After receiving a tampering warning from the NBA, L.A. Clippers executive board member Jerry West now has a better understanding of how he should talk about players from another team, without violating any rules of the league.
He showed off just that, when he was asked in an interview about his thoughts on the current state of the Boston Celtics. He gave a lot of credit for how Danny Ainge has managed to build the roster that they have now, after he discussed the time when teams were allowed to trade first round picks in consecutive years back in the 1980s, via Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
“I’ll just say that every once in a while, there’s a chance that people get to take advantage of someone,” West said. “I don’t think that will ever happen again, but what Brooklyn did almost should be legislated against, to be honest with you.
“It’s very much like when Stepien was in Cleveland,” he added, referring to former Cavs owner Ted Stepien, who traded away so many first-round picks that the league no longer allows teams to trade first-rounders in consecutive years. “We got the No. 1 pick in the draft (James Worthy in 1982) out of it, who helped us win championships.
“But Danny’s done a nice job back there. Are they good enough? They had a terrible break with a very good player (Gordon Hayward), and are they good enough now? At the end of a couple of years, they’re going to be judged by that, by how they’re doing then — not by now. They’ve got some good young players. They’ve got a terrific coach. They’ve got a lot of positive things going, that’s for sure.”
It’s no secret that The Logo was referring to Gordon Hayward, who suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the Celtics’ season opener. He was one of the biggest names during last summer’s free agency, and when he decided to take his talents to Beantown, many already had high expectations from him and the C’s. Despite not being able to suit up for them for the remainder of the season, the team has been able to still play very well, and are now in second place in the Eastern Conference.
Led by Kyrie Irving, he has brought a lot of success so far to the storied franchise. The ultimate test though is how far they can go in the playoffs, but if they can contend for the title, he will prove West’s claim further and live up to expectations that they are indeed a force to be reckoned with — not just this season but in the years to come.
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