Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant Work Out Together Amid Celtics-Nets Rumors

Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant Work Out Together Amid Celtics-Nets Rumors

Tatum and KD built a bond while on Team USA


NESN by Jason Ounpraseuth

While it appeared Jayson Tatum was busy partying at Draymond Green’s wedding, the Boston Celtics superstar also got a workout in with other NBA superstars this weekend.

The 24-year-old took pictures with big names like LeBron James and Steph Curry at Green’s wedding, but Celtics fans can rest assure Tatum is still focused on winning banner No. 18 for Boston.

In pictures posted on Instagram by photographer Bred Hampton, Tatum is shown working out Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan and Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant.

This was not the first time the pair were seen in the same place together. On July 26, Tatum and Durant attended the premiere of the Showtime documentary “Point Gods” in New York City. It was there when Tatum addressed the rumored trade talks between the Celtics and Nets that involved Boston trading Jaylen Brown to acquire Durant.

“I played with him during the Olympics,” Tatum told reporters on July 26, when asked about the idea of playing with Durant, per video from The New York Post?s Jared Schwartz. “He’s great player. But that?s not my decision. I love my team. I love the guys that we got. I don’t know if that report is true or not.”

Those talks reportedly stalled after the Nets replaced Derrick White in the deal for Marcus Smart and added multiple picks.

The Celtics will likely be “stuck” in trade talks for Durant through most of the 2022-23 season until the Nets finally trade Durant — or fire general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash, as Durant reportedly requested after again asking to be traded. But that is unlikely to happen after Brooklyn owner Joe Tsai publicly backed his front office and coaching staff, making the start of training camp a likely deadline for a trade.

The Celtics are reportedly the front-runner to land Durant, but teams like the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors remain in the mix for a deal. However, it appears more likely a trade is to happen in the middle of the season than before, despite the rumored tension between Durant and the Nets organization.

However, Boston fans can still appreciate the busy summer Tatum is having.

112288

HUMMM

A MID SUMMERNIGHT'S DREAM!

JUST FICTION AND ALL THEATHER AS WAS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE COMEDY IN 1595!


112288

Shouldn’t surprise anyone if we see Tatum hangin’ or balling with every player in the NBA. Our dude is on another cloud somewhere. Jury is still out on the mental makeup of Dude #0.





https://www.catronmediagroup.com/

KTRON,

That really sums up perfectly #0.  Just do not know his mind set.  Although this may be a big joke on all of us like WWF wrestling.   I remember going to an wrestling night with all the old stars back in the early 1960's. Everyone including myself got worked up on all the villians during the matches to a point that people wanted to charge the wrestling ring.

Well Lo and Behold walking out to the parking lot to our car, I passed a door that was open. Well to my utter surprise it was the wrestlers lockerroom and all the good guys and bad guys were all sitthing around drinking beer and have a grand old time laughing together.

That is when I got wise to wrestling and the fakness of it all.   Perhaps there is a monicum of truth or fakness to be said about the NBA and the players and all the trash talking and pushing during a game to get the fans jacked up, only to see them partying together like the weslers after the game or season!

112288

Tatum isa child-man; Brown fully grown. If we deal Jaylen for Durant, I'll puke

112288 wrote:KTRON,

That really sums up perfectly #0.  Just do not know his mind set.  Although this may be a big joke on all of us like WWF wrestling.   I remember going to an wrestling night with all the old stars back in the early 1960's. Everyone including myself got worked up on all the villians during the matches to a point that people wanted to charge the wrestling ring.

Well Lo and Behold walking out to the parking lot to our car, I passed a door that was open. Well to my utter surprise it was the wrestlers lockerroom and all the good guys and bad guys were all sitthing around drinking beer and have a grand old time laughing together.

That is when I got wise to wrestling and the fakness of it all.   Perhaps there is a monicum of truth or fakness to be said about the NBA and the players and all the trash talking and pushing during a game to get the fans jacked up, only to see them partying together like the weslers after the game or season!

112288

I think that back in the day when Russell and Wilt would have dinner together is a lot different today with Tatum and “War Criminal Draymond and some of the others.
I don't trust that Jayson is tough at mind as some of the guys from back in the day. I have serious doubts about him.
There’s a video of him during the finals where Draymond is illegally throwing him around like a ragamuffin and all Jayson did was look around for the ref.
At least back then (Think I Thomas and Magic) the guys could be friends and still knock each other’s heads off once the ball is tossed in he air. Today its somewhat one-sided. People like Draymond will befriend you, then take your mind, illegally beat the crap out of you, try to embarrass you and talk about you and your teammates during and after the game.
Most of our guys take it without response and then go party with the enemy as though they're friends. Ive seen enough to surmise that the so called friendship is one sided.
If i’m picking between the 2 J’s, I’m taking Brown. Tatum is out to lunch.

One of the things that pissed me off the most during Finals was Greens constant yapping and bullying our guys and him keeping on shouting manically and NO physical response from us. Whose the closest thing to our enforcer, Smart or GWill? A guard is usually not equipped to be that, boy could we use an Isaiah Stewart.

Wilt and Russell were special breed of players and individuals trying to break down the discrimination barrier that existed at that time. So if they spent time over dinner at Wilts house, so be it.

But frienships were few and far between in the NBA in that era.  I do not think Wilt ever sent an invitation to Tommy Heinsohn to come over for dinner and a few beers and just relax and talk about family.  

No, Tommy broke Wilts hand during a game, and in Tommy's book kept a wide distance from him when it happened. He and Wilt would go at it physically during games.  So no one wanted to party with their opponent. they were fighting for a win and a pay check to stay with their team.

I guess big money does strange things with players minds! I think the money is killing the game. Even if you are a screw up, you are still making a lot of money to give you a great financial nest egg to fall back on once your NBA days come to an end. This is getting crazy in annual salaries. It is also hurting the fan base because real fans cannot get cheap seats to see a live game. Corporations have been the big problem where they buy up corpoate seats which push the prices higher and hand them out to people who do not care about, follow or know basketball.

112288

I, for one, am glad Tatum worked out with Durant (and any and every other NBA player there).  That's how you get better, by competing against your peers and betters.  Ime did a phenomenal job of messing with KD's head during our playoff series but normally KD is positively reptilian.  The more our guys can play against him the better they will be.  If KD was a Celtic (forget for a moment about what/who we'd have to give up to get him) and we saw video of him playing against Tatum one-on-one we'd be ecstatic, wouldn't we?  Why?  Because learning how to compete against top-tier talent is how you improve.

There's another difference between the old days and now, and that's free agency.  Back when Wilt and Russ played players rarely changed teams.  There were some trades (Red got the rights to Russell by trading perennial All-Star "Easy Ed" Macauley and the rights to Cliff Hagen for the #2 pick in the draft), but the decision to change teams wasn't usually up to the players.  Having a healthy hate for opponents made complete sense since it was unlikely you'd ever be teammates.  Nowadays we know that's not how it works.  LeBron went to Miami because DWade sold him on it and there was nothing the Cavaliers could do about it, and Chris Bosh went to Miami too without Toronto being able to do about it.  I'm not sure there was much Bosh could have done about it either, for that matter, his head was so far up LeBron's butt he would have put himself into traction if he didn't fly south like a duck in winter with LeBron.

Just more reasons why I think comparing eras is a fool's errand.  People say "times have changed" because the circumstances that shape reality, those "times", have changed.  And one person's ceiling is another person's floor.  What was great for the owners back in Russ' day, because of the complete control they had over the players, wasn't so great for the players.  When they changed the rules and said you couldn't leave the frito line until after the ball hits the rim that was great for defensive rebounders, not so great for Wilt who followed his shot and couldn't be stopped.  When they changed the rules and banned hand-checking that was great for offensive players like MJ, not so great for defenders.  And on and on and on...


Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:I, for one, am glad Tatum worked out with Durant (and any and every other NBA player there).  That's how you get better, by competing against your peers and betters.  Ime did a phenomenal job of messing with KD's head during our playoff series but normally KD is positively reptilian.  The more our guys can play against him the better they will be.  If KD was a Celtic (forget for a moment about what/who we'd have to give up to get him) and we saw video of him playing against Tatum one-on-one we'd be ecstatic, wouldn't we?  Why?  Because learning how to compete against top-tier talent is how you improve.

There's another difference between the old days and now, and that's free agency.  Back when Wilt and Russ played players rarely changed teams.  There were some trades (Red got the rights to Russell by trading perennial All-Star "Easy Ed" Macauley and the rights to Cliff Hagen for the #2 pick in the draft), but the decision to change teams wasn't usually up to the players.  Having a healthy hate for opponents made complete sense since it was unlikely you'd ever be teammates.  Nowadays we know that's not how it works.  LeBron went to Miami because DWade sold him on it and there was nothing the Cavaliers could do about it, and Chris Bosh went to Miami too without Toronto being able to do about it.  I'm not sure there was much Bosh could have done about it either, for that matter, his head was so far up LeBron's butt he would have put himself into traction if he didn't fly south like a duck in winter with LeBron.

Just more reasons why I think comparing eras is a fool's errand.  People say "times have changed" because the circumstances that shape reality, those "times", have changed.  And one person's ceiling is another person's floor.  What was great for the owners back in Russ' day, because of the complete control they had over the players, wasn't so great for the players.  When they changed the rules and said you couldn't leave the frito line until after the ball hits the rim that was great for defensive rebounders, not so great for Wilt who followed his shot and couldn't be stopped.  When they changed the rules and banned hand-checking that was great for offensive players like MJ, not so great for defenders.  And on and on and on...


Bob


.

+1

On there’s nothing they could do about it, hey those guys were tampering!!!

bobheckler wrote:I, for one, am glad Tatum worked out with Durant (and any and every other NBA player there).  That's how you get better, by competing against your peers and betters.  Ime did a phenomenal job of messing with KD's head during our playoff series but normally KD is positively reptilian.  The more our guys can play against him the better they will be.  If KD was a Celtic (forget for a moment about what/who we'd have to give up to get him) and we saw video of him playing against Tatum one-on-one we'd be ecstatic, wouldn't we?  Why?  Because learning how to compete against top-tier talent is how you improve.

There's another difference between the old days and now, and that's free agency.  Back when Wilt and Russ played players rarely changed teams.  There were some trades (Red got the rights to Russell by trading perennial All-Star "Easy Ed" Macauley and the rights to Cliff Hagen for the #2 pick in the draft), but the decision to change teams wasn't usually up to the players.  Having a healthy hate for opponents made complete sense since it was unlikely you'd ever be teammates.  Nowadays we know that's not how it works.  LeBron went to Miami because DWade sold him on it and there was nothing the Cavaliers could do about it, and Chris Bosh went to Miami too without Toronto being able to do about it.  I'm not sure there was much Bosh could have done about it either, for that matter, his head was so far up LeBron's butt he would have put himself into traction if he didn't fly south like a duck in winter with LeBron.

Just more reasons why I think comparing eras is a fool's errand.  People say "times have changed" because the circumstances that shape reality, those "times", have changed.  And one person's ceiling is another person's floor.  What was great for the owners back in Russ' day, because of the complete control they had over the players, wasn't so great for the players.  When they changed the rules and said you couldn't leave the frito line until after the ball hits the rim that was great for defensive rebounders, not so great for Wilt who followed his shot and couldn't be stopped.  When they changed the rules and banned hand-checking that was great for offensive players like MJ, not so great for defenders.  And on and on and on...


Bob


.

I’m not bothered by players working out together. Thats the world we live in.
Some players can do it and like I said they’re friends until the ball is tossed up in the air.
However, not all who work out with the enemy leave it behind once the games start.
Btw, players compete against each other during the season and get better too. Working during out during off season with your “road dog” doesn't always result in certain improvements.

My main concern in all of this is #1 our team and #2 Jayson Tatum.
As I said, I don't think Tatum has the nuts of a PP or KG. Hell, I think Grant Williams has bigger nuts than Tatum.
We’re not comparing era’s here. Just players. During the finals I had very little doubt that the Warriors were going to have a mental edge and of course there is obvious reasons for that.
I also had no doubt about Jimmy Butler (No ring) or PJ in the the Miami series, Giannis or Porter in the Mil series. I had serious doubt about Tatum’s mental fortitude then and I still do now.
While he’s getting “lit” with Draymond, Brown is working out in a swimming pool under water. I see Brown busting his ass to get better. I dont worry as much about him as I do our boy Wonder. Maybe Jayson was working out in a pool as well but there is no evidence of that. There certainly is with Brown.

Again, I’m not comparing eras in this situation. I can start with this season and work backwards and have no trouble spotting the tough guys working out and some even hanging out. I can also work backwards and identify the not so tough guys who are ripe for the taking by players like the War Criminal and others. Tatum is one of them. THAT is my concern.


https://www.catronmediagroup.com/

bobheckler wrote:I, for one, am glad Tatum worked out with Durant (and any and every other NBA player there).  That's how you get better, by competing against your peers and betters.  Ime did a phenomenal job of messing with KD's head during our playoff series but normally KD is positively reptilian.  The more our guys can play against him the better they will be.  If KD was a Celtic (forget for a moment about what/who we'd have to give up to get him) and we saw video of him playing against Tatum one-on-one we'd be ecstatic, wouldn't we?  Why?  Because learning how to compete against top-tier talent is how you improve.

There's another difference between the old days and now, and that's free agency.  Back when Wilt and Russ played players rarely changed teams.  There were some trades (Red got the rights to Russell by trading perennial All-Star "Easy Ed" Macauley and the rights to Cliff Hagen for the #2 pick in the draft), but the decision to change teams wasn't usually up to the players.  Having a healthy hate for opponents made complete sense since it was unlikely you'd ever be teammates.  Nowadays we know that's not how it works.  LeBron went to Miami because DWade sold him on it and there was nothing the Cavaliers could do about it, and Chris Bosh went to Miami too without Toronto being able to do about it.  I'm not sure there was much Bosh could have done about it either, for that matter, his head was so far up LeBron's butt he would have put himself into traction if he didn't fly south like a duck in winter with LeBron.

Just more reasons why I think comparing eras is a fool's errand.  People say "times have changed" because the circumstances that shape reality, those "times", have changed.  And one person's ceiling is another person's floor.  What was great for the owners back in Russ' day, because of the complete control they had over the players, wasn't so great for the players.  When they changed the rules and said you couldn't leave the frito line until after the ball hits the rim that was great for defensive rebounders, not so great for Wilt who followed his shot and couldn't be stopped.  When they changed the rules and banned hand-checking that was great for offensive players like MJ, not so great for defenders.  And on and on and on...


Bob


.

To me it does not matter whether the work out will make Tatum better or not. I am absolutely fine that he is friends with other players.

I work in a very competitive Tech industry. We compete really hard against our competitors. At the same time, we run into people from other companies often, at industry events, just in the area, and socially. We are all cordial and friendly. Often we successfully recruit from competition and also end up losing people to competition.

I don't see any difference between what we do and what Tatum is doing with peers in his industry. Fraternization does not imply that either will compete less hard.

Tatum is probably feeling very blessed. He made an effort to hang out with Kobe and gain some elite knowledge about the game and life from one of the greatest of all time. Can't do that anymore. Tatum has to feel the same way KG does about Bill. Glad I did it. No regrets except I wish I had done more of it. We all have that one.

Did Tatum spend any quality time with Bill? Lord, I hope so. Can't do that anymore.

I think it is good to see this. It can only help our players. And prakash is right. Nothing out of the ordinary here. I've made a small move recently in the way I approach my business and it involved being more visible and in touch with those above me, beside me and around me at work and my business has literally blown up overnight, in the good way, that is. I'm kicking myself for being so stubborn with my old, outdated thoughts about business and just plodding along. I've always had plenty of ideas, perhaps too many. So I just focused on a couple and it has made all the difference.

The people you hang out with in business change constantly, businesses change, businesses merge, go out of business, etc. That group of people will not be there forever.

The NBA is a very warped model of the real business world. Careers are very short, averaging 3-4 years max. The show pieces make ridiculous money for dribbling a basketball. We'd be comparing apples and oranges. If JT wants to build his career by collaboration, and it appears it is working since he has improved year over year, then by all means go for it.

We're all going to wish we had spent more time with someone when a catastrophic event happens. JT is saying the same about Kobe. But at least he made the effort and now has those memories. Others? Not so much.

db

I do not have an issue with players from opposing teams working out together.

If Durant had not requested a trade and if Boston was not one of the teams in the mix, we probably would not give this much attention at all.

Hope you’re seeing that my point and concern is mainly about Jayson’s mindset more so than who he’s working out with or players working out together. I get it.
Dude concerns me. His honoring Kobe and speaking highly of his experience with him is cool. Wearing his number and whatever on your sock with laker colors during a Celtics home game is not.
Outside of his basketball skills, i’m not impressed with his “smarts” or comfortable with him being our lead dog. Just my gut feeling and i trust that.

DBOSS, The Texas Rangers just fired their Manager and General Manager.
Jus saying….

Ktron wrote:DBOSS, The Texas Rangers just fired their Manager and General Manager.
Jus saying….

Really!

At the request of their top player who just signed a bigtime contract?

Ktron, we have already been down this road.

My position remains unchanged. A GM and coach can both be fired at the same time. The question is should an owner do that? The circumstances relating to KD demands has resulted in a big fat NO by the owner of the Nets. I think he made the correct decision.

dboss wrote:

Ktron wrote:DBOSS, The Texas Rangers just fired their Manager and General Manager.
Jus saying….

Really!

At the request of their top player who just signed a bigtime contract?

Ktron, we have already been down this road.

My position remains unchanged.  A GM and coach can both be fired at the same time.  The question is should an owner do that?  The circumstances relating to KD demands has resulted in a big fat NO by the owner of the Nets.  I think he made the correct decision.  

N00000000 man. I’m messing with you but its almost the scenario sans player

Ktron wrote:Hope you’re seeing that my point and concern is mainly about Jayson’s mindset more so than who he’s working out with or players working out together. I get it.
Dude concerns me. His honoring Kobe and speaking highly of his experience with him is cool. Wearing his number and whatever on your sock with laker colors during a Celtics home game is not.
Outside of his basketball skills, i’m not impressed with his “smarts” or comfortable with him being our lead dog. Just my gut feeling and i trust that.

Tatum should have been drafted by the Lakers.  I am glad they blew past that opportunity.

Are any of the picks from a few years back still on their team?  I think they have all been traded.

So Ktron more specifically what would you like to see Tatum do differently to become better.  When you say lead dog you must be referring to talent because there are several other guys on the team that are true leaders.  (Smart, Horford, Jaylen)  Maybe JT is not built to be our lead dog.

Ktron wrote:Hope you’re seeing that my point and concern is mainly about Jayson’s mindset more so than who he’s working out with or players working out together. I get it.
Dude concerns me. His honoring Kobe and speaking highly of his experience with him is cool. Wearing his number and whatever on your sock with laker colors during a Celtics home game is not.
Outside of his basketball skills, i’m not impressed with his “smarts” or comfortable with him being our lead dog. Just my gut feeling and i trust that.

I’m with you on this. I keep telling myself things have changed in the NBA and elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

dboss wrote:

Ktron wrote:Hope you’re seeing that my point and concern is mainly about Jayson’s mindset more so than who he’s working out with or players working out together. I get it.
Dude concerns me. His honoring Kobe and speaking highly of his experience with him is cool. Wearing his number and whatever on your sock with laker colors during a Celtics home game is not.
Outside of his basketball skills, i’m not impressed with his “smarts” or comfortable with him being our lead dog. Just my gut feeling and i trust that.

Tatum should have been drafted by the Lakers.  I am glad they blew past that opportunity.

Are any of the picks from a few years back still on their team?  I think they have all been traded.

So Ktron more specifically what would you like to see Tatum do differently to become better.  When you say lead dog you must be referring to talent because there are several other guys on the team that are true leaders.  (Smart, Horford, Jaylen)  Maybe JT is not built to be our lead dog.

Dboss, I don’t necessarily think that Tatum has to be the leader. I think we all agree that at the moment, Tatum is the most talented and arguably the best player on this team. What I would really like to see from him is toughness. I don't see very much of that from him. More Pierce/ KG /Eddie House I don’t take no sh** kind of toughness. Tatum comes off to me as being too much of a nice guy. I love the fact that Grant will run over and get in the opponents face if they do something out of line to one of his teammates. I want to see that same type attitude coming from my best player. Set a tone.
I understand that everyone’s not a leader and everyone’s personality wont allow them to be out in front. I guess what I’m getting at is I would like to see our first teamer instill fear into the opponent and not just in the sense of playing Great but being THE man and not let War Criminals like Draymond toss him around, tackle and be straight disrespectful without getting nothing back in return. Right now, He’s too “Kissy face” for me too.

ps. And how bout he leave the snotty nose midget, Duece back at the crib every now and then. Game time is way past his bed time. The little fker is a distraction and can be quite annoying.

Ktron wrote:

dboss wrote:

Ktron wrote:Hope you’re seeing that my point and concern is mainly about Jayson’s mindset more so than who he’s working out with or players working out together. I get it.
Dude concerns me. His honoring Kobe and speaking highly of his experience with him is cool. Wearing his number and whatever on your sock with laker colors during a Celtics home game is not.
Outside of his basketball skills, i’m not impressed with his “smarts” or comfortable with him being our lead dog. Just my gut feeling and i trust that.

Tatum should have been drafted by the Lakers.  I am glad they blew past that opportunity.

Are any of the picks from a few years back still on their team?  I think they have all been traded.

So Ktron more specifically what would you like to see Tatum do differently to become better.  When you say lead dog you must be referring to talent because there are several other guys on the team that are true leaders.  (Smart, Horford, Jaylen)  Maybe JT is not built to be our lead dog.

Dboss, I don’t necessarily think that Tatum has to be the leader. I think we all agree that at the moment, Tatum is the most talented and arguably the best player on this team. What I would really like to see from him is toughness. I don't see very much of that from him. More Pierce/ KG /Eddie House I don’t take no sh** kind of toughness. Tatum comes off to me as being too much of a nice guy. I love the fact that Grant will run over and get in the opponents face if they do something out of line to one of his teammates. I want to see that same type attitude coming from my best player. Set a tone.
I understand that everyone’s not a leader and everyone’s personality wont allow them to be out in front. I guess what I’m getting at is I would like to see our first teamer instill fear into the opponent and not just in the sense of playing Great but being THE man and not let War Criminals like Draymond toss him around, tackle and be straight disrespectful without getting nothing back in return. Right now, He’s too “Kissy face” for me too.

ps. And how bout he leave the snotty nose midget, Duece back at the crib every now and then. Game time is way past his bed time. The little fker is a distraction and can be quite annoying.

Ktron

'Nice Guy' pretty much nails it down.

I do not believe Tatum will be that tough guy.  I am not so sure that the Celtics need him to be that guy.    We have other guys that fill that role.

The team however remains mentally tough.  They are not an in your face bunch except for Marcus and even he has toned things down a bit.  The Celtics are a great defensive team.  Our lead dog is in fact Marcus Smart!

Ktron, you have been all over Deuce like an ill fitting overcoat.  Just remember that the child cannot be blamed for the sins of their parent.

I do think he is over exposed but that is on Jayson.  I do not think Celtics management is going to tell him to limit Deuce's interactions.  Is it a bit too much? Probably yes but I am an old school parent and grand parent.  My generation thinks differently.

dboss wrote:

Ktron wrote:

dboss wrote:

Ktron wrote:Hope you’re seeing that my point and concern is mainly about Jayson’s mindset more so than who he’s working out with or players working out together. I get it.
Dude concerns me. His honoring Kobe and speaking highly of his experience with him is cool. Wearing his number and whatever on your sock with laker colors during a Celtics home game is not.
Outside of his basketball skills, i’m not impressed with his “smarts” or comfortable with him being our lead dog. Just my gut feeling and i trust that.

Tatum should have been drafted by the Lakers.  I am glad they blew past that opportunity.

Are any of the picks from a few years back still on their team?  I think they have all been traded.

So Ktron more specifically what would you like to see Tatum do differently to become better.  When you say lead dog you must be referring to talent because there are several other guys on the team that are true leaders.  (Smart, Horford, Jaylen)  Maybe JT is not built to be our lead dog.

Dboss, I don’t necessarily think that Tatum has to be the leader. I think we all agree that at the moment, Tatum is the most talented and arguably the best player on this team. What I would really like to see from him is toughness. I don't see very much of that from him. More Pierce/ KG /Eddie House I don’t take no sh** kind of toughness. Tatum comes off to me as being too much of a nice guy. I love the fact that Grant will run over and get in the opponents face if they do something out of line to one of his teammates. I want to see that same type attitude coming from my best player. Set a tone.
I understand that everyone’s not a leader and everyone’s personality wont allow them to be out in front. I guess what I’m getting at is I would like to see our first teamer instill fear into the opponent and not just in the sense of playing Great but being THE man and not let War Criminals like Draymond toss him around, tackle and be straight disrespectful without getting nothing back in return. Right now, He’s too “Kissy face” for me too.

ps. And how bout he leave the snotty nose midget, Duece back at the crib every now and then. Game time is way past his bed time. The little fker is a distraction and can be quite annoying.

Ktron

'Nice Guy' pretty much nails it down.

I do not believe Tatum will be that tough guy.  I am not so sure that the Celtics need him to be that guy.    We have other guys that fill that role.

The team however remains mentally tough.  They are not an in your face bunch except for Marcus and even he has toned things down a bit.  The Celtics are a great defensive team.  Our lead dog is in fact Marcus Smart!

Ktron, you have been all over Deuce like an ill fitting overcoat.  Just remember that the child cannot be blamed for the sins of their parent.

I do think he is over exposed but that is on Jayson.  I do not think Celtics management is going to tell him to limit Deuce's interactions.  Is it a bit too much? Probably yes but I am an old school parent and grand parent.  My generation thinks differently.

Maybe not THE tough guy but I would at least like to see Tatum launch it up a notch or 2 or 3 or 4 or 9…
Marcus certainly is Grant is and Horford is in his own quiet way. I would have liked to have seen Matt Ryan make the squad. He appears to be tough and if nothing else a guy off the deep bench specializing in fake Kevin McKale type takedowns when called upon.
Agree, we have a great defense that should be enough to carry us through barring injury. Maybe its gotten to the point of my taking it personal and wanting the players on our team to do so as well. I too am Old School when it comes to NBA War Criminals who need to be punished for their crimes on the hardwood.

I’m on Duece like a cheap leather jacket from Filenes basement and you're right its the parents and his Grand Ma that should be harnessing the lil nuisance. Just every now and then I think it would be kinda nice that Grandma takes him to an early movie matinee, then drag him back to the house, give him a shot of Robitussin and tuck him in for the night. (I’m only serious)
But seriously, if he’s going to attend games after his bedtime his Granny needs to make sure he sits, keeps his hands and feet to himself and not move until he hears  the Bee Gee’s and sees Gino on the Jumbotron.

I think people underestimate Tatum's "toughness". He doesn't yell and scream and carry on, but I don't get the sense that he ever doubts himself in a clutch situation. People conflate the sometimes streaky nature of Tatum's shooting with mental weakness. However, I don't think that streakiness comes from lack of confidence. I think he's a quiet but determined guy who always thinks he could take the big shot. During the playoffs, I heard many pundits (often former players) say stuff like "Tatum has to exert his will - that's what superstars do". Meanwhile, he was making the right play - passing the ball (nevermind that if he'd shot he'd have been crucified for "going iso"). To me, it's quite simple, the more often you make the right play, the more likely you are to win. Of course there will be times when you might lose to a team making the wrong plays, but you gotta go with whatever most often leads to wins. That said, I also believe Tatum would be entirely comfortable taking any last shot/clutch shot - say what you want, but the kid is a scorer, and scorers always think the ball is going in. I am guessing some of you criticizing JT are thinking of something else, i.e. some intangible. Problem with intangibles is that the reason they are called intangibles is because it is difficult to consistently assess the actual affect they have on the game. KG was a maniac - yelling, screaming, pounding his head, doing push ups, but I never got the sense he was comfortable taking over a game (Pierce was....). So he was an alpha-dog in some sense of the word, but can you really be an alpha-dog if your not eager or willing to take the big shots? The number of players who have both elite skill and demonstrative alpha-drive personalities is pretty damn small. I'm pretty happy with the overall make up of our team.