Boston Celtics offseason: Brad Stevens wants to 'fail forward'

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2016/05/boston_celtics_offseason_brad.html



Boston Celtics offseason: Brad Stevens wants to 'fail forward'




Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens yells at a referee during the first quarter of their 114-100 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in an NBA basketball game in Boston Monday, April 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)


Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com




on May 03, 2016 at 9:45 AM, updated May 03, 2016 at 9:49 AM



Two weeks from today, ping-pong balls will help to clarify the Boston Celtics' offseason situation. A little lottery luck could open possibilities on the trade market, in free agency, or a combination of both.

Regardless of all that, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens will try to stick to his process of daily improvement. Stevens recently discussed his approach to the offseason during interviews with the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach and Boston Herald's Mark Murphy.

A handful of notes from the chats:

1. Stevens has provided input on the free agents he appreciates. According to Himmelsbach, the coach will occasionally send Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge a note about a specific bench player who was difficult to game plan against.

"I have a lot of thoughts on who I like around the league right now," Stevens told Murphy while stressing that he's just a consultant for the front office.

2. Stevens hasn't just offered input about external options. He has also broken down areas the current Celtics need to improve. Three guesses: shooting, shooting and shooting. Wing depth should be another focus, but Boston needs guys who can direct the ball through the rim. This story from one year ago could be republished today with hardly any changes.

Plus, well...


3. For years, Stevens has referenced Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth's studies about intangible traits and their impact on success. Without going too deep into her message, she has found grit to be one of the primary driving forces of achievement. During a TED Talk years ago, she explained, "Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint."

Sound a lot like Stevens' standard message, right? Well, guess who Duckworth met with Monday, according to Himmelsbach. That's right, Stevens.

4. Sticking with Duckworth's message, Stevens doesn't sound too concerned with all the praise he has received from around the NBA.

"All that does is say you've got to work harder at this to get better, because the reality is I think the magic is in the work," Stevens told Himmelsbach. "I think you just have to work as hard as you can. Sometimes you're going to fail, but the way I look at it is if you're always focused on the process, you're going to fail forward, and you're going to keep building and growing. That's what I want to be about."

The Celtics want to keep failing forward for now, but wouldn't mind flying forward with a major acquisition or two.



bob
MY NOTE:  As far as gaining depth at wing we can start by replacing James Young with, well, anybody.  A classic example of why drafting one-and-doners isn't necessarily a smart idea.  Of course, Avery Bradley is evidence of the contrary. It's funny, people who are considered pretty smart, and who follow college basketball closely, thought that Young was a great pick, at the time.

The nice thing about the Duckworth stuff is that it suggests that Brad won't be so quick to jump ship for an opportunity to coach, say, Duke.  If he's committed to making the Celtics winners again, then here he will stay and "grit it out".


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