Here we go again with Jeff Goodman

[Ed Hollison]

Jeff Goodman really rubbed me the wrong way a couple years ago when he went on a personal campaign against Rajon Rondo. During those days he was firmly affixed on the Marcus Smart bandwagon, making the case that the Celtics should draft Smart and trade away Rondo. Here is Goodman about two years ago:

I really like Marcus Smart a lot - he's a high intangible guy who is going to continue to improve his floor game and his perimeter shot (his two biggest weaknesses)… the bottom line is that Smart is tough, is probably already a better leader than Rondo - and he works. His floor game as a point guard improved dramatically over the last two years (he had never really played the point prior to college) and his perimeter shot - which is his primary weakness - will get better over time. I'm not sure Smart will ever be an elite point guard in the league, but I think he can be a Top 10'ish point guard who brings a lot of the intangibles to the table that Rondo does not.

So it has been to my surprise that Goodman seems to be just “meh” on Smart now, and has moved on to his new binkie: Kris Dunn. Here’s Goodman yesterday on Celtics Stuff Live:

I just like Kris. Again, he’s the new age point guard… his speed and athleticism, his ability to defend, his ability to pass and make people better. The only thing he doesn’t do well is shoot the ball, and that’s an area that usually the NBA people feel like, with work you’ve got a chance to improve that more than anything else.

Here’s a trade that I would do if I were the Celtics: I’d do Marcus Smart and #16 for Nerlens [Noel]… I’d do that today. And then you get your rim protector, your shot blocker, a guy who gives you something different from what you have… So you have Kris Dunn, and Nerlens… You’ve got your point guard of the future, a guy who makes your team better.

Kris Dunn, ok he can’t guard guys like Smart can, he can’t guard big 3s like Marcus Smart can… He’s a different type of defender, again he gets in passing lanes he’s got quick hands, he’s so fast and explosive.

Later in the show he advocated throwing in #23 in the trade too. Hey, why not?

What's most remarkable to me is how similar the first paragraph (from two years ago) is to the second (from yesterday). It's almost spooky.

This is not the first time Goodman has called for trading Smart. A couple weeks ago on the WEEI Green Street he pitched the same idea:

The other option here is can you trade Marcus Smart… and then draft Kris Dunn. He’s better than Marcus Smart. He’s faster, he’s got better court vision, he defends in the same manner, he’s just as tough.

And here’s Goodman on May 22nd on Celtics Beat:

Kris Dunn, you know again, here’s my question to you: can you trade Marcus Smart right now – is his value high enough – that you can trade Marcus Smart and your 2nd first round pick and get a decent big man?... Would you today – and this deosn’t fit your team that well, but it helps the team – would you do Marcus Smart for Nerlens Noel right now and draft Kris Dunn?

And again later in the same interview:

If I’m Ainge that’s the first way I go is to see if I can get value for Marcus Smart, what I can get, and then I draft Kris Dunn.

So basically for the past month or so Goodman has gone on multiple shows and pitched the idea that the Celtics need to trade Smart in favor of an unknown draftee that he really likes (Dunn), roughly two years after saying the Celtics need to trade Rondo in favor of an unknown draftee that he really likes (Smart).

Does anyone else have a problem with this? Or am I overreacting?

-----------------

Links:

http://redsarmy.com/2014/07/17/jeff-goodmans-assault-on-rajon-rondo-reaches-a-new-low/
http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2014/08/boston_celtics_rajon_rondo_mar.html
http://media.weei.com/a/115296032/jeff-goodman-espn-joins-giardi-and-bradford-to-preview-the-nba-draft-and-the-future-of-the-celtics-they-re-looking-to-get-a-starter-this-year-a-starter.htm#q=goodman
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/celtics-beat-podcast-clns-radio/e/44448993?autoplay=true

[mmmmm]

Goodman is a tool.  He has numerous incidents on his record of being pretty much all that is bad about sports 'journalism'.

Ignore him.

[Granath]

I don't think you're overreacting. Goodman is fairly short sighted.

Kris Dunn is exactly 12 days younger than Marcus Smart. If Dunn has time to improve his shooting, so does Smart.

[Evantime34]

He's a college guy. He often makes the mistake of thinking that the college game is the same as the NBA game.

Smart was better than Dunn when Smart came out. The idea that Dunn is now better than Smart because he beat up on weaker competition for two years while Smart was a rotation player for an NBA playoff team is ridiculous imo.

[jpotter33]

He's a college guy. He often makes the mistake of thinking that the college game is the same as the NBA game.

Smart was better than Dunn when Smart came out. The idea that Dunn is now better than Smart because he beat up on weaker competition for two years while Smart was a rotation player for an NBA playoff team is ridiculous imo.

Yeah, he seems to be someone that will always favor the college player over the NBA player in these situations, primarily because that's his job. He also has seemed to have a pretty large anti-Celtic bias for a long time, too, and it's something that is pretty well known of, iirc.

[coffee425]

I died laughing when i heard his radio comment on Dunn.
I absolutely hate when i hear a draft prospect get compared to being "better/worse" than a pro player. This is just like the "Kaminsky is better than Olynyk" train from last year.

How can anyone even compare  the NBA game to the college game? The 76ers could theoretically destroy every top 5 college team by 20 points, because the talent discrepancy is that wide.

Either way, there's a reason that Jeff Goodman gets paid to talk about scouting, rather than get paid to actually scout.

[chambers]

His binky is actually Buddy Hield. He went to the Bahamas with him last year.

My god the way he craps on about Hield lol. I love Hield but Goodman is a hypocrite without much clue about bball.

Here he is frothing over Hield...

http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2016/05/23/espns-jeff-goodman-i-would-go-with-buddy-hield-with-celtics-no-3-pick/

[indeedproceed]

Jeff Goodman really rubbed me the wrong way a couple years ago when he went on a personal campaign against Rajon Rondo. During those days he was firmly affixed on the Marcus Smart bandwagon, making the case that the Celtics should draft Smart and trade away Rondo. Here is Goodman about two years ago:

I really like Marcus Smart a lot - he's a high intangible guy who is going to continue to improve his floor game and his perimeter shot (his two biggest weaknesses)… the bottom line is that Smart is tough, is probably already a better leader than Rondo - and he works. His floor game as a point guard improved dramatically over the last two years (he had never really played the point prior to college) and his perimeter shot - which is his primary weakness - will get better over time. I'm not sure Smart will ever be an elite point guard in the league, but I think he can be a Top 10'ish point guard who brings a lot of the intangibles to the table that Rondo does not.

So it has been to my surprise that Goodman seems to be just “meh” on Smart now, and has moved on to his new binkie: Kris Dunn. Here’s Goodman yesterday on Celtics Stuff Live:

I just like Kris. Again, he’s the new age point guard… his speed and athleticism, his ability to defend, his ability to pass and make people better. The only thing he doesn’t do well is shoot the ball, and that’s an area that usually the NBA people feel like, with work you’ve got a chance to improve that more than anything else.

Here’s a trade that I would do if I were the Celtics: I’d do Marcus Smart and #16 for Nerlens [Noel]… I’d do that today. And then you get your rim protector, your shot blocker, a guy who gives you something different from what you have… So you have Kris Dunn, and Nerlens… You’ve got your point guard of the future, a guy who makes your team better.

Kris Dunn, ok he can’t guard guys like Smart can, he can’t guard big 3s like Marcus Smart can… He’s a different type of defender, again he gets in passing lanes he’s got quick hands, he’s so fast and explosive.

Later in the show he advocated throwing in #23 in the trade too. Hey, why not?

What's most remarkable to me is how similar the first paragraph (from two years ago) is to the second (from yesterday). It's almost spooky.

This is not the first time Goodman has called for trading Smart. A couple weeks ago on the WEEI Green Street he pitched the same idea:

The other option here is can you trade Marcus Smart… and then draft Kris Dunn. He’s better than Marcus Smart. He’s faster, he’s got better court vision, he defends in the same manner, he’s just as tough.

And here’s Goodman on May 22nd on Celtics Beat:

Kris Dunn, you know again, here’s my question to you: can you trade Marcus Smart right now – is his value high enough – that you can trade Marcus Smart and your 2nd first round pick and get a decent big man?... Would you today – and this deosn’t fit your team that well, but it helps the team – would you do Marcus Smart for Nerlens Noel right now and draft Kris Dunn?

And again later in the same interview:

If I’m Ainge that’s the first way I go is to see if I can get value for Marcus Smart, what I can get, and then I draft Kris Dunn.

So basically for the past month or so Goodman has gone on multiple shows and pitched the idea that the Celtics need to trade Smart in favor of an unknown draftee that he really likes (Dunn), roughly two years after saying the Celtics need to trade Rondo in favor of an unknown draftee that he really likes (Smart).

Does anyone else have a problem with this? Or am I overreacting?

-----------------

Links:

http://redsarmy.com/2014/07/17/jeff-goodmans-assault-on-rajon-rondo-reaches-a-new-low/
http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2014/08/boston_celtics_rajon_rondo_mar.html
http://media.weei.com/a/115296032/jeff-goodman-espn-joins-giardi-and-bradford-to-preview-the-nba-draft-and-the-future-of-the-celtics-they-re-looking-to-get-a-starter-this-year-a-starter.htm#q=goodman
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/celtics-beat-podcast-clns-radio/e/44448993?autoplay=true

TP. kind of an epic takedown.

[bdm860]

I don't know much about Goodman, but based on what the OP posted, I don't have a problem with his views.

It's okay to move on from a player after 2 years, or to think another player who comes along after is better, or a combination of the two. Part of the reason the Blazers didn't draft Jordan is because they already had Drexler.  Part of the reason Cleveland drafted Bennett over Oladipo is because they already had Waiters.  These were not smart moves.

Now if Goodman is always favoring the college guy, then it's different.  But liking Smart over Rondo 2 years ago, and now liking Dunn over Smart 2 years later, these are not radical views.  Especially since Smart has shown practically no statistical improvement over his 2 seasons in the league.

[steve]

I don't know much about Goodman, but based on what the OP posted, I don't have a problem with his views.

It's okay to move on from a player after 2 years, or to think another player who comes along after is better, or a combination of the two. Part of the reason the Blazers didn't draft Jordan is because they already had Drexler.  Part of the reason Cleveland drafted Bennett over Oladipo is because they already had Waiters.  These were not smart moves.

Now if Goodman is always favoring the college guy, then it's different.  But liking Smart over Rondo 2 years ago, and now liking Dunn over Smart 2 years later, these are not radical views.  Especially since Smart has shown practically no statistical improvement over his 2 seasons in the league.

I agree. I like marcus but I don't think it's crazy to trade him for noel. It is ironic that this guy would want another point guard who can't shoot to replace him.

[Ed Hollison]

It is ironic that this guy would want another point guard who can't shoot to replace him.

Yeah that was kind of my point. Two years ago he was touting Smart as a better player than Rondo, telling us don't worry about Smart's lack of shooting. Now he's doing exactly the same thing, just switching the names.

I think what rubs me the wrong way is that there is no acknowledgement from Goodman in any of his recent interviews that he was a fan of Smart's when he was entering the draft, and now he's actively pitching to trade him.

[The One]

Jeff Goodman really rubbed me the wrong way a couple years ago when he went on a personal campaign against Rajon Rondo. During those days he was firmly affixed on the Marcus Smart bandwagon, making the case that the Celtics should draft Smart and trade away Rondo. Here is Goodman about two years ago:

I really like Marcus Smart a lot - he's a high intangible guy who is going to continue to improve his floor game and his perimeter shot (his two biggest weaknesses)… the bottom line is that Smart is tough, is probably already a better leader than Rondo - and he works. His floor game as a point guard improved dramatically over the last two years (he had never really played the point prior to college) and his perimeter shot - which is his primary weakness - will get better over time. I'm not sure Smart will ever be an elite point guard in the league, but I think he can be a Top 10'ish point guard who brings a lot of the intangibles to the table that Rondo does not.

So it has been to my surprise that Goodman seems to be just “meh” on Smart now, and has moved on to his new binkie: Kris Dunn. Here’s Goodman yesterday on Celtics Stuff Live:

I just like Kris. Again, he’s the new age point guard… his speed and athleticism, his ability to defend, his ability to pass and make people better. The only thing he doesn’t do well is shoot the ball, and that’s an area that usually the NBA people feel like, with work you’ve got a chance to improve that more than anything else.

Here’s a trade that I would do if I were the Celtics: I’d do Marcus Smart and #16 for Nerlens [Noel]… I’d do that today. And then you get your rim protector, your shot blocker, a guy who gives you something different from what you have… So you have Kris Dunn, and Nerlens… You’ve got your point guard of the future, a guy who makes your team better.

Kris Dunn, ok he can’t guard guys like Smart can, he can’t guard big 3s like Marcus Smart can… He’s a different type of defender, again he gets in passing lanes he’s got quick hands, he’s so fast and explosive.

Later in the show he advocated throwing in #23 in the trade too. Hey, why not?

What's most remarkable to me is how similar the first paragraph (from two years ago) is to the second (from yesterday). It's almost spooky.

This is not the first time Goodman has called for trading Smart. A couple weeks ago on the WEEI Green Street he pitched the same idea:

The other option here is can you trade Marcus Smart… and then draft Kris Dunn. He’s better than Marcus Smart. He’s faster, he’s got better court vision, he defends in the same manner, he’s just as tough.

And here’s Goodman on May 22nd on Celtics Beat:

Kris Dunn, you know again, here’s my question to you: can you trade Marcus Smart right now – is his value high enough – that you can trade Marcus Smart and your 2nd first round pick and get a decent big man?... Would you today – and this deosn’t fit your team that well, but it helps the team – would you do Marcus Smart for Nerlens Noel right now and draft Kris Dunn?

And again later in the same interview:

If I’m Ainge that’s the first way I go is to see if I can get value for Marcus Smart, what I can get, and then I draft Kris Dunn.

So basically for the past month or so Goodman has gone on multiple shows and pitched the idea that the Celtics need to trade Smart in favor of an unknown draftee that he really likes (Dunn), roughly two years after saying the Celtics need to trade Rondo in favor of an unknown draftee that he really likes (Smart).

Does anyone else have a problem with this? Or am I overreacting?

-----------------

Links:

http://redsarmy.com/2014/07/17/jeff-goodmans-assault-on-rajon-rondo-reaches-a-new-low/
http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2014/08/boston_celtics_rajon_rondo_mar.html
http://media.weei.com/a/115296032/jeff-goodman-espn-joins-giardi-and-bradford-to-preview-the-nba-draft-and-the-future-of-the-celtics-they-re-looking-to-get-a-starter-this-year-a-starter.htm#q=goodman
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/celtics-beat-podcast-clns-radio/e/44448993?autoplay=true

Wow...you nailed it!  Way to do the research!!

[jambr380]

You did a nice job showing Goodman's hypocrisy, but his general point isn't ridiculous. What he thought he liked about Smart may not have panned out the way he thought.

I love Marcus - he is exactly the kind of player every championship team would love to have. But, I think I like Dunn more - he is more explosive, more of a natural PG, extremely fast, and plays with the same chip on his shoulder. Watching him play reminds me of Wade - excellent body control, ability to get to the rim, super intense. He could be the best player from this draft.

I get it, Goodman isn't exactly top notch, but I think it is okay for him to like Dunn more than Smart as a player today. I do.

[BlackCeltic]

Did he suddenly forget we have IT playing PG?