RealGM compares the C's drafting Kedrick Brown to Joe Smith fiasco

[CeltsSteve@AOL.com]

RealGM says it is just plain wrong that the C's got off scott free and nobody called them on this issue and that the C's have broken the rules just like the T'wolves broke the rules. This could get interesting. 



http://www.realgm.com/src_pump_fakes.php


Pump Fakes: Juking Defenders Out of Their Shorts

      Author: Jon Hamm 


If "ifs" and "buts" were candy and nuts…:
Let me get this straight: A wink-wink, nod-nod, secret handshake, "The Eagle Has Landed", under-the-table agreement for future contracts is a big NBA no-no. But promising to draft a certain player and keeping him away from other teams isn't? 

Don't get me wrong; the Minnesota Timberwolves raped the very spirit of the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement in the Joe Smith fiasco. Of course there are "ifs" and "buts" from that whole episode, such as "If Smith didn't like Minnesota, he had two chances to walk away" and "But the NBA made too big a deal over a player such as Smith". Any way you slice it, very clearly stated rules were broken. 

It seems generally accepted that the Boston Celtics promised Kedrick Brown that they would select him no lower than 11th overall. With that guarantee in hand, what incentive was there for Brown to work out for any other teams? It's pure speculation as to whether the Celtics "encouraged" Brown to turn down other workout offers or if his agent, Arn Tellum, handled that chore. What is fact is that Tellum held Brown out of the Chicago pre-draft camp. 

Let's apply those same "ifs" and "buts" to Mr. Brown. 

If Brown had worked out for other teams, is it not possible that another team with a higher pick would have taken a liking to him? But I'm making too big a deal over a Junior College player, right? 

Just like the Timberwolves deprived the other 28 teams a chance to sign Smith, the Celtics did the same deed with Brown by promising to select him with the 11th overall pick. Just as Minnesota promised Smith a specific set of contracts that would be signed in the future, Boston promised Brown a specific contract that would be signed in the future. Perhaps there isn't enough evidence to warrant a sniff from the NBA's lawyers, but I find it strange that not a single word has been spoken of the backdoor maneuver the Celtics successfully pulled off. 

It doesn't matter if Brown's career looks as bright as Smith's once did, or if he becomes the disappointment that Smith is today. Either way, it's wrong.