Celtics must know who the next owner will be — and it better not be the Red Sox owners

Thinking out loud…while wondering if my boss tells me to “have a good day,” can I go home?

This X post on the Celtics’ “For Sale” sign posted in the front yard of TD Garden this week pretty much sums it all up, from @DarrenRovell: “Signing $430 million in contracts on the day you announce you are selling the team only means one thing — you know who the next owner is.”

100% truth. The new owner would HAVE to approve Jayson Tatum’s new deal (and all others) added to the team payroll. Hard for me to believe Wyc Grousbeck and current ownership would pile on any new debt just before selling. Why? It would cut into their profit margin and leave new owners holding the proverbial bag.

Which leads one to believe, if you follow along, that present minority partner Steve Pagliuca is a leader in the ownership clubhouse. Which would be great for continuity – and for keeping Fenway Sports Group (and John Henry, not to mention investor LeBron James) out of the picture.

Or do you want current Red Sox ownership also not giving a (bleep) about your NBA championship basketball team, too? Or an LA Laker as a part owner of the Celtics? FSG is on the record looking for a basketball team to “invest” in.

No thanks. Stand clear of the closing door, please.

∎Bruins’ moves? Out with Jake DeBrusk, in with Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. A center who can win a faceoff and a defenseman who can backcheck a forward? Yes, please.

∎PC Hockey’s non-league schedule features playing in the US Hockey Hall of Fame game at North Dakota October 12th, five games against NCHC teams and the annual Mayor’s Cup game at Brown on Jan. 7.

∎Not for nuthin’, but the Providence College athletic department should be feeling “it” right about now. PC is the only school in the country that had first-round picks in BOTH NBA and NHL drafts, following incoming freshman Trevor Connolly’s selection by the Vegas Golden Knights.

∎Think about that for a sec, with a student-body of just over 4K on campus, the smallest DI power conference school in the country without football. Can coaches recruit? Can athletes excel at little ol’ PC, stuck on the side of I-95 as a bump in the road between Boston and New York?

∎X post of the Week, from @BOCFriars: “…247Sports has since updated their 2025 team (recruiting) rankings, and PC is #4 nationally. This is eye opening, given 4/5 star big Oswin (Erhumnwunse) reclassified. If Oswin (had) stayed in the class of ‘25, they’d easily be the #1 class in the nation. Different times at PC.”

∎The NCAA Division I Council will vote on preseason scrimmages, exhibitions and practice games, and whether or not they can be attended by fans or kept veiled in those silly “secret” matchups. When’s that matchup with Marathon Oil gonna be, amiright?

∎Has any player ever led a league around by its nose like LeBron James has done with the NBA? To the Lakers: “Draft my son Bronny and I’ll stick around for the “father-not-like-son” show another year.” Please.

It’s not Bronny’s fault he’s not (yet) good enough to play in the NBA. He might be, someday. It’s the Lakers’ fault for pulling off little more than a marketing trick. Come see junior play with Dad, even though we’re still mediocre. And LA fans will fall for it.

∎Better spot for Cumberland and ex-Marquette star Tyler Kolek to land than the NY Nova Knicks? Probably not, unless you love the Milwaukee Bucks…who are still smarting from dealing away Jrue Holiday. Stupid is as stupid does.

∎Eight Big East players were drafted this year, the most since 2012…just as the old Big East era morphed into the new one. But wait, there’s more…

…Former Friar lottery pick Kris Dunn has a new deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. In the NBA Summer League, look out for PC’s Josh Oduro, who signed with New Orleans; Bryant’s Charles Pride has hooked on with Charlotte; URI’s Jeff Dowtin will play with Philadelphia. Two-way deals for ex-Friars David Duke (San Antonio) and Justin Minaya (Portland) as well.

∎By the way, as mentioned last week, the new Big East media deal reportedly is worth nearly double (about $80 million per year) what the current contract holds. For the schools, that does mean an annual income boost to just more than $7 million annually through 2031.

No, it isn’t comparable to what the Power 4 football leagues will steal, er, rake in from networks in total. But considering basketball value alone, as mentioned here previously, it does put the league on a ‘basketball’ par with their helmet-headed brethren.

New broadcast partner Peacock will carry 25 league games THIS year, as a preview… plus add Wednesday night Big East Tournament games, a little birdie (a peacock?) tweeted at me. I’ll have “Where do I find obscure TV channels for $500, Alex.”

∎How much NIL money are athletes making? For the next academic year, the estimate is projected at $1.67 billion, sez Front Office Sports. For a system that just began cranking out the cash three years ago, it’s a modern-day California Gold Rush running wild today.

Collectives are paying out more than 81% of all NIL compensation, and of that number, 72% is earned by football players, 21% by basketball players.

∎Former PC assistant athletic director and Big East associate commissioner for compliance Joe D’Antonio just signed on for another five years as commissioner of the Coastal Athletic Association.

∎Shoot. Looks like the entire State of Rhode Island is Bahamas-bound in 2024, with URI hoops headed for the Bahamas in August on a three-game foreign exhibition tour.

∎Current Friars Corey Floyd and Anton Bonke just finished a four game, nine-day tour of Greece with the USA East Coast basketball all-stars, with the team finishing 2-1-1. Floyd twice led the team in scoring, with the 7-2 Bonke a force on the boards.

∎Congrats to ex-St. Raphael and Vermont star guard… and former Brown assistant coach T.J. Sorrentine on his promotion to the NBA as an assistant with the Washington Wizards. 16 seasons with the Bears, countless memories on the floor — including his stone-cold Syracuse stunner in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

∎One of the most memorable Big East moments that has crossed my microphone over the years has to be Cardiac Kemba Walkers’ ankle-breaking, step-back jumper to beat Pitt at MSG in 2011. That was, of course, part of an 11-game win streak onto a natty for UConn. And after 12 NBA seasons, Cardiac Kemba stepped away from the NBA this week into retirement.

∎PC’s Associate Director of Player Development, Scouting and Recruitment I.J. Poole is leaving Kim English’s staff after just one season, as he’ll move on to East Carolina as an assistant coach. Special assistant Matt Palumbo has been promoted to assistant coach on the staff.

∎ICYMI, the college realignment earthquakes of the past year or two have finally settled into place. Texas and Oklahoma are now SEC teams, the Big (bloated) Ten has an astounding 18 members, including USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon, and the Pac-12 is down to the Pac-2 (Oregon State and Washington State).

∎Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado are now Big 12 (16) schools. And the ACC has added noted Atlantic-based institutions like Stanford, California and SMU. Syracuse, Pitt and BC will love those western sojourns.

∎Ya’ know, someone in that league – and all leagues – could really use a geography lesson. Just sayin’.

∎Former world No. 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic is just weeks removed from a knee injury and surgery after an injury at the French Open… but he’s back playing at Wimbledon after an incredible rehab and training regimen. Superhuman, or super dumb?

∎Red Sox All-Star worthiness? Duran, Devers, Wong, Houck. Maybe Kenley Jansen? I mean, we could have a debate here and all, but the Sox don’t have a starter and the subs might get one at-bat. Houck and Jansen, however, could be impactful.

∎Did you have a laugh over this week’s “Bobby Bonilla Day” for the New York Mets (another $1.19 million paid out every year to 2035), and Baltimore Orioles ($500K paid out per year through 2028) or chuckle at the Red Sox paying out another $2 million paycheck to Manny Ramirez (through 2026)? Hall of Famer Ken Griffey, Jr. is also getting another $3.59 million from a 16-year deferral agreement with the Reds, too.

So how about this laugher – the LA Dodgers right now owe Shohei Ohtani a staggering $680 million in deferred payments. They may be paying him until Kingdom Come.

∎Less than a month out, the challenges remain the same for the Patriots, primarily on offense. But if health can remain in place on defense, they should be a better team than most national pundits are suggesting. Take the "over" on 4.5 wins.

∎How much will your share come to? The NFL Sunday Ticket settlement announced last week amounted to an astounding $4.7 billion in damages to individual subscribers of the Sunday Ticket package over a 12-year period.

∎But before you count your dolla-dolla bills, expect the courts to tie this up for a while before any cash actually leaves the hands of the tight-fisted NFL. By the math alone, an individual ‘share’ in the settlement could amount to nearly $3500.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for that check to arrive in the mail. In the meantime, renewals are being accepted, of course.

Interested in having your questions on Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins, and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Think out loud and send your questions, comments, and local stories to jrbroadcaster@gmail.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/threads right here! Join me on Twitter/X, @JRbroadcaster…on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke, and on Instagram and Threads @JRbroadcaster.