Cerrone Battle: Thoughts on Jaylen Brown’s supermax contract
Cerrone Battle joined Felger and Mazz on Thursday and gave his thoughts on Jaylen Brown’s new “supermax” contract that he signed with the Boston Celtics….
Cerrone’s Thoughts
“In the NBA market, he’s worth it. Now, in the Cerrone Battle market, I think that money, the supermax $300 million deals, to me I think belong to the MVP candidates. The Jokic’s, the Curry’s, the younger LeBron’s, the Giannis’s, Embiid, you know even Tatum at this point. Brown’s the second best player on this team. So if you’re paying him $300 million you’re expecting him to give you an MVP performance. And people think I’m the Jaylen Brown hater, I’m not. Jaylen Brown the person I think is exceptional. I think what he does off the court, he’s the people’s champ. And I think that’s why so many people locally believe he’s better than Jayson Tatum because they see him more. Him doing what he did in every street in Dorchester last week at the basketball court, it makes that community circle around him and support him. And I was a young kid when Dominique Wilkins did a thing with Reebok years ago in Fields Corner in Dorchester, put a hoop up, and it was like Dominique Wilkins, the greatest player I’ve ever seen after that. So I know the impact of what he’s doing off the court. And people don’t see Tatum doing it locally, but he does it in St. Louis in his own community. But he’s the people’s champ so people feel, you know, that he’s a solid player for them…”
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 19: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts against the Miami Heat during the second quarter in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
“But on the court, I can’t watch him in a seven game series get slow cooked by Caleb Martin and say you know what? “Let me give you $300 million for that effort”. I watched him get outplayed by Tyrese Maxey in the Philadelphia series, and I watched them against Atlanta and go 30, 30, 30, 30, and then get to Philly when he made all NBA and literally not shoot in 4th quarters for like three or four games in a row and then have the Philly and the Miami series and them go out and seven and you’re looking back like, man, if Jaylen Brown if he goes out there and gives you a 30 point game in the middle of the Heat series or anywhere in the beginning they’re in the finals. If he plays to his potential they’re better than the Denver Nuggets who were under .500 on the road and won the NBA championship. So the stars aligned for them and the one player to me that didn’t show up in that moment was Jaylen Brown. That’s why I have my hesitation with him as far as the basketball player.”
Audio
