Celtics Fans Hated Everything about the 2016 NBA Draft
Image via ESPN
Heading into the NBA Draft Thursday night, the Celtics appeared poised to deal their plethora of draft picks and make a major splash. But instead, they decided to hoard them, and unsurprisingly, fans were outraged.
Over the last year, the Celtics have teased their fans with delusions of grandeur. It all started when co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said last summer there “could be fireworks.” Expectations were raised, and now the C’s have failed to follow through. No wonder season-ticket holders who attended the draft party Thursday were so upset when the team announced it was using the No. 3 pick to select forward Jaylen Brown and not packaging it in a big trade. They were promised a new car, and instead got the basketball equivalent of socks.
Jaylen Brown, crowd doesn’t love it pic.twitter.com/qR5E6WrffN
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) June 23, 2016
Could someone go to Beacon Hill and carry my dad’s lifeless body out of his house?
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 23, 2016
It’s apparent that the viscerally negative reaction bothered Grousbeck. He said the reception he received when he announced the Brown pick was the “worst he’s had in 14 years,” and then went on to vehemently defend the Celtics’ inaction, saying the rest of the league was trying to rip them off. General manager Danny Ainge contradicted Grousbeck Thursday morning, telling Toucher & Rich the Celtics were “closer than Wyc said on a couple of deals.”
If the Celtics’ decision to draft Brown was surprising, then the move to select French forward Guerschon Yabusele with the No. 16 overall selection was downright bewildering. The 2o-year-old prospect is expected to be stashed overseas in European leagues for the foreseeable future.
https://vine.co/v/5BVqadYOa7m
The Celtics just took the 7th pick in the draft at no. 3 and used no. 16 on a French guy sitting in the stands. I’m gonna make a drink.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 24, 2016
With the No. 23 pick, the Celtics went on to take 19-year-old Croatian center Ante Zizic. He also probably won’t play in the states for a couple of years, but did apparently have a business renting out beach chairs when he was 10. That counts for something, right?
Let’s check in on Boston Celtics fans and see what they think about their draft so far pic.twitter.com/EMkdIaDo4A
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) June 24, 2016
On Thursday night, Celtics fans were reminded that the rebuilding process can be long and arduous. Perhaps it was prudent for the Celtics to stand pat, but it flies in the face of what they’ve been saying for the last 12 months. They’ve brought all of this rage on themselves.
