The FOX Sports Radio personality put out something a source told him on social media, and immediately got some feedback.
Boston Celtics executive Brad Stevens was in the crosshairs on Wednesday night after trading 10-year veteran Jaylen Brown for a light return of Paul George and four future draft picks.
On Thursday morning, the crosshairs, at least some of them, belonged to FOX Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd.
Cowherd's "The Volume" podcast network posted this late on Wednesday night as part of his reaction to the trade:
“I had two NBA sources … two people in the league, one an executive, one a scout, say that Jaylen Brown has — it’s a disease. He suddenly thinks he’s the smartest guy in every room he’s in ... You make a lot of money, suddenly you’re absolutely sure, you don’t wanna listen to your bosses, you don’t wanna listen to consultants, you don’t wanna listen to teammates.”
Well, those words caught the attention of several people, including Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell:
Critique basketball all you want… but disease is insane… we gotta stop letting people just say whatever… cmon man!
But non-pro athletes also don't love what Cowherd had to say, including several in the comments section of Cowherd's post.
Many have called this a "smear campaign," against Brown. Those are often done to help justify a move or a decision, so if people come out against Brown, it takes the heat off the Celtics for trading him.
No matter what the reasoning or rationale for trading Brown, it's going to be an undeniably tough move for Celtics fans to understand.
Brown was a popular player who spent 10 years with the franchise, growing from the No. 3 pick in the draft to a five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection and NBA Finals MVP. He helped the Celtics get to two NBA Finals and he also led them to a 56-26 record this past season, largely without Jayson Tatum.
About the return of Paul George...
A 16-year veteran of the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and 76ers, George is a nine-time All-Star, a six-time All-NBA selection, a four-time All-Defensive team member, and he also won the steals crown in 2018-19.
A career 20.5 ppg scorer, he's now 36 years old. He averaged 17.3 ppg for the 76ers last season, but he only played 37 games. He has played 60 games or less in six of the last seasons, meaning there's real concern about his age and health in this deal.
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