It’s been a week since the demise of the Celtics brass.
It came a day after their playoff wipeout to the Nets, when news broke GM Danny Ainge was “retiring” and Brad Stevens was being kicked upstairs to replace Danny. If you read this column regularly you know I’ve been saying since early February both had a lot to do with the disaster evolving in front of our eyes, and, since last summer, that the team needed to be constructed away from its no-point-guard, 3-ball-centric, hoist-it-up approach.
So, while both have done very good things here, not so much lately and as a result the change is a good thing. Just not as good as it could have been. Because for the last year or so I’ve felt like Bob Kraft did when he said upon firing Pete Carroll in 1999, “We need a momentum change.”
So here are a few hot takes following the shakeup.
The good news: Being a glass is half full kind of guy, with the Lakers also getting run out in Round 1, L.A. and the C’s remain tied for most NBA league titles won (17) for another year. That seemed in peril at the start of 2020-2021.
That does it for the good news. Now for the bad.
Pitino reboot: When I said the change didn’t go far enough, I meant making Stevens GM will be the worst move since hiring Rick Pitino 25 years ago. Although Danny trading up in the 2013 draft for Kelly Olynyk and leaving Giannis Antetokounmpo on the board was pretty bad. That means the same policies and demeanor that led to the abyss remain, starting with likely selecting a head coach who thinks as he does. The team badly needs a culture change, more emotion/passion and an inside scoring approach to complement the 3-ball game.
Where’s George Steinbrenner when you really need him? This comes from the Sports Hub’s Tony Maz, who suggests the only reason Stevens moved upstairs is that the team owes him close to $25 million after foolishly extending him for six long years during last season. That seems like a really dumb thing for the owners of a $2 billion enterprise to do. And while George’s lunacy way back when was the reason I stopped being a Yankees fan (a good thing after last weekend), for once I’m with George. Because he’d have broomed everyone by now.
Brad Stevens: Far be it from me to tell someone else what’s best for them career-wise. But I’ll make an exception. It’s not that he can’t coach; it’s that he hasn’t changed or adapted to new circumstances. As Larry Bird said all through his time coaching Indiana, there’s a shelf-life for coaches and Brad hit his in Boston. He needs a change in the way Andy Reid did after he got fired in Philly. Ditto for Bill Belichick after Cleveland ended in disaster. Both came back stronger than before and maybe Stevens can too in a new locale.
Jayson Tatum: I know, guys who can score 60 in a game don’t grow on trees. Especially those who put in the work and are good kids. But sorry, I want more. The only time he ever shows emotion is when calls don’t go his way. The best player on the team almost always has to be the leader. He’s not, and whether he can score 70 or even 80 he’ll never be a Top 5 player until he assumes that role. Thus he’ll be a No. 2 like Kevin McHale was to Bird’s alpha dog and if it’s truly not in him, like it wasn’t for Anthony Davis in New Orleans, they’ve got to bring in someone Jimmy Butler-like, who can lead as he mentors him to become one. Which brings me to the next coach.
The next coach: I hope they hire an ex-player with major NBA playing cred for the players to look up to, and fill in his holes with veteran assistants. Somebody like Kevin Garnett. I know, he has no coaching experience. Plus I have no idea if he can coach, has the temperament to coach or even wants to. I also know major stars from Willis Reed to Dan Issel didn’t cut it when given a shot by their old team. But I do know KG scared the bejeebers out of everyone when he arrived in 2008 and his fire totally transformed the team’s culture. After being under the NBA’s answer to Mr. Rogers the last eight years, this team that doesn’t value winning enough needs that badly. Especially Tatum. It won’t happen, but that is the first call I’d make if I owned the team.
Reflection on days gone by: Hope no one has missedtheirony of where the Nets and Celtics are seven years after the blockbuster trade of 2014. Since Day 1, Brooklyn was universally mocked for giving up their future for two guys (Garnett and Paul Pierce) that were too deep into the back nine to have the impact the Nets brass expected. It got worse as the choices they gave up (Tatum and Jaylen Brown) became emerging stars. The narrative was, the C’s were set up to have a deep, talented team for years to come, while the Nets would be mired at the bottom because they gave away the draft positions that generate real talent. Flash forward to 2021, where thanks to savvy trades, big and small free agent pickups and salary cap manipulation the Nets are the deeper team with three big talents at the top of their roster. Tip of the cap to Nets GM Sean Marks, who did all that. Meanwhile, after squandering many of their picks with bad drafting and a reluctance to trade them for immediate veteran help, the C’s are scrambling.
It shows life not only doesn’t turn out like everyone expects, it can turn out to be 180 degrees opposite.
