years into his NFL Career, the question is: Can all the king’s horses and all the king’s men in San Francisco, put that once-promising quarterback back together again?
Sam Darnold still had the stink of failure from the Jets and Carolina when he got to San Francisco to be Brock Purdy’s backup for a year in his sixth NFL season. He only played extensively in two games, both losses, but the experience seemed to give him a lift.
After signing to be the backup in Minnesota, another QB-friendly spot last year, he moved up to starter and thrived when J.J. McCarthy went down.
Jones' athletic ceiling has always been lower than Darnold’s, but if he gets his head right, gets back to his rookie level of accuracy, he’s at least serviceable. San Francisco might be the place to do just that.
Real Jeopardy! Clue
Sports clues from actual editions of America’s favorite quiz show. As always, mind the date:
CATEGORY:Colorful Sports - $1,000 - June 24, 2014
″The only coach to win both an NCAA title & an NBA title, he took over the SMU basketball team in 2012"
— Answer below
It exploded twice right?
I intentionally picked Yale over Texas A&M wrong to avoid getting a perfect bracket and the free trip to Mars, Elon Musk is offering on his rocket that keeps blowing up.
The Top 5
Top 5 “Fun” things that lose their Appeal as You Age
What age is it exactly that leaf-peeping becomes more appealing than Mardi Gras?
- 5 - Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties in Vegas
- 4 - Multi-day music festivals
- 3 - Times Square on New Year’s Eve
- 2 - Mardi Gras in New Orleans
- 1 - St. Patrick’s Day in Southie
Real Jeopardy! Question:
Who is Larry Brown?
Headline Crystal Ball:
Could Duke be out early?Matt Vautour
Monday:
If Cooper Flagg isn’t at 100 percent, Duke will be in trouble.
Finally...
If you need me, I’ll be quietly mourning the loss of Yahoo’s College Football Enquirer podcast.
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