Excellent interview with coach Joe

[SparzWizard]

I'll see it when I believe it, and that's all gonna be on the court.

I wanna see more 2's. I wanna see defense. I wanna see killing opposing team momentum (by calling timeouts, or do something). I wanna see the team motivated to start a momentum, etc.

My view on him has not changed, until we win banner 18 this June.

[ozgod]

It does seem like Joe seems more relaxed and somewhat competent this year. He definitely seems better with the media; he came off as very flippant and arrogant throughout most of last year.

I’m sure having the level of assistant coaches that he has really helps put things in perspective for him.

They probably made him spend the whole summer taking courses on how to deal with the media, Alex Cora style instead of Bill Belichick style 

[ozgod]

I'll see it when I believe it, and that's all gonna be on the court.

I wanna see more 2's. I wanna see defense. I wanna see killing opposing team momentum (by calling timeouts, or do something). I wanna see the team motivated to start a momentum, etc.

My view on him has not changed, until we win banner 18 this June.

I don't necessarily want to see more 2s. I want them to work for the best shot, whether it's a 2 or a 3. I don't think 3s are bad in and of themselves, there's a reason a lot of teams are shooting them now, they're worth more than 2s. It's no longer the 1970s right. But we don't want bad 3s, like the ones that they take soon as they walk past the halfcourt line or ones where it comes from 15 sec of dribbling the ball in iso. I think that's what many of us had an issue with, settling for 3s instead of working for the best shot. If the best shot is a midrange 2 from the elbow, instead of a 3 with someone in your face, then take the best shot.

[SHAQATTACK]

Did he take coaching lessons this summer ?

[Kernewek]

Kernewek and I had a discussion about this in the Media Day thread.  Hope springs eternal, but to be charitable, I think that Joe places too much emphasis on analytics.  It's why he's a great "second row" assistant -- he's good at feeding that information to decision makers to evaluate -- but why he's not great as the primary decision maker.

For Red Sox fans, it's why you might love Bill James as an advisor, but not want him to be coach or GM.  Conversely, there's something to be said for an analytically-informed manager (Francona) vs. somebody who manages by his gut (Grady Little).

Apparently the video posted in the other thread we chatted about was an excerpt though, since it was sub 10 minutes. Haven't had a chance to watch the full thing since work has decided to be annoyingly busy to end the week.


With regards to going inside more, I wonder if that has to do with having a player like Kristaps, rather than wanting to rely on the wings to go in?

[Vermont Green]

Kernewek and I had a discussion about this in the Media Day thread.  Hope springs eternal, but to be charitable, I think that Joe places too much emphasis on analytics.  It's why he's a great "second row" assistant -- he's good at feeding that information to decision makers to evaluate -- but why he's not great as the primary decision maker.

For Red Sox fans, it's why you might love Bill James as an advisor, but not want him to be coach or GM.  Conversely, there's something to be said for an analytically-informed manager (Francona) vs. somebody who manages by his gut (Grady Little).

Apparently the video posted in the other thread we chatted about was an excerpt though, since it was sub 10 minutes. Haven't had a chance to watch the full thing since work has decided to be annoyingly busy to end the week.


With regards to going inside more, I wonder if that has to do with having a player like Kristaps, rather than wanting to rely on the wings to go in?

A good coach would certainly make adjustments to suit the personnel.  That is the thing I am excited about regarding Porzingis.  He can do so many things offensively that we didn't have last season.  Last season, if what we were doing (which generally was to jack up 3s) wasn't working, we just kept doing it.  If Joe is true to his words, this season we will have more options to go to to change things up.  More diverse schemes to go with.  This is what is important, not time outs.

I admit that I am not 100% sold on Mazzulla as a head coach but I am giving him a total Mulligan for last season.  He was thrust into the position under difficult circumstances.  He inherited Udoka's staff, all of which were probably not 100% bought in on Mazzulla, they were all Udoka's guys.  He had no real preseason to establish himself as the head coach or even prepare himself to be the head coach.  And it became clear firing/suspending Udoka had an effect on the players.

So to me, this is his make or break season.  This is his team with his assistant coaches.  He has had a full off season to prepare.  He has a full preseason to work with the the team.  And last season is almost like a practice round for him.  If last season was a very difficult situation under which to be a head coach, this season is just the opposite of that.   I like what I am hearing from him and that is good but he still has plenty to prove.

[Kuberski33]

This is one of things that makes following a team interesting. Joe says he's gonna make changes. Let's see whether his actions back up his words.  And let's also see whether he'll stay the course if they hit a rut and start losing more games than expected.

I'm on the Roy side of this. I'll believe it when I see it. But at least he does hear the feedback.

[ScoobyDoo]

Holiday and Porzingis should make a huge difference in our ability to get scores close to the rim when we need it down the stretch

1. Porzingis has one of the best post up scoring percentages in the league. This is something this team has desperately lacked in the entire Tatum Brown era. He will also be much better in the pick and pop scenario because he can shoot from the elbows or just about anywhere.

Porzingis’ theee point threat should also open driving lanes for Tatum and Brown.

2. Holiday is probably the best playmaking pint guard Tatum and Brown have had since they entered the league. And no it isn’t Irving. He blows as a point guard. Not because of his ability but because of his mind and because he’s as knucklehead.

He should have averaged 15-18 assists (broken records) with the combination of his skills and then having Tatum, Hayward, Brown and everyone else on his Celtics teams. Instead he was a pouty, petulant, selfish player. We played better with Rozier on the floor.

Lastly, Holiday is strong and crafty as a ball handler and can bill his way to the rim on his own.

[Roy H.]

Coach Joe: “[Jayson Tatum is not Kevin Garnett], but he’s just as good of a leader but in a different way…Jaylen [Brown] took on ownership and leadership with his defense.”

[Celtics4ever]

That quote is laughable, Rob, thanks for the chuckle.

KG was a great leader , we 've yet to see this from Jayson.

[gouki88]

That quote is laughable, Rob, thanks for the chuckle.

KG was a great leader , we 've yet to see this from Jayson.

How do you know anything about Tatum's leadership? Have you been led by either? Or do you just get a really good sense of it through 2 hours of footage every few days?

[Roy H.]

That quote is laughable, Rob, thanks for the chuckle.

KG was a great leader , we 've yet to see this from Jayson.

How do you know anything about Tatum's leadership? Have you been led by either? Or do you just get a really good sense of it through 2 hours of footage every few days?

By the same token, does Joe know anything about KG's leadership?

[gouki88]

That quote is laughable, Rob, thanks for the chuckle.

KG was a great leader , we 've yet to see this from Jayson.

How do you know anything about Tatum's leadership? Have you been led by either? Or do you just get a really good sense of it through 2 hours of footage every few days?

By the same token, does Joe know anything about KG's leadership?

No, but he's probably in a better position to have a clue about it given his proximity to those who do.

[Celtics4ever]

How do you know anything about Tatum's leadership? Have you been led by either? Or do you just get a really good sense of it through 2 hours of footage every few days?

Has he led us to a title? No.  He has lead us through adversity to come back?   Not quite.  Did he differ a lot in pressure situations to other players?   Yes.  Does he demand his team mates play better.    He  does cheerleads and tries to get the the crowd into the game by telling them to be louder.

By your logic, and it is not logic, your post was pure emotion, nothing more than another desperate attempt by you to look snarky and clever at someone else's expense,  how does he know about KG's leadership?  I know Roy asked this to you as well.   You don't know who he was around or the like either.  This is an alleged certainty fallacy on your part.  You also directed your argument at me, not my statement with your typical ad hominem attacks.     I know because of this:

You can actually observe true leadership in action.   I've been around it.   It visible, noticeable and instills confidence in those around them.  You can't fake it, and it has tangible results.   They hold themselves and their team mates accountable.  There are good  leaders outside of these areas, but you see it more in these two areas.   Both team sports and the military are team related activities.   There is action component of this leading by example but this is way more complex too with issues like communication, accountability, decision making, determination, resilience, courage and mutual respect.  One does not get to see civilians do the courage aspect that much.   

Have you ever been any team sport at a high level nor have you served in the military.?

KG demanded excellence of his team mates, he held them accountable, his leadership was clear and visible.   Go back and watch some of that and compare it to Tatum.     I look forward to all your examples you're going to present on how Tatum got us through a tough spots time and time again.    This year come from behind?   A good leader would not have let us get in all those holes to begin with.

[cman88]

To be fair saying Tatum never lead us through adversity is Abit much.

He basically himself got us past the bucks and 76ers in the playoffs.

I will say though I think smart has been our defacto leader. It's time for Tatum/brown to take more of a leadership position.