Wyc Grousbeck’s Glass Half Full

Boston Herald

By Mark Murphy

As someone who is always watching for fresh signs of growth, Wyc Grousbeck saw something of a revelation in the last three minutes of the Celtics [team stats]’ loss to the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The fans who stood and cheered the Celtics through the end of that losing effort — a night that very well may have been the last Garden appearance by the Big Three — couldn’t have connected themselves more to the team’s co-owner.

“I just got goose bumps,” Grousbeck said during an extensive question-and-answer session yesterday. “They’re knowledgeable fans. And then we went over some of the (players’) comments about it. Some of these guys are free agents, and they’re sitting here saying, ‘Thank you Boston fans.’ . . . That means a lot to our team.”


It also heightens expectations heading into what could be the most turbulent offseason since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen became Celtics in the summer of 2007. Though Grousbeck declined to discuss the team’s intentions for both impending free agents, he admitted to being surprised by Garnett’s rejuvenated performance this spring.

Grousbeck also talked about the importance of coach Doc Rivers as a recruiting asset once free agency begins, and the fact that as close as the C’s came to their third NBA Finals appearance in five seasons, this summer may not be the one where the team attempts to hold onto its newfound salary cap space.

Boston Herald: You have a huge offseason coming up, with one guy in particular (Garnett) who everyone is trying to figure out what he is going to do. I personally can’t see him playing for another team. How do you feel about that?

Wyc Grousbeck: “I’ve been saying that I want Kevin to speak for himself. He did a great job this year. All the way back to ’07 he changed the whole culture. Paul Pierce [stats] has said that. Others have said that, and it’s clear to me. There were many people involved in winning that championship. But Kevin’s role in coming in and making people accountable in practice and games was off the charts.

“Whether (Garnett) comes back or not, you’re going to have to go through another cultural change. The face of the franchise in the next year or two is going to change dramatically. How are you prepared for that, and how do you approach it? The way we’ve approached since the beginning, when we named this company Banner 17, was that it wasn’t about division titles or anything else like that. We want to get Banner 18, and that drives everything. Sooner rather than later is fantastic. But we were pretty patient in getting 17. There’s a possibility we’ll have to be patient in getting 18, but I’d rather not be patient.”

BH: Did KG surprise you with what he was able to do?

WG: “I have to be honest — he did. I thought the way the Big Four all stepped it up and took it all to a new level — Ray playing hurt, (Rajon) Rondo carrying the team some of the time, Paul and KG taking it up to 100 mph. There was something about the Celtics, the pride, the fans, Doc and the team that made them go as hard as they can. I don’t know if any of them thought they could take it that deep.”

BH: How much of an asset does Doc become?

WG: “That’s huge, having Doc and (general manager) Danny (Ainge) here. We often hear people say free agents don’t come to Boston, but I don’t think that’s going to be true. First of all, I considered Kevin a free agent when he chose us. When (the Minnesota Timberwolves) did a sign-and-trade with us, he agreed to the trade. I’m splitting hairs, but he chose to be here in Boston. Doc was voted in (Sports Illustrated) as the coach players most want to play for in the NBA. You also have Rondo here to get you the ball in the perfect spot. You have Pierce, maybe Ray. It’s a great place to play basketball.”

BH: Paul has said many times that he wants to retire a Celtic. Is that up in the air, or do you think it’s still possible?

WG: “I don’t want to talk about individual guys, but one thing I’ve always said about Pierce is that growing up my favorite guys were like Yaz (Red Sox [team stats] Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski) — guys that didn’t go anywhere else. I’ve always been glad that we stuck with him and he stuck with us and got to ’08. I’ve always been glad he’s been here. Every night I see Paul walk out in a green 34 makes me happy. This team started in 1946, and it’s one of the most decorated in the world. We’ve just tried to add to it, and you don’t do that by shuffling guys in and out.”

BH: Danny has worked hard to create cap space. Do you feel confident with how this team can deal with free agents, and how it can deal with trades?

WG: “No, I don’t necessarily feel confident. I do think cap space will be important to us this year, next year or the year after. Guys are coming up in free agency, and we think we should be players at some point in that market. Danny said, ‘I’ve never had cap space. I’ve been in front offices either as a coach or GM for 13 years and I never had cap space.’ And I said, ‘Well, maybe you should try it.’ Cap space will be important to the Celtics at some point, though not necessarily this summer.”

BH: How will it be operating under the new CBA?

WG: “You can’t just spend money anymore. You have to create cap space. We’ve been in the $90 million range — we’ve been spending $85 million and up, top two or three in the league. You just can’t get there anymore, even if you re-sign your guys. You can either trade for guys, re-sign your guys, or create cap space for free agents. You can’t just spend anymore.”

BH: How do you think Rondo stepped it up?


WG: “I finally went back and watched some of the tapes from ’08, which I’ve never done, and the contrast between Rondo then and Rondo now is huge. He and Kevin have developed a bond. It wasn’t always there, but it’s strong.”

BH: In what way?

WG: “I think they respect each other. Kevin made a remark along the lines of, ‘I’ve really figured it out with Rondo. We’ve meshed.’ ”

BH: In a way it’s Rondo’s team now.

WG: “Well, we were talking about Red (Auerbach) earlier. He said it’s nobody’s team. It’s the name on the front of the jersey, not the back, so we’ll stick with that.”

BH: Going back to that last home game for a moment, you have to be proud with how you have grown this team. That had to have shown through with those fans at the end of the game.

WG: “It’s great. We have 253 straight sellouts, record ratings on TV, cable. Comcast — so many things that have gone so well. And fans have connected with this team. They just love these guys. It’s so much more fun than I ever even dreamed in ’02 (when team ownership changed).”

BH: You said you might have to be patient for the next banner. How long before you’re back up?

WG: “We were close this year. If a couple of things break right, including this offseason, we could be right in the mix. It’s not obvious what we have to do. We are talking to people, negotiating and playing two or three different plans. This is a complicated offseason. We have a lot of choices and a lot of flexibility, and it starts with Doc as the coach and Danny the head of basketball, and these fans and players and tradition. I think we’re in a great spot, but things have to break right for us.”

BH: How has Doc grown?

WG: “He was coach of the year before he came up here, but then (in his last year with the Orlando Magic) he started 1-12 and they let him go. For the first few years people were saying, ‘Fire Doc, fire Danny,’ and I wasn’t going for that. I didn’t think we had given Doc enough of a roster to win, and I thought Danny’s draft picks with Rondo, and Tony (Allen), and (Kendrick Perkins [stats]) and Ryan Gomes, Delonte (West) showed those guys were doing everything they could. . . . I remember what he said when we went down and interviewed him in Orlando. He said, ‘I’ll coach the kids, take the lumps, take the losses, but you have to let me coach the championship team when it comes.’ And we said, ‘It’s a deal.’ He grew into being a championship coach. Now they say he’s one of the top two X’s and O’s coaches in the league, and they used to say he was at the bottom. That confidence shows through every day now. Every word he says makes the players take notice.”

112288

It would be great if the fan support made at least part of the difference in KG's decision. I've always felt that fan energy (even the energy of fans not attending the game) counts for a lot, and this would be partial confirmation.

Sam

112288 wrote:

BH: How has Doc grown?

WG: “He was coach of the year before he came up here, but then (in his last year with the Orlando Magic) he started 1-12 and they let him go. For the first few years people were saying, ‘Fire Doc, fire Danny,’ and I wasn’t going for that8

no way.. i refuse to beleive it happened.

God, Matty, they were after Doc's head, and Danny's. What a different world we would have had if Wyc listened to fans instead of using his smarts to keep them both. I found this interview a little confusing. One minute he is telling us we are going to have to wait a while for #l8 then he is telling us next year we could be in the mix at the end of the year?

Rosalie,

I think Matty was being funny. Remember, his screen name used to be FireDoc before he changed it to HooterRooter.

gyso

Wyc covered more bases in that interview than an infielder executing an unassisted triple play. He kept his coach and front office happy. He praised KG without applying pressure. He alerted the fans to be prepared for anything from a little tweak to an almost complete make over. Wyc was a much better politician than Romney & Obama combined. The problem with any scenerio is that each season is different and unique. You can figure that the Bulls will be back if Rose makes a complete recovery by early next season. As long as Stern steers the ship, the Heat will have carte blanche with the Refs. Indiana is improving, as are the Sixers. Mike Woodson's got to get a feel for his Knicks squad, and who knows what will happen long-range in Orlando. The mad Russian will spare no expense to make the Brooklyn franchise competitive. The NBA no doubt has some of the finest world class athletes to be seen. However, in fairness and as having a level playing field (court) for all, it is a poor miserable 4th behind the NFL, MLB, & the NHL.

MDCelticsFan wrote:, in fairness and as having a level playing field (court) for all, it is a poor miserable 4th behind the NFL, MLB, & the NHL.

id say 5th... Jeff Jarret has a better shot at winning the wwe world title than sone teams have of getting a fair shake by the ref's of the nba..

*please note, the above will only make sense only for the most devoted of fans of pro wrestling.*

gyso wrote:Rosalie,

I think Matty was being funny. Remember, his screen name used to be FireDoc before he changed it to HooterRooter.

gyso

at the time FireDoc seemed like a realy good idea.. but then i think water is wet, so what do i know??

where would we have been without him????

I remember now, Matty, you know, the memory is the first thing to go.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:where would we have been without him????

I remember now, Matty, you know, the memory is the first thing to go.

oh i think we cooda rehired him, once that is, after he got real smart as a coach over the summer of '07.. dunno what it was, but something happend to dOC that summer, went for being a reguler Julios Kelp of NBA coaches to a Buddy Love as it were. Musta spent th esummer studying Red, its my best guest