Do the Celts Pay Too Much Attention To The Media?

[blink]

They should do what Lebron does every postseason: Shut off social media.

+1

focus on the team

[SparzWizard]

Bam Adebayo still talking crap to Jayson Tatum, reminding him of that block from last year's playoff and to make sure Tatum will never forget it.

Kids are still young. Adebayo can hype that up all he wants, the reality is his team got smacked in the Finals and they are playing like crap this year-- possibly in danger of missing the playoffs while having almost that same roster from last season.

[ozgod]

I think they do, but it's today's generation. I think it's fair to say that for us on this forum have never experienced thousands of people talking about us on social media, and for a fair number of us social media probably didn't exist when we were growing up. When you know people are talking about you and to you the temptation to read and get involved is there - just look at how it's got KD in trouble multiple times. These are young athletes who have been praised pretty much most of their young lives. They might not yet have realized that it goes both ways - you get the adulation when you do well, but you also become the pinata if things don't.

Back in Bird and Jordan's day you had to make an effort to tune in to the radio or TV at the right time, or you had to make an effort to read the paper, to keep up with what people were saying about you. These days it's all on demand and it comes from everywhere - from respected scribes to your average Twitter troll with 2 followers. I can't blame them for hearing it really. It takes a strong person to just tune all that stuff out, especially if people/fans/media are making judgments on things that they only know a small part about.

Some of you older Mass-holes will remember Carl Everett, who played for the Red Sox back in 2000, and his run ins with the media:

Already notorious for his temper, Red Sox center fielder Carl Everett was involved in a spat with a Boston Globe reporter in the clubhouse between games of Wednesday's doubleheader.

Everett was upset with an article in the Globe and swore repeatedly at baseball writer Gordon Edes, whose byline did not appear on the story.

Bob Hohler, the Red Sox beat writer for the Globe, reported that Everett missed the team bus from the hotel to Comerica Park in DetroitSaturday morning. The story also appeared in The Courant.

Standing in front of his locker, Everett told Edes he wasn't talking to him or any other Globe writers.

"Bye, bye, bye," Everett said. "Don't ask me [expletive]. See you, Globe [expletive]. I just told you. Anybody from the Globe, get the [expletive] away from me. Nobody from the Globe can talk to me. Globe, see you."

Edes was puzzled and tried to be diplomatic. But Everett kept swearing after Red Sox director of communications Kevin Shea stepped in and tried to restore order.

Everett told Edes never to come near him and to pass the message along to his "curly-haired boyfriend," a reference to Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy.

https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2000-09-21-0009211664-story.html

[Who]

I watching a Chris Webber interview with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on their show / podcast the other day and Webber was talking about Phil Jackson:

He was saying something along the lines of how he never had a coach like Phil Jackson. Someone who would work with the player's minds and get them to relax. To develop their minds. He asked Jacks and Barnes if they had a coach who did that - they said no. All 3 of them agreed how valuable and that it could or would have helped them in their playing days.

That is exactly what I think many of today's players need and more so than ever before for the reasons Ozgod discussed above - today's hectic social media 24 media landscape vs players of past eras.

A coach like Phil Jackson - the Zen Master - is needed for today's Celtics and for teams across the league. Coaches who understand how to develop players minds (not basketball, their minds), create relaxed environments, learn to how tune out external environments and concentrate on the present tasks (mindfulness basically). All of which Jackson taught during his days in LA and Chicago and to great effect.

It was awesome to hear Webber mention it - only briefly - but to just to hear how he valued it as a rival & competitor. Confirms a lot of my own thoughts on the subject matter.

[Moranis]

I don't know, Stephen Jackson played for championship winning coaches in Rick Carlisle, Larry Brown, Doc Rivers, and Gregg Popovich.  He played for Don Nelson. He played for Paul Silas and former players like Bryon Scott and Scott Skiles.  I find it hard to believe that that whose who of coaches never challenged the SJax mentally or worked on his mind.

[chiken]

It's not just the player's guys... It's their friends and Family members Calling and texting them.. (Other players in the league)  Tatum's mom tweeted for folks to "keep the same energy" when fans were bashing him during the team's "Slump".

I think some of you guys are forgetting that these young men are not in the bubble any more (or stuck in the 90's)

[PhoSita]

I think good advice for all NBA players would be to get off social entirely and never watch ESPN.  But realistically all the players do it.

[nickagneta]

I think good advice for all NBA players would be to get off social entirely and never watch ESPN.  But realistically all the players do it.

A whole lot of athletes use social media as a tool to promote their brand. Since I doubt social media is ever going away, then athletes are going to go on it.

What I hope happens is these guys stop looking at social media to communicate and instead use it as a platform for business interests and regular news only. You would think as part of the rookie initiation classes that the league would teach rookies this by having to take classes on this subject.