Last Tuesday, a blockbuster NBA trade was announced that involved the Cleveland Cavaliers sending Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets’ first round draft pick in 2018.
As fans and sports pundits enthusiastically debated which team came out on top in the deal (I deemed it a win/win), the Cavs front office was apparently stricken with buyer’s remorse. After conducting Thomas’ physical examination, which players are required to pass before a trade is finalized, Cavs doctors made a shocking discovery. Thomas has an injured hip.
Thank goodness for checks and balances. How else would the Cavs have discovered that Thomas suffered a right femoral-acetabular impingement with labral tear?
Sure, they could’ve paid attention during the Eastern Conference Finals when Thomas suffered the injury against Cleveland and was forced to miss the final two-and-a-half games of the series. They also could’ve checked NBA.com or any other number of sports news sites that listed the injury and his return prognosis. They also could’ve listened to Celtics GM Danny Ainge during trade talks, when he surely provided Cavs GM Koby Altman with the latest health reports from Celtics doctors and outside hip specialists that Thomas has seen.
It’s hard to believe that Ainge or the Celtics would’ve misled the Cavaliers on Thomas’ outlook. After all, Altman could’ve simply pulled out his magic veto pen and nixed the deal if he was given bad information.
Thomas refutes the idea that he is damaged goods.
“I’m going to be back, and I’m going to be the same player again,” Thomas told ESPN. “No doctor has told me anything different than that.”
The fact that the Cavs didn’t immediately void the deal implies that the intel on IT couldn’t have been too bad. After all, if you go to a car dealer to look at a “like new Corvette” and the saleswoman pulls out a busted up Geo Metro with a bootleg Corvette logo, what would you do? Would you leave the dealership immediately or ask if she’ll throw in remote start and some new floor mats to make it right?
By going back and asking Boston for Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown or an additional first-round pick to complete the trade, the Cavaliers tried to engage the Celtics in a game of chicken. If the deal falls through for Cleveland, Irving still retains his value. It’s unlikely that another team will give up as much as Boston did, but they can still command a high value for the 25-year-old star.
The Celtics find themselves in a more precarious situation. If the deal falls through, especially due to injury concerns, Thomas’ trade value could plummet. Furthermore, Thomas’ feelings were undoubtedly hurt by the trade. If he were to remain in Boston, there’s a good chance the team chemistry would crash and burn.
It appears that Ainge has rebuffed the Cavaliers’ extortion attempts and will not sweeten the pot. There’s a chance that Boston will offer a second-round pick to get the deal done. Anything more would be foolish.
Regardless of what happens, the drama from this deal will make the opening day matchup between the Cavs and the Celtics must see TV.
Mayweather stops McGregor
Last week I called the matchup between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor a circus. While I stand by that assessment of the bout, I’m glad that circuses can still be entertaining.
Mayweather vs McGregor exceeded expectations, mainly thanks to Mayweather’s revised tactics. The usually cautious and defensive fighter stayed true to his word and came forward as the aggressor for much of the fight.
McGregor was able to land punches and win the first few rounds of the fight. That’s generally the time that Mayweather secedes rounds as he analyzes his opponents in order to gain a feel for their timing and strategy. After the first three or four rounds, Mayweather took control of the fight.
To McGregor’s credit, he never appeared to be as overmatched as many predicted. He did run out of gas. Once he did, he was target practice for one of the most precise punchers in the sport.
McGregor was never knocked down, but he wobbled and staggered around the ring after every connected punch during the 10th round until referee Robert Byrd graciously called a halt to the bout.
Though the official PPV numbers have yet to be released, UFC President Dana White suggested the fight shattered PPV records with 6.5 million buys. If those numbers hold up, McGregor’s take will be more than $100 million while Mayweather could earn upwards of $300 million. Not a bad take for a glorified exhibition fight.
Some say there are no moral victories. McGregor’s solid showing, enhanced public profile and game of tax bracket leapfrog put a gigantic grin on his face despite the defeat.
Does the victory, which pushes Mayweather’s record to 50-0, do anything to enhance his legacy in the ring? No. But with a $300M payday, does Mayweather really care?
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
