Wyc Grousbeck Finally Broke His Silence And Spoke Publicly For The First Time Since Announcing The Celtics Were Being Put Up For Sale

Billie Weiss. Getty Images.

I think it goes without saying that when we first got the initial Woj bomb that Wyc Grousbeck and the Celts ownership group were putting the Celts up for sale immediately after winning their 18th championship, it was a bit of a shock

Add to it that it came about 35 seconds after the team announced the Derrick White extension, and it was quite an emotional roller coaster. On one hand, one would think you'd be crazy to sell given that the team just won and every one is signed long-term. On the other hand, there may not be a better time to sell than right this moment given you just won and everyone is signed long term which makes you an attractive asset. A classic buy low/sell high situation.

Once the news broke, everyone was in the dark trying to figure out what it all meant. The team's statement talked about estate planning and all this stuff, which may be true, who knows? What we learned is that when it came to the breakdown of ownership, Wyc's share was around 2%, which meant that it was actually his father Irv who owned the majority, along with all the other minority share partners. People seem to care a lot about this, and frankly, I don't give a shit really. Who cares if Wyc's dad has the real juice and he's just the face? I care about if they are spending, and if they are (which they are) then I don't care whose money it actually is.

Well finally, Wyc broke his silence since the plan to sell became public. Let's have a listen

OK, so it's most likely that the father Irv wants to cash in/get his estate planning in order. OK, cool? Whatever floats their boat. I'm sure there are complicated tax reasons and implications that factor in here since Irv Grousbeck is 89 years old, and for all we know this is typical super-rich people behavior as they get all their affairs in order.

Do I think Wyc will actually be involved all the way until 2028? Part of me finds that unlikely, mostly because we're seeing what happened with Mark Cuban right now once he sold his piece of the Mavs. I think it'd be cool because Wyc has proven to be part of one of the greatest ownership groups in Boston sports history, but I'm also realistic. Someone is going to pay upwards of $5B for the Boston Celtics, and I think it's fair to assume they are going to want to run things their way. If that means keeping Wyc on, cool. If not, well that's what the $5B is for.

Whatever ends up happening, I just have one wish. Sell to someone who gets it. Sell to someone who understands that in today's NBA, it's going to be expensive to compete for titles. This team is going to have a cost of around $500M once the 2nd apron taxes start showing up, and I would like an owner/ownership group that continues to print the money as long as the Celts are contending. I don't care who it is, that is all that matters to me. We finally got to this point, pay what you have to in order to keep it going.

That's something that Wyc/his father/the entire group did. Wyc talked the talk and then backed that shit up and then some. Since Day 1 he always made it clear that they would pay whatever it took as long as the team was contending, and that is exactly what he did. In my opinion, he cemented himself as a Celtics legend forever by giving essentially the entire roster massive extensions to keep them in Boston knowing full well that's going to be someone else's tab to pay. That rules. Go out with a title and keep the band together and say fuck the cost. That's what sports fans want from their ownership group and Wyc delivered.

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If I had to choose anyone to be the next owner? Easy. Just give it to Pags