Boston Celtics News (2023-2024)

The Celtics have a chance to secure a 5-2 home stand if they can beat the Hawks on Wednesday and Wizards on Friday. In between those games, on Thursday, the trade deadline will happen. The Celtics will head to Miami for a Sunday game and will play in Crooklyn on Tuesday. The Nets games will be the first game of another set of B2B. The second game will be played in Boston. Then we will have the All-star break.

My hope is for Boston to play well in the upcoming 5 games.

Well, if you listened to Scal last night, he is convinced that Miami is trading who he called "Pat Riley's grandson", Tyler Herro somewhere, maybe GSW. Last week he had him going no where, that Pat was in love with the kid. What they would get in return I have no idea, he just kept barking on and on about it. I have to feel sorry for some of these guys who are constantly talked about as trade material. It is the same people over and over. Smart, DeRozen, Harris, Herro, and before he pulled the plug and opted for season ending surgery, LaVine. The list goes on and on, even Brogden. I guess this is what happens with the money being thrown around these days, and, there is alot of panic out there. it will be an interesting next three or four days

With 34 tonight (fitting), it's looking like Jayson Tatum will take over the #2 spot on this list before the homestand ends on Friday night...almost a month before his 26th birthday.




Bob


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Celtics trade deadline is crucial opportunity before key change



Published: Feb. 06, 2024, 11:05
By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



The Celtics have a unique tool ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline with the Grant Williams TPE. The team acquired the $6.2 million exception back in July when they dealt their former power forward to the Mavericks in exchange for two second-round picks in a sign-and-trade. Since Boston took back no salary in the deal, they created the trade exception, allowing them to take back any player earning $6.2 million or less in a trade with no outgoing salary necessarily.


Normally, a trade exception would last a full year since its creation, giving the Celtics to use the Williams TPE until the summer. However, the new provisions of the CBA will change the dynamics on that front for Boston starting this offseason. The Celtics are currently a second-apron team, meaning they are spending over the $182.7 million threshold, which will put several restrictions on them in future seasons.

Those limitations will begin on the first day of this offseason though, specifically with the use of TPEs. Essentially, any previously created TPE will no longer be able to be used for teams in the second apron. The Celtics will also no longer be allowed to take back any more salary in a trade, aggregate contracts or send out cash in any deal.


All of these trade tools will be challenging for Boston’s front office to navigate in the future but the biggest one for the present is the new TPE rule. Given that Boston won’t be allowed to use the mid-level exception this offseason either as a second apron team, this week’s trade deadline will be Boston’s last chance to add a smaller to mid-level salary above the minimum without having to touch their current roster. Even acquiring a player on an expiring contract with Bird Rights could be a valuable tool for Boston’s future this week since the Celtics will have no way of signing a free agent of that ilk this summer unless they are willing to sign for the veteran’s minimum.


Boston has many ways to try to improve in the next week before the deadline. They can try to pile up multiple salaries in a deal to land a player that wouldn’t fit in the TPE ($6.2 million) or simply try to trade away draft assets and/or salary filler to take someone into the TPE.

There has been a lot of talk downplaying the importance of the trade deadline this season given the unlikelihood of the Celtics making a major splash to their rotation. However, don’t underrate the importance of Boston’s chance to tweak the back end of their roster for both the present and the future under the current CBA rules. Life will get far more challenging for the front office with team building starting this summer so look for the Celtics’ to get their final swings in this week.


Bob
MY NOTE:  When you take this into consideration it makes a bigger trade more likely.   Brad doesn't want to mess with success but this article making sound like he's effectively neutered this coming offseason. I'm not saying he's going to make a BIG trade, but he might do morethan just picking up unwanted end-of-benchers off the waiver wire. He might make a trade with an eye on future seasons and not just this one.

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Should be a very interesting next 30 hours!

db

I see no good reason to mess around with a tweak to add another body to the end of the bench.

I would probably be terminated if I was the Celtics GM.  The move that I would make would bring some risk to the table but it would address the team's need to add another long athletic wing to the mix.  I mentioned it before and I am doing it again.

The Celtics could use their $6.2 million TPE to make a trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Saddiq Bey.  Bey makes $4.55 million and will be an Restricted FA this summer.  The Celtics would just need to make a qualifying offer ($6.498M) by no later than 6/29/2024.

The Celtics would need to part with a 1st round pick or maybe some seconds.  I see it as an investment because this team needs another baller off the bench.  If the Celtics cannot sign him over the summer, they could package a trade with him and go after another player.  Given no cap space and 2nd apron realities including no MLE, adding anyone other than a draft pick will be difficult.  They will need a quality trade asset in a guy like Bey.

The Atlanta Hawks are no where near to being a serious contender in the East.  They have made a lot of moves and they are no better off.  With bey coming up on free agency it is unlikely that they will want to resign him.  They have De'Andre Hunter and sensational Jalen Johnson who can flat out play.  They are both SF.  They parted with 3 1st round picks and a swap to get DeJounte Murray from the Spurs and pair him in the backcourt with Trae Young.  They were also involved in a complicated trade sending out (5) second round picks to GSW.  GS traded Wiseman to the Pistons and Bey went to the Hawks.

The Celtics have draft assets and I think they should use them.

Bob
MY NOTE:  Lest we forget...

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Sports brings people together where they are free to engage in conversation that otherwise may not have been possible.

Thanks for sharing this.

ATT

Steven A says his MVP for this year is Jayson Tatum. Best player on best team

cowens/oldschool wrote:ATT

Steven A says his MVP for this year is Jayson Tatum. Best player on best team

Look at that; for once I agree with Steven A!

I may need a drink. Too early though...

NYCelt wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:ATT

Steven A says his MVP for this year is Jayson Tatum. Best player on best team

Look at that; for once I agree with Steven A!

I may need a drink. Too early though...

NYCelt,

Take solace and inspiration that it's almost always 5 o'clock somewhere.


Bob


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https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2024/02/jordan-walsh-gets-surprise-opportunity-in-celtics-win-over-nets.html



Jordan Walsh gets surprise opportunity in Celtics win over Nets


Published: Feb. 15, 2024, 6:00 a.m.



Boston Celtics guard Jordan Walsh (27) steals the ball against Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)AP


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



BOSTON — Jordan Walsh has been spending more time with the Celtics in recent weeks after getting plenty of run with the Maine Celtics. However, before Wednesday’s game against the Nets, the rookie had only made three appearances with Boston all season, playing 15 minutes of garbage time.

Needless to say, it was a bit of a surprise late in the first quarter on Wednesday night when Joe Mazzulla turned to the 19-year old as one of Boston’s first subs into the game. The Celtics were a bit shorthanded on the wing with Jaylen Brown (shoulder) and Jaden Springer (ankle) sidelined but Mazzulla did have alternatives down the bench. Instead, he threw Walsh into the mix for his first meaningful pro minutes of his career.


The 6-foot-7 forward did not get on the scoreboard over his 19 minutes of action in Boston’s blowout 136-86 but looked to be up to the challenge defensively. Even before the game turned into rout, Walsh held his own against a speedy Nets team, positioning himself well on closeouts while also tallying a block and a steal. He also grabbed five rebounds. There was plenty of room for growth for Walsh on the offensive end but Joe Mazzulla had plenty of encouragement for the youngest member of the roster after the major opportunity.


“Since Christmas, he came on the West Coast trip with us, and we made a conscious effort to just have an understanding of defense is how you make it in this league as a young player,” Mazzulla said. “What you do in the G-League from a statistical standpoint is important, but it’s more important about your daily approach – your professionalism and your defense, and I think he’s just really, really grown in that area. In the games I’ve watched, and in the feedback from Maine, and his approach here with us, his defense has drastically improved.

“So I think it’s an opportunity to give a young guy a chance, especially in a game where you’re looking for energy, you know it’s going to be a team win, and you’re down a couple guys. So I really like the way he has approached the defensive side of the ball.”


While Walsh looks like he could make an impact defensively sooner rather than later, it’s evident his offensive game still needs plenty of development. He turned the ball over once in transition after getting stripped and blew a bunny on the fast break on the following possession. After missing a couple of open 3s during his night, Walsh got plenty of constructive encouragement from his teammates.

“Jordan’s gonna be… he’s gonna be a really, really good player,” Payton Pritchard said. “Obviously that’s like his first real NBA minutes, so he was probably a little nervous and energetic, but you’ll see him like, I see him every day working and stuff, and he’s going to be a special player.”

“I think he would say he didn’t have his best game,” Kristaps Porzingis added. “I know, I’ve seen him in practice and stuff and I know he’s capable of having a much better game. But you could see his potential defensively, you could see his potential offensively because of his body and his athleticism. And what I like the most about him is he’s not afraid at all. He goes out there and shoots. He’s aggressive attacking. And if he keeps having this kind of mindset it’s only a matter of time until he has consistent success.”


With Jaden Springer likely joining the Celtics bench after getting a clean bill of health after the All-Star Break, the Celtics suddenly have some young defensive prospects with upside. While that duo probably won’t have much of an impact during this run, the team sounds optimistic about what lies ahead for Walsh.

“I think being in Maine was good for him, especially just learning NBA style,” Derick White said. “It’s different from college. And just be able to play the game, get up and down. But now that he’s back with us a little bit more, just seeing the pace, seeing how we communicate, things we’re doing on off days and just things like that, that you don’t really see unless you’re around us every day. So everybody wants the best for him and he’s done a great job, which is learning and listening, and he’s got a bright future for him.”


Bob


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https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2024/02/kristaps-porzingis-raves-about-celtics-coach-after-career-milestone.html



Kristaps Porzingis raves about Celtics coach after career milestone


Published: Feb. 15, 2024, 6:15 a.m.


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com



BOSTON — Joe Mazzulla reached an impressive milestone in just his second year with the Celtics on Wednesday night, crossing the 100-win threshold after Boston’s 136-86 blowout win over the Nets. It was the team’s 5th 50-point win in franchise history and second this season under Mazzulla who has his team off to the best start in franchise history since 2008 at 43-12.

Mazzulla received the game ball Wednesday night in the locker room from Jayson Tatum after the victory but earned some of his biggest praise of the night from a player who has only spent a few months with the coach. Kristaps Porzingis was outspoken about just how valuable he thinks Porzingis has been to this group.


“I think just seeing how people view him maybe from the outside a little bit, I think he’s very underrated,” Porzingis said. “People don’t appreciate who he is and how he coaches because he’s very young, you can always blame it on him and stuff like that. But he’s a very underrated coach. Very underrated and different. And yeah, think people don’t see who he really is and how he coaches and it’s easy to not give him the credit because of the talent we have, no? But he deserves a lot of credit. He does deserve a lot of credit and the rest of the coaching staff also deserves a lot of credit.”


Mazzulla has started his career with a 100-37 overall record, a mark that currently puts him atop the NBA record books for winning percentage for coaches with 100 wins per Celtics play-by-play man Sean Grande. While his initial season was a tumultuous campaign after Ime Udoka’s suspension and dismissal, the Celtics have clearly bought into his vision even more in year two.

“Obviously, definitely a lot of growth,” Derrick White said of Mazzulla’s tenure. “When I first got here, obviously, I was with Ime, Will probably mostly, but I remember them telling me, like, you need to know anything with the defense, Joe is your guy. So like, that’s my first introduction to Joe. And then obviously, him being head coach, it’s just been, it’s been great just building that relationship with him on the court and off the court. And great guy, great coach, and I just love playing for him.”


Mazzulla was appreciative of hitting the milestone on Wednesday night but deflecting from the achievement by trying to pass on the credit to his players.

“I mean, I told the guys, I think it’s something to be proud of, something to be grateful for, and I think it’s a testament to the people you have around you,” Mazzulla said. “I think in a business where individual success is highly talked about on a nightly basis, the box scores and stuff like that, to have a group of people that you can share your success with is important. It really starts with the players and I always tell them, I can’t be who I am if they don’t let me and I appreciate that.

“That’s a gift in coaching, you can always be in a situation where you don’t have empowerment, or you don’t have guys that allow you to be yourself. It’s an important gift that the players give me, and they give it to each other. And I think that’s important for us to continue to grow. So I’m grateful for that.”


Mazzulla will have a week off to celebrate the achievement with friends and family before the Celtics return to action a week from Thursday night in Chicago.


Bob
MY NOTE: I don't know anybody who was tougher on Joe last year than me. He has shown tremendous growth this year. I wish he'd play his starters fewer minutes but so far so good, I just want them to be fresh and uninjured or dinged up for the playoffs.


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Bobh

How bout me?

So far CJ has done an excellent coaching job.  A full year under his belt has yielded noticeable improvements in several areas.

The regular season is moving along.  

The real test however for this team and CJ will be the grueling playoffs.  In absence of a key injury, anything less than a championship would be very dissappointing.

Brad has provided Joe with talent and all positional weaknesses have been addressed.  Much will fall on the players.  CJ needs to be a great game manager.

I think the coaching staff they hired over the summer has a lot to do with our play. Each coach has certain specialties. It was kind of comical, I heard Mike Gorman say he asked Sam if he was going to follow Doc to Milwaukee, Scal almost had a heart attack, saying “you actually asked him that question?” Mike said Sam said “no, he was staying here”. Funny since he has followed Doc wherever he has gone as an assistant. Like Jayson says the ad “something different here”. So Mazzula has had some real help putting this first half together. Let’s see what happens in the second half

You are spot on Rosalie about Joe.

dboss wrote:Bobh

How bout me?

So far CJ has done an excellent coaching job.  A full year under his belt has yielded noticeable improvements in several areas.

The regular season is moving along.  

The real test however for this team and CJ will be the grueling playoffs.  In absence of a key injury, anything less than a championship would be very dissappointing.

Brad has provided Joe with talent and all positional weaknesses have been addressed.  Much will fall on the players.  CJ needs to be a great game manager.

DBoss,

You think you were tougher on Joe last year than me? I don't remember that.


Bob


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I drove the bus right over Joe many times last year. Boy, was I wrong. Now that he has a full complement of assistant coaches, he is doing a great job. It was unfair of us to demean an understaffed coach as we did last year.

I will not say I was real bad, it was the timeouts and use of regulars until they were ready to drop that drove me nuts, other than that, I was willing to give Joe a pass except for that Miami series that drove me nut!!!!!!!!!! Hey, they say the guy has an unbelievable basketball mind, never stops. So I can honestly say, I did not jump on the "I hare Joe" bandwagon. Frankly, the guy has learned alot in the one year he has been head coach.

Last season cj was not ready to take this team to the title.  He had little experience.  Experience with both players and coaches matters. He also did not have the benefit of a high end staff.  His lack of media savvy often resulted in him appearing defensive and combative during post game pressers.  

This year he added to his staff and has implemented his vision for how this team needs to play.  He just seems more comfortable in his skin.  I would say that he is more ready this season than last season.  

Any questions about him and this team can be dismissed when Banner #18 has been secured.

High water covers a lot of stumps!! Banner 18 is high enough for me!!

db

I don't know Dboss, if you listen to Perk (which I don't but see his name everywhere) he thinks CJ is a jerk. I think that shoe is on the wrong foot. Perk is trying to use Mazulla as a stomping ground to push his name out there. Any chance he gets, he tries to push his name into the mud. Well, looks like Mazulla has learned alot in a year, and has responded right back at him with a understated but obvious way, never using his name in his response to questions about the nasty remarks from the once respected ex player. This is going to lead him down a path he may regret (Perk that is)

I’m enjoying the “Joe is OK after all” commentary.

I think what originally rubbed many the wrong way about Joe was multi-faceted.

Start with his dry and direct personality when on-air. Bill Belichick, anyone? I don’t care so much about a media friendly personality if the coach can work with the team he’s been given.

A great match for the persona, Joe’s game management approach that drew criticism from so many corners. Now, perhaps, many of those same critics have opened their eyes to realize this is a coach that was going to defy convention and run with his own ideology. Odd time out usage, heavy 3-point reliance, unusual player substitution patterns. The fans and media can’t comprehend. Then again, could this be a coach with a deep enough understanding of the game and his injury challenged roster to take the risk and employ his novel approach? The path to victory and sustained excellence is seldom forged by being a clone of the past. Check other historical examples from Red Auerbach to, how about this one, Alexander the Great. Sometimes you test your new ideas and approach in a few early battles to see what works or needs modification to win the war.

So Joe inherited an injury prone lineup with limited skills in key positions. A probable playoff team that was realistically a long shot to raise a banner. He tried his own strategies and ignored the outside noise, challenging crowd thinking in the initial battles while waiting to see what reinforcements might arrive for the next campaign. Even now, he has to make choices like potentially over-playing a short rotation to build the winning record and compensate for a very limited bench.

From the jump, one had to consider a franchise like the Celtics does not get handed to anyone just standing in the right place at the right time. There were plenty of options with all varieties of experience in their resumes.

So welcome new members to the twin clubs of Joe Is OK and I guess I Misjudged That One. Membership is easy and dues aren’t that bad. I’ve paid my renewals frequently. Most notably that payment I made, and I’m quoting myself here, the one that went ‘How could we give up that much for Derrick White? Derrick who? Might be the worst trade in Celtic history.’ I’m such an expert. Yeah, sure.

Welcome to the club.

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I don't know Dboss, if you listen to Perk (which I don't but see his name everywhere) he thinks CJ is a jerk.  I think that shoe is on the wrong foot.  Perk is trying to use Mazulla as a stomping ground to push his name out there.  Any chance he gets, he tries to push his name into the mud. Well, looks like Mazulla has learned alot in a year, and has responded right back at him with a understated but obvious way, never using his name in his response to questions about the nasty remarks  from the once respected ex player.  This is going to lead him down a path he may regret (Perk that is)

Rosalie

Perk is right half the time and wrong the other half so he is average.

He enjoys the controversy and the resulting attention that he gets. I listen to Perk but I do not hear anything that he says.lol

The thing is and Joe mentioned this, he did not want to upset the apple cart.  Last year he did not get a chance to implement his vision of how the team played and what aspects were most important.

He made an ass out of himself multiple times and drew the criticism from the media because he really had little to no experience dealing with a Boston Sports media that can be difficult to say the least.

Last year this team won 57 games but I did not think his overall game management was top notch.  Those 57 wins do not mean all that much to me because we still could not beat Miami.  We dropped 5 home games during the playoffs last year.  Some of that was coaching, players, injuries, roster construction, etc.  Everybody gets a slice of humble pie when you lose.

I think that our chances of winning the title this year hinges on good health and consistent play from our relatively short rotation.  More specifically KP is the real difference maker and  SH and PP must make their open looks.  CJ will go into the post season playoffs with a year of experience under his belt.  He should be able to take a fully healthy and confident team to the big dance.