Celtics Notebook: Brad Stevens Goes With The Best

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2015/04/celtics_notebook_brad_stevens_goes_with_best


Celtics Notebook: Brad Stevens goes with best








Photo by: AP photo
PUMPED: Jonas Jerebko, making his return to Detroit last night, celebrates a basket by Celtics teammate Isaiah Thomas.


Thursday, April 9, 2015
By:  Steve Bulpett




AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Jared Sullinger was a starter when he suffered what was later learned to be a stress fracture in his left foot just before the All-Star break. But he’s a Celtics reserve now, and that’s where his coach says he’ll likely remain the rest of this season.

Brad Stevens would like to work him back into the mix, but with things going well, there is concern about messing with the formula.

Last night, Sullinger had four points in 10 minutes as the Celts took down Detroit, 113-103. He played just 3:45 in the second half as the C’s bench outscored its Pistons counterparts, 73-31.

“I’m just going to go with who’s playing well,” Stevens said. “You just kind of gauge and see who’s playing well, and we’ll roll like that. I don’t think there’s any reason to do anything but figure out who’s playing the best and go with that.”

Sullinger has had just one real practice since being diagnosed with the injury, which was expected to keep him out the rest of the season.

“He’s still not back. That’s part of it,” Stevens said. “That’s probably the biggest reason why you approach it that way.

“But the other factor is we’ve played some good stretches of basketball and those other guys have been very impactful in that. So you have to balance all of that.”


Lucky seventh

The victory moved the Celtics into seventh place in the Eastern Conference with four games remaining. They have the same 36-42 record as Brooklyn, but are ahead through the tiebreaker.

The Celtics players were checking for updates on the final moments of the Nets’ loss to Atlanta last night, while other results that could impact them were coming in.

The Cavaliers won to lock themselves into the second seed in the East. This could affect the Celts as more than just a potential first round opponent.

The C’s next two games are against the Cavs (in Cleveland tomorrow and home on Sunday), and with LeBron James and friends having already secured their postseason position, it’s quite possible coach David Blatt may choose to rest some of his regulars in one or both games.


Welcome home

This was more than just a basketball trip for Jonas Jerebko and Gigi Datome, who came to the Celts from Detroit at the February trade deadline.

Both had work to do around their old homes.

“I grabbed some new clean stuff and slept in my bed,” Jerebko said. “That’s it. I’ve stayed in a hotel for my time in Boston. I was here for six years, so I have all my stuff here.”

Datome’s parents were in Boston, and they traveled here to help him close out his apartment.

“I didn’t want to pay and not use it,” he said. “(Tuesday) I went to my apartment to pack everything and decide what to bring to Boston, what to bring overseas, what to leave here and maybe have them send to me if I stay in the states next year. I tried to close my apartment so when the season is over I don’t have to come to Detroit; I can just go back home.”

Both were looking forward to seeing some familiar faces.

“I had to get some extra tickets, but my teammates were nice enough to give me their tickets, too,” Jerebko said. “But, of course, after five and a half or six years in one place, you make some friends, and they all want to come watch, so I had to get some extra tickets.”


Ins and outs

Stevens didn’t sound too involved with the move to sign Chris Babb and waive Shavlik Randolph. Babb was with the Celts from Feb. 28, 2014, when he signed his first 10-day contract with the club, through Sept. 25 when he was waived. He remained with the team’s D-League affiliate in Maine and is playing now for the Red Claws in the playoffs.

Randolph, who was with the C’s for the end of the 2012-13 season, was reacquired in the Jan. 25 three-team deal with Phoenix and the Clippers. He played just 25 minutes over five games with the club in this stint.

“Obviously that’s a front office decision,” Stevens said of the move. “We talked a little bit about it, but as far as Babb’s positive qualities, there are many. And I thought Shav brought many positive qualities, as well. I really enjoyed Shavlik. I thought Shavlik added to the team. He added to the culture. He was a great practice guy, and he was just awesome on the bench. Babb is all of those things. He’s been around our team. He’s worked out with those guys and played with us at the end of last year, and all of his intangibles are excellent.”


Old college ties

Stevens watched Duke’s victory over Wisconsin in the national championship, but, electronically speaking, he wasn’t alone.

“I was on text with most of my former players at Butler,” he said. “We were on some group texts about, you know, it’s been five years since we played in that game in that venue. It was fun to rehash and share those memories together, but obviously the ending was the same.”

Asked if the result gave him any flashbacks to Butler’s 61-59 loss, he said, “I tried not to make it deja vu. I just tried to go to bed.”



bob
MY NOTE:  First, the opening segment of this article highlights the difference between Doc and Brad. I, for one, do not embrace the belief that Doc was bad with developing young players. Rondo, West, Perkins, Bradley, even a young Pierce all developed under Doc. That does not mean that Doc didn't defer to veterans. It was a big deal when Doc replaced Ray Allen in the lineup with Avery Bradley because Doc respects veterans and likes to give them their due. It was only Bradley's emergence and Ray's chronically bad ankles that helped Doc make that decision. Brad is all about "whatever works". He has his ideas, he has his approach and system but, in the final analysis, he is a brutal pragmatist. For this reason alone it was probably a good idea for Danny to trade Rondo because, eventually, Brad would have sat Rondo at the end of close games because of his free throw shooting and Rondo would NOT have liked that. That we got Jae Crowder out of it is a very pleasant surprise, to say the least and is another reason to not be so quick to judge Trader Danny and his machinations. With his deals, appearances are often quite deceiving.

Secondly, we talk about how Gigi is a 12 year pro and all but it is still a little bit of a shock to remember that he is still only in his 20s and has parents that are young enough to come help him move his apartment.

Thirdly, typical Brad with his comments about Butler vs Duke.  "that was then, this is now, I need to go to bed so I can do my job tomorrow".  His focus is contagious and you see it in the players.



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I can't understand why Brad wasn't in some bar until 4:00 in the morning.  After all, he didn't have to play the next day.

I believe Brad did hold Rondo out at the end of at least a couple of games; and didn't he bench Rondo for most of the second half of a game?  It could have become really ugly.

Sam