Is another Celtics' rebuild testing Stevens' patience?

by **112288** Sun Dec 14, 2014 2:06 pm

CSNE

A. SHERROD BLAKLEY

BOSTON — You have to admire the patience Brad Stevens has shown in rebuilding this Celtics team that continues to be an up-and-down bunch of thrown-together talent.

But Stevens is human.

With each late-game meltdown or disappointing performance by the Celtics, it's difficult to imagine that his patience isn't wearing thinner and thinner by the day.

The same holds true for Celtics fans, who are stomaching yet another rebuilding job that's looking painstakingly similar to last season.

And while most of the focus this season has been on Rajon Rondo and the rest of the roster, what about coach Stevens?

As the Celtics (7-14) muddle through what's shaping up to be another trip to the NBA lottery, the reviews have been quite favorable for Stevens despite Boston showing little progress in the one area that matters most - wins.

In fact, the Celtics now have two fewer wins than they had at this point last season.

And few will argue that the overall talent on this roster is better than it was last season.

So if the talent is better, but the win total is less, why has almost all of the focus been on the players?

Because it's much easier to focus on who isn't making shots than draw attention to who's calling them.

The one thing multiple league sources seem to be in agreement on is the problems with the Celtics have little to do with play-calling.

"He runs a lot of good stuff that works for the players they have," one Eastern Conference scout told CSNNE.com on Saturday. "But other than Marcus Smart, they're not very good defensively and the Smart kid keeps getting hurt. Most nights, it's their defense that kills them."

For all the strides Boston's offense has made, the defense has taken a few steps back this season.

They are giving up 106.5 points per game, which ranks 28th out of 30 NBA teams and they rank among the bottom 10 in most defensive categories.

While there has been progress of late defensively, it hasn't been enough of an improvement to significantly improve their win total and isn't close to their middle-of-the-pack status defensively from a year ago.

And while Stevens' calm demeanor has been praised as refreshing in most NBA circles, you have to wonder if his lack of outward emotion has dulled the emotional edge that this team plays with.

Of course when a team struggles to win games like the Celtics, all aspects of the team are scrutinized and called into question.

Simply put, the Celtics have to get better on several fronts between now and the start of the season.

That holds true not just for the players, but the coach too.

112288

by **112288** Sun Dec 14, 2014 2:14 pm

FUNNY,

48 hours ago I mentioned some of the same things in my post Friday night and second by others on this board.......now it is being validated by A. Sherrod Blakley.

112288

by **gyso** Sun Dec 14, 2014 10:07 pm

11,

As you may have read numerous times on this board, many here think that ASB is a regurgitation machine.

Usually, we feel violated after reading one of his articles. (LOL)

gyso

by **Sam** Sun Dec 14, 2014 10:17 pm

I've been wondering whether Brad's outward even demeanor fails to get the Celtics up sufficiently for games. Now that Blakelee echoes those thoughts, I'm rethinking my own musings.

Yes, A. The Celtics' offense has been better than their defense, which has actually been horrid. With all your renowned "insider" situation, had you ever thought of potentially (dare I say it) interviewing (you know, actually talking with) some players on the topic? It might take a little ingenuity and to discuss what could be a very sensitive topic. You'd probably have to be a little creative to induce comments from which opinions might at least be inferred.

I know I should just save my words, A. The very thought of that very regimen is abhorrent to you. You like the pap you smear (did you notice that clever "pap smear" remark?) to be benign.

The topic of your article is a very legitimate one. The drivel within doesn't begin to do the topic justice.

Sam

by **NYCelt** Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:38 am

What does A. Sherrod mean another rebuild? Was the whole project going to be done in one season?

The wisdom in the Stevens hire was that it presented a no lose situation for all. It let Brad take a shot at coaching in the NBA, while at the same time allowing us to give a shot to someone not on the same old carousel of recycled faces. One would think Stevens was smart enough to know you don't rebuild an NBA club in a season, so speculation that he's frustrated may be a bit of a push, or at least premature. Even I have speculated about Stevens going back to college one day. That has nothing to do with him being so impatient he blows a mental gasket during just the second season here.

If Blakley is banking on the idea that the talent is better this year, he's arrived at that conclusion awfully early in the season. If the individual talent is better, it may not translate into a better performance as a team either, and certainly appears not to have been the needed tonic on defense. I would personally throw in the notion that if it is indeed better, it's only looking marginally so.

I'm also wondering just how it is that Stevens' calm outward demeanor has anything to do with anything. Do NBA players need a coach to jump up and down and cheerlead? Does a calm coach spell failure, or give his players a sense that he's confident and unwavering in what he's doing?

A. Sherrod. What a nut! You're cracking me up big guy; get outta here! No, really, just get out...

by **112288** Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:10 am

Gyso.....perhaps he's reading my posts to get such idead....good lord!

LOL

112288

by **gyso** Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:42 pm

NYCelt wrote:What does A. Sherrod mean another rebuild? Was the whole project going to be done in one season?

The wisdom in the Stevens hire was that it presented a no lose situation for all. It let Brad take a shot at coaching in the NBA, while at the same time allowing us to give a shot to someone not on the same old carousel of recycled faces. One would think Stevens was smart enough to know you don't rebuild an NBA club in a season, so speculation that he's frustrated may be a bit of a push, or at least premature. Even I have speculated about Stevens going back to college one day. That has nothing to do with him being so impatient he blows a mental gasket during just the second season here.

If Blakley is banking on the idea that the talent is better this year, he's arrived at that conclusion awfully early in the season. If the individual talent is better, it may not translate into a better performance as a team either, and certainly appears not to have been the needed tonic on defense. I would personally throw in the notion that if it is indeed better, it's only looking marginally so.

I'm also wondering just how it is that Stevens' calm outward demeanor has anything to do with anything. Do NBA players need a coach to jump up and down and cheerlead? Does a calm coach spell failure, or give his players a sense that he's confident and unwavering in what he's doing?

A. Sherrod. What a nut! You're cracking me up big guy; get outta here! No, really, just get out...

I agree with everything in your post, especially the highlighted part.

If we wanted a coach that became unglued every time things didn't go our way, we could have hired Stan Van Gundy. I consider guys of that ilk to be dinosaurs and in need of some anger management classes.

Brad Stevens is the coach on this particular Minnow, and it is a six year tour. Anyone who thinks that the owners, Danny Ainge or Brad wants to pull the plug so soon, um, to put it mildly, lacks any understanding of the process.

gyso

by **112288** Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:58 pm

Ya, but Brad is at a point that if we do not get close to 500 by January....he could start losing the team. Maybe not the young rooks, but 2-3 year plus vets who may want out. He needs to get tough........and no Stan Van Gundy is a poor example of a guy getting tough.........But on the flip side.............

POP of SA, he takes no bull shxt from his players playing poorly as a team or individually.

He's no gentlemen mid westerner with charm!

Further, it may be Brad Stevens that pulls the plug on Danny. He is saying the right things......... that he is into the Celtics etc etc.......what is going to say at this point to the public and press.........gee I want to be back in Indiana! He would get fired and cause harm to the Celtics as an organization and come out looking very unprofessional.

We do not know how his young family - wife & children are liking Boston? If they are not...............he is good as gone...'cause it could start affecting his marriage. He can get the same $$$$$ at IU and be back home with non of the bull shxt he probably has to deal with from NBA Vets.

If he is going........June will be the time that he approaches Danny.

112288

by **NYCelt** Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:05 pm

gyso,

I liked the Gilligan's Island reference you subtly worked into your last post!

A couple of years back I was talking with my then 17-year old niece, telling her about having met Dawn Wells (Mary Ann) at a friend's house the day before. Her response was "what's Gilligan's Island and who is Mary Ann?" I didn't even get into telling her about how we used to have to get up and turn a dial on the TV to change the channel.

Regards

by **gyso** Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:58 pm

112288 wrote:Ya, but Brad is at a point that if we do not get close to 500 by January....he could start losing the team. Maybe not the young rooks, but 2-3 year plus vets who may want out. He needs to get tough........and no Stan Van Gundy is a poor example of a guy getting tough.........But on the flip side.............

POP of SA, he takes no bull shxt from his players playing poorly as a team or individually.

He's no gentlemen mid westerner with charm!

Further, it may be Brad Stevens that pulls the plug on Danny. He is saying the right things......... that he is into the Celtics etc etc.......what is going to say at this point to the public and press.........gee I want to be back in Indiana! He would get fired and cause harm to the Celtics as an organization and come out looking very unprofessional.

We do not know how his young family - wife & children are liking Boston? If they are not...............he is good as gone...'cause it could start affecting his marriage. He can get the same $$$$$ at IU and be back home with non of the bull shxt he probably has to deal with from NBA Vets.

If he is going........June will be the time that he approaches Danny.

112288

Oscar Meyer at best. How do you come up with this "stuff"? It sounds like the baseless crap that gets discussed on the sports radio talk shows nowadays. If that is where you heard this, please make that plain in your post. If this is really something that you believe, well, then take ownership (and please cut the dose!).

Truly SMH at this entire post. Rolling Eyes

gyso

by **wide clyde** Mon Dec 15, 2014 2:11 pm

There should be no reason for Stevens to have expected any more than what he currently has. He should be very proud of the improvements that his team has made since his arrival.

He is clearly a very intelligent basketball person, and even if he had never been in the NBA prior to signing with the Celtics he certainly knew all of the problems that the Cs had and also should have had a good idea of how long it was going to take to turn things around.

I am positive that he is tired of losing (7-14 is not fun for anyone involved), but he understands that he got a six year contract for the purpose of building this team over a longer period of time. If the Cs had been considered one or two years away when Doc Rivers got traded, Ainge never would have offered a six year contract. A one or two year window would have gotten a coach a three year contract.

I am going to have patience while they make some changes (Rondo?) and continue to improve just as the Celtics have done from year one to year two of this rebuild.

by **112288** Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:36 pm

Gyso,

That is one man's opinion ..............but where I get it.........I live in realsville!

112288

by **hawksnestbeach** Mon Dec 15, 2014 4:39 pm

These beat sports writers have to come up with something all the time, so on the heels of a losing streak they figure someone must be disillusioned, why not the coach? Stevens signed on for 6 years, hasn't done even a third of that; I don't think the pressure is on him, nor is he disillusioned. His, the team's, biggest problem is not enough talent to win consistently but I think his focus is on evaluating the talent he does have, not winning a certain number or percentage of games.
He may be calm because he's doing a good job and knows others see it, too.
Yes, this year's roster is better, adding Turner, Thornton, Zeller, Smart (Powell and Young) Still you can play only 5 at a time and Rondo's been lackluster, Bradley hasn't shined, Sully has trouble with tall mobile opponents, Kelly has been lost more often than not, while Green and Smart have been good.
Starting the year, he had Kelly (whom his boss had moved up in the draft to acquire) penciled in as a starting center. Didn't work out too well; still if his primary mission is evaluation, the mission may be accomplished. Now we know Kelly is not a center, maybe not even a top-flight power forward on a team without a good defensive center. Others saw Kelly's deficiencies before the coach began to change the lineup, but I think he's moving deliberately, slowly even, because in a rebuilding year, that's the best way.
He seems to be a good student of the game as well as a teacher. I'll bet he doesn't want to let someone, like Billups, go without an extra good look here just because fans want more wins.
For those who want to win now, it can be frustrating; for the hack sports writer, it can be fodder. For the Celtics and the long term, I think it's the right way to go. Hawk

by **Sam** Mon Dec 15, 2014 5:23 pm

We're now entering a very interesting part of the season. Teams have pretty much settled their rotations, have played together in 20-or-so games and have had opportunities to get to know one another. It's not yet the winter doldrums part of the season, so effort levels should still be maximized. There are now fewer anomalies and more recurring patterns in games.

In short, the wheat is gradually getting separated from the chaff. Opportunists tend to be part of the wheat; potential journeymen generally wind up with the chaff. If one looks at the Celtics roster and is brutally frank, what patterns are forming?

Who seems destined to be part of the wheat (my definition: valuable because of the way in which they play their roles—even supporting roles). And who seems likely to be chaff-bound (my definition: too many minuses to outweigh the pluses)? Anyone want to take a shot at it? (Toss-ups are also permitted.)

Sam

by **112288** Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:05 am

Wow Sam, tough one but I will make some general comments.

Powell & Young have not been given any meaningful minutes by Stevens yet they have performed very well in the D League. If you are going to evaluate talent especially young players that show tremendous upside talent and your seasoned players are not getting it done, play the GD kids! So they truly need to left out of this poll.

Ko needs to play despite his up and down play...again he needs playing time to get an overall measure of his upside potential. If he was in his 3rd or 4th year..........I say bench the guy.

112288

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