The Media Column: We'll never know why the Celtics are so broken

The Media Column: We'll never know why the Celtics are so broken

By Alex Reimer. WEEI 93.7

The Celtics are broken, and the responsible parties need to undergo some serious self-evaluation.

But Jaylen Brown apparently doesn’t have an interest in that. When asked about Horford’s words, Brown brushed them off. “Searching and looking in the mirror? Nah. No comment,” he said.

The Celtics are on the way to their second straight enraging campaign. Despite featuring two young All-Stars, Jayson Tatum and Brown, they can’t emerge as legitimate contenders. If the season ended today, they would once again find themselves in the play-in game.

Some of their problems stem from talent deficiencies. The Celtics aren’t a deep team, and their front court remains a weak point. On Monday, somebody named Jaylen Nowell dominated Robert Williams III inside.

But a team with two top-20 players just entering the primes of their careers should be better than 16-18. The Celtics tinkered around all the edges last offseason, bringing in a new coach and array of veteran role players. Yet, they’re in the same place. And we’ll probably never find out what’s actually going on.

As we rightfully begin to loosen stringent Covid-19 guidelines — the CDC recently shortened its recommended quarantine period from 10 days to five — pro sports leagues are still putting up their respective walls. Press conferences are back, but there’s a dearth of access. Reporters aren’t allowed in the locker rooms or around the players while they’re getting ready for game time. Traveling rules are tightened.

Earlier this year, Dan Shaughnessy told me he thinks the restrictions will be indefinite. “The access is never coming back,” he said. "It’s the Pentagon, it’s the White House press room. Everything is kept in-house, exactly the way teams want it. They’ll be able to use ‘abundance of caution’ to stiff-arm us forever now.”

Armed with social media accounts and in-house PR organs, leagues and players no longer feel like they need independent reporters to get their messages out. They don’t want scrubby beat writers snooping around their locker rooms, and frankly, fans don’t care either. Sports fans were screaming about fake news long before Donald Trump descended down those escalators.

But the lack of access dampens fans’ understandings of their favorite teams. The Celtics are a perfect example. With reporters now kept away, there are scant opportunities for journalists to develop actual relationships with players, and thus, get close enough with them to find out secrets. Increased access doesn’t always correlate to more information (just look at the Red Sox’ chicken and beer saga), but there’s a better chance we would know about the internal problems that plague this Celtics team if scribes were permitted to leave their press chairs.

Look no further than the 2020 NBA Bubble. The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn was in Orlando, and what would you know, he overheard a shouting match explode in the Celtics’ locker room following their Game 2 loss in the Eastern Conference Finals. We later found out Brown and Marcus Smart were the ones going back and forth.

But if Washburn wasn’t there, the verbal altercation probably would’ve remained secret.

Earlier this year, Smart publicly criticized Tatum and Brown for not distributing the ball, and then the Celtics held an unproductive players-only meeting, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. But we don’t know the actual story, outside of broad strokes. We also don’t know how Tatum, Brown and Smart interact with each other. It’s been almost two years since anybody not affiliated with the Celtics has been allowed inside their locker room.

Without first-hand accounts, we’re left with one-sided scoops from Insiders and gossip from anonymous coaches and execs. There is an information vacuum.

Our knowledge about the woebegone Celtics matches their on-court chemistry. It doesn’t exist.

112288

Interesting take. Never thought of it that way. The fake news generation has really destroyed the reporting world. Hard to believe anything that comes from anywhere these days. Won't see much of a change until the public completely loses interest in current journalism (sports and otherwise) and forces the overall media world to take a long look in the mirror, crawl out from the current cesspool that has been created and get back to real journalism and reporting. Winning the trust back of the public will be the hardest thing to do...and putting politics aside finally.

Reporting or not, the end result is still the same. The Celtics suck right now. Doesn't matter how they got there or why. And we won't know what happens from Brad and the front office for changes (or not) until it happens.

Ktron, help us out here with your insights!

db

So, this is a media person bitching about how media people like him don't have access like they used to.  Fair enough, I feel the same way about my friends, my favorite bars and my favorite destinations.

Does anybody have access to newspapers' bullpens so we can hear what they are saying off the record about the people they cover?  Do we have access to the water cooler talk at WEEI so we can hear Alex Reimer's complaints about his coworkers and his bosses?

These are difficult times for everybody.  Adapt or die.




Bob


.

bobheckler wrote:So, this is a media person bitching about how media people like him don't have access like they used to.  Fair enough, I feel the same way about my friends, my favorite bars and my favorite destinations.

Does anybody have access to newspapers' bullpens so we can hear what they are saying off the record about the people they cover?  Do we have access to the water cooler talk at WEEI so we can hear Alex Reimer's complaints about his coworkers and his bosses?

These are difficult times for everybody.  Adapt or die.




Bob


.

Well said. Couldn't agree more.

Touche’ my friend, I have been bitching about these no nothing ‘reporters” all year. This will include Bleacher Reports, and Houdini Hardware, and many more. What do we expect a guy to say when, night after night, some guy in the crowd of reporters asks the same questions, snarky comments, etc. Pretty soon they will all take the fine and skip the post game. What can I say, I just keep watching and hoping that we will have a whole team at some poijt

The author complained about lack of access and trust then went on to rubber stamp what Washburn and Adrian reported.
What they reported I believe is as close to the truth as we will ever know. Both are reputable and have earned their credibility.

It’s not good reporters like those mentioned above along with Marcus Spears, David Aldrich, Shams and others who have been doing this for quite some time and are damn good at it.

The real issue is and has been percolating from the internet. Anyone can write or say anything without substantiation and fans aren’t savvy enough nor care enough to try and decipher whether its BS or not.
The reporting that Rosalie complains about has some merit but I would not include Bleacher Report amongst those making crap up. It’s the Houdini’s and inexperienced podcasters who spew nonsense and intentionally start rumors to get clicks. Yes, Bleacher reporter could be better but I don't get the impression that they’re making things up.
Let’s face it, Most reporters good and bad ask too many dumb questions. This has been going on forever. It just didn’t start today.
However, there are questions that need to be asked and if you’re not asking you’re not going to working very long thus the repeated questions immediately  following an answer to that same question. Some of the idiots don’t know they’re idiots and the good ones wont straighten them out and they shouldn’t have to. They got their job to do.
I covered the Atlanta Braves back in the early 90’s and I always tried to ask well thought out questions. I didn’t have a lot of sports coverage experience back then so at times I wasn’t always quick enough and would get bogarded by
Some over zealous media types at times and By the time I did get my question in, the players were so annoyed by the nonsense being asked that I wound up with one word answers or “why are you holding that mic so close to my face?” I will say people like Dusty Baker and Bobby Cox always took the time with me and others no matter how silly some of the questions were.
I should have and could have been better but at times I wasn’t but I witnessed firsthand the idiotic behavior of some of the reporters and I quietly sympathized with the players (and still do) because it can become a circus.
Maybe I am somewhat biased but I will not put the media in one big fishbowl because there are some excellent and credible reporters that take their craft seriously. Folks like Stephen A know their stuff but they’re so busy seeking popularity and rock stardom that their message gets skewed by their loud taking nonsense.
Perk is a very smart guy but he too is falling into that trap of “hot takes” gets me followers. Pierce outwardly admitted that he would say things just to get a buzz.
Take that nonsense and pile it onto inexperienced podcasters and click seeking short termed writers and reporters and we wind up inundated with information that no one person or fan has the time to decipher.
It’s loud and it busy out there.
However, There is no such thing as fake news! If its real news it cannot be fake. The term fake news was contrived to confuse and to make people not believe anything they hear except from the people who tell you its fake. Its a tactic and we shouldn’t fall for it. Lets just call it what it really is- Lies!!
I encourage everyone to listen and watch, even if you don't like the message they’re putting out about your team and you’ll quickly discover who the credible ones are and the ones that are not. Unfortunately the latter is outnumbering the former.
We’ve had and still have some very good media types in the Boston market but they too are being overshadowed by the attention seeking Felger types.
God Bless Jimmy Myers and Eddie Andleman. Those types don't walk through the door very often anymore. The Bob Ryan’s and Dan Shaunessy’s, like them or not are very good at what they do. Just ain’t enough of them anymore.
We all can thank 1996 and the telecom bill for part of this problem. Prior to that Broadcasters ran media outlets. Now, it’s bankers, bean counters and venture capitalists that haven’t a clue about content or talent. It’s the bottom line and that gets you cheap inexperienced talent and cost cutting.
Unfortunately its we the viewer, listener or/and fan who is being cheated because of it.

This article tells me one thing, Smart is calling out players and between the Miami shout out and most resent run ins this year the other person involved in both besides Smart is Brown.

Off the court he is known to be very bright and intellectual, plays chess at a high level and involved in political issues. Perhaps the issues begin with Brown. Who knows, but he has been the focus of Smarts call-outs both times and perhaps more then we know.

112288

Priceless insight, Ktron. Thank you so much. A lot to unpack in what you have written.

So certainly with the dawn of "social media", for lack of a better term, there has been a considerable watering down of true journalism since anyone can post and say just about anything with little or no recourse at least until it's too late or that what was posted accomplished what it set out to accomplish by rapid dissemination. Everyone thinks they are a reporter or have insight into just about anything and that everyone wants to hear what they have to say. (Well, THAT couldn't be farther from the truth!!)

From my background and career in sales, you are always taught from Day 1 to be the one asking all the questions. Being the one asking the questions presents you with the aura of being in control. As you have said above and have learned, the type of question you ask is what separates the wheat from the chaff. And the timing.

But as the questions become repetitive and mundane, the people receiving the questions figure it out and they take over control. First of all, they don't have to answer just because someone asked them a question. That's what they realize. That's their control. But you will immediately become suspicious if you don't answer a question and it looks as if you are hiding something. They develop the FU mentality and don't give you what you want, regardless of how well thought up the questions are.

One of the best exchanges between player and reporters I've seen in the basketball world was with LeBron. The reporter asked about a very specific play during the playoff game I believe and LeBron not only addressed that play but the sequence of plays that led up to that play and the plays that followed that play. In great and vivid detail. Now to me, that was extremely interesting. That was a great exchange. The reporter challenged LeBron. Lebron proceeded to set the bar even higher and explained the whole set of plays going on at that particular venture of the game. Unfortunately, those exchanges are few and far between.

Now, immediately you start thinking of other exchanges. Popovich comes to mind. Is he being an ass all the time? (It could be argued.) Is he the one in control? (Absolutely.) Is he challenging reporters to up their game since Pop has certainly upped his over the years? (Yes. Almost with a don't waste my time and I won't waste yours mentality to all his pressers.)

The absolute worst position to be in is being the one asking the questions and not have the question answered. That happens far more than anything. That has to be annoying especially if you have spent all that time coming up with the perfect question(s).

It has to be a grind for these teams. Imagine if our daily business careers were subject to the same scrutiny and companies directed themselves to its frontline employees the constant tell me about your day routine in which the NBA players are subject. Of course not all of them, but mainly the high profile players. We'd never make it.

Great point at the end about who's in control. That's a shame. Growing up in the 70's there were only 3 places to even get your news. I'm guessing those are now called the "classic" reporters.

db

db, I distinctly remember that interview with LeBron where he broke down the play to that reporter. Lebron is very smart and in a way he was being facetious. I dont recall the exact wording to the question. But there was a very simple answer to it and Lebron took it a lot further as if to say the answer to the question you asked is pretty simple but since you asked I’m going to let you know just how aware I am of every situation out there. I got a kick out of it myself.
Mark Swartz from ESPN is the worst and he’ll often ask follow up questions that are even dumber than the initial question. He consistently does this and I am beginning to believe he does it purposely just to get face time. He obviously doesn’t care what his peers or the players think of him. If you go to You Tube and search sports dumbest questions or something similar you’ll see him on every one of them.
I can understand the players getting upset with people like him but its their job to ask and the players job to answer.
As for Popovich, he’s just plain rude and its not very funny. He’s pissed because he and other coaches have to do interviews during the games and thats his way of letting the league know that he thinks its intrusive and distracting. Well, thats too bad. Everyone else has to do it and those sideline reporters have a job to do but he goes out of his way to make it hard for them.
Sure some of the questions are simple and borderline obvious but that doesn’t mean he has to go out of his way to be disrespectful. For a guy who is so socially conscience when it comes to what’s going on around the world outside of basketball, its appalling the way he treats media. He let up on Craig Sager once he learned that Sager had cancer but still was a smart ass most of the time.
I understand, its tough on the players and coaches. Thank God that there are the Tom Brady’s of the world who are respectful of others, unlike his coach.
Not all reporters and talking heads are trouble makers and publicity seekers like Skip Bayless and Stephen A.
The author of that piece basically complains of lack of access and that the teams prefer it that way. That’s free advertising and I dont know any executive that turns down free advertising for their product.
If the author finds it cumbersome and difficult to develop relationships with the players than maybe he should look in the mirror. The good ones find a way to establish relationships despite the road blocks. As Bob H said, this pandemic situation effects everyone. Adapt or die.
The author works for a sports radio station that has a network throughout parts of the country. Maybe the problem he is experiencing is more on him then the teams he covers.

As you said db and I agree, asking questions presents you with the aura of you being in control.
Finally, most of the questions asked don't get answered anyway. You’ll get an answer but its not uncommon that the answer had nothing to do with the question asked.