Author Topic: BOSTON GLOBE: Brad Stevens needs to make some changes in his approach  (Read 7235 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline RJ87

  • NCE
  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11685
  • Tommy Points: 1406
  • Let's Go Celtics!
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2019/05/11/brad-stevens-needs-make-some-changes-his-approach/82LNh1GhYrEBIHwnOdP08O/story.html

Some interesting tidbits:
Quote
It wasn’t that the coaching staff was unaware of these issues, according to team sources; it was that they really didn’t know what to do about it.

Quote
Stevens, who has allowed the players to police themselves in the past, swooped in too late to solve the issues. Some players blamed him for integrating Hayward into the starting lineup without giving more regard to the feelings of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Quote
Stevens has loaded his staff in past years with Butler disciples, young coaches skilled in analytics but not necessarily how to handle millennial NBA players.
2021 Houston Rockets
PG: Kyrie Irving/Patty Mills/Jalen Brunson
SG: OG Anunoby/Norman Powell/Matisse Thybulle
SF: Gordon Hayward/Demar Derozan
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo/Robert Covington
C: Kristaps Porzingis/Bobby Portis/James Wiseman

Online rocknrollforyoursoul

  • Satch Sanders
  • *********
  • Posts: 9670
  • Tommy Points: 325
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2019/05/11/brad-stevens-needs-make-some-changes-his-approach/82LNh1GhYrEBIHwnOdP08O/story.html

Some interesting tidbits:
Quote
It wasn’t that the coaching staff was unaware of these issues, according to team sources; it was that they really didn’t know what to do about it.

Quote
Stevens, who has allowed the players to police themselves in the past, swooped in too late to solve the issues. Some players blamed him for integrating Hayward into the starting lineup without giving more regard to the feelings of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Quote
Stevens has loaded his staff in past years with Butler disciples, young coaches skilled in analytics but not necessarily how to handle millennial NBA players.

I think most Cs fans (including myself) agree that putting Hayward in the starting lineup right way was a big mistake.
"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'"

"You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."

— C.S. Lewis

Offline RJ87

  • NCE
  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11685
  • Tommy Points: 1406
  • Let's Go Celtics!
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2019/05/11/brad-stevens-needs-make-some-changes-his-approach/82LNh1GhYrEBIHwnOdP08O/story.html

Some interesting tidbits:
Quote
It wasn’t that the coaching staff was unaware of these issues, according to team sources; it was that they really didn’t know what to do about it.

Quote
Stevens, who has allowed the players to police themselves in the past, swooped in too late to solve the issues. Some players blamed him for integrating Hayward into the starting lineup without giving more regard to the feelings of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Quote
Stevens has loaded his staff in past years with Butler disciples, young coaches skilled in analytics but not necessarily how to handle millennial NBA players.

I think most Cs fans (including myself) agree that putting Hayward in the starting lineup right way was a big mistake.

Anyone could see that was an issue - especially since Gordon wasn't ready. It reminds me of a Jackie Mac piece from earlier in the season where she said multiple players were unhappy with Gordon taking minutes from them when he was playing badly.

For me, it comes back to Stevens not clearly defining roles.
2021 Houston Rockets
PG: Kyrie Irving/Patty Mills/Jalen Brunson
SG: OG Anunoby/Norman Powell/Matisse Thybulle
SF: Gordon Hayward/Demar Derozan
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo/Robert Covington
C: Kristaps Porzingis/Bobby Portis/James Wiseman

Offline Humble G

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1433
  • Tommy Points: 983
Starting Hayward seemed like a big mistake but as I am here thinking about it.......
By the end of the year, If the Celtics were to succeed they needed Hayward to get those minutes and play well AND they needed Tatum and Brown to evolve into roles knowing Hayward would need mins. Brown eventually did but Tatum never seemed to figure it out. The ENTIRE team had all season to figure out and they didn't. And thats the bottom line

Offline PhoSita

  • NCE
  • Robert Parish
  • *********************
  • Posts: 21835
  • Tommy Points: 2182
Read the article, don't see any lies in there. All valid points.
You’ll have to excuse my lengthiness—the reason I dread writing letters is because I am so apt to get to slinging wisdom & forget to let up. Thus much precious time is lost.
- Mark Twain

Offline RJ87

  • NCE
  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11685
  • Tommy Points: 1406
  • Let's Go Celtics!
Starting Hayward seemed like a big mistake but as I am here thinking about it.......
By the end of the year, If the Celtics were to succeed they needed Hayward to get those minutes and play well AND they needed Tatum and Brown to evolve into roles knowing Hayward would need mins. Brown eventually did but Tatum never seemed to figure it out. The ENTIRE team had all season to figure out and they didn't. And thats the bottom line

There was a failure on the part of the coaching staff to manage expectations. They should've brought Gordon back along more slowly off the bench, let him work his way back into game shape while also giving his teammates the opportunity to more gradually learn his tendencies and how to play alongside him. You know, build chemistry.

Instead they threw Gordon right out there and if you're one of the young guys and no one is really giving you or reinforcing your role, you're looking at things like "oh wow, coach trusts this guy who's a shell of himself right now over me after what I did this postseason?" That fosters resentment and its hard to come back from that after the fact. To me it just seems like some basic things should've been better anticipated. We needed Brad to be more proactive instead of reactive.
2021 Houston Rockets
PG: Kyrie Irving/Patty Mills/Jalen Brunson
SG: OG Anunoby/Norman Powell/Matisse Thybulle
SF: Gordon Hayward/Demar Derozan
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo/Robert Covington
C: Kristaps Porzingis/Bobby Portis/James Wiseman

Online Vermont Green

  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11226
  • Tommy Points: 860
I think most Cs fans (including myself) agree that putting Hayward in the starting lineup right way was a big mistake.

I agree with this and had a number of posts saying coming off the bench and easing in seemed like the best thing (often to a chorus of "they aren't going to pay him $30M to come off the bench" replies).  But that said, even if this was a mistake, how much of the problem did this really cause?  If he had started out on the bench, what is the difference?

I am still good with Stevens.  I suggest we don't give up on him just yet.

Offline seancally

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1097
  • Tommy Points: 119
I’ve mentioned it before but I really think having some ex-NBA guys on the staff would be helpful. Bring back Walter!!!! Seriously... what’s Rip Hamilton up to these days? Where’s Jamal mashburn?
"The game honors toughness." - President Stevens

Offline gift

  • NCE
  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3984
  • Tommy Points: 291
I think most Cs fans (including myself) agree that putting Hayward in the starting lineup right way was a big mistake.

I agree with this and had a number of posts saying coming off the bench and easing in seemed like the best thing (often to a chorus of "they aren't going to pay him $30M to come off the bench" replies).  But that said, even if this was a mistake, how much of the problem did this really cause?  If he had started out on the bench, what is the difference?

I am still good with Stevens.  I suggest we don't give up on him just yet.

I really don't see the harm that starting Hayward caused. It's not like he took over the offense and jacked up shots. Even early on, it seemed the problem was that he deferred and played off-ball to Irving, Tatum and Brown. What were their complaints? That they missed shots and defensive assignments because Hayward was on the court? That Hayward was too passive? And when Stevens benched Hayward it didn't solve those problems. Brown was still in a slump off the bench, Tatum still iso'd, Irving was Irving. I just think starting Hayward is a high profile excuse.

Online jpotter33

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47895
  • Tommy Points: 2906
Hey, guys, don’t worry - this is just a problem of mismatching talent and not a problem of inept coaching and leadership.  ::)

So essentially this is what many of us here have been saying all year long in our criticisms of Brad, i.e. a complete mismanagement of the talent through a hands-off approach to the team.

Dude should’ve had better control of this situation from the get-go by better defining roles and being more involved in establishing the team’s identity and chemistry. Pretty much a lost season due to mismanagement of the talent.

Offline Humble G

  • Bill Walton
  • *
  • Posts: 1433
  • Tommy Points: 983
Starting Hayward seemed like a big mistake but as I am here thinking about it.......
By the end of the year, If the Celtics were to succeed they needed Hayward to get those minutes and play well AND they needed Tatum and Brown to evolve into roles knowing Hayward would need mins. Brown eventually did but Tatum never seemed to figure it out. The ENTIRE team had all season to figure out and they didn't. And thats the bottom line

There was a failure on the part of the coaching staff to manage expectations. They should've brought Gordon back along more slowly off the bench, let him work his way back into game shape while also giving his teammates the opportunity to more gradually learn his tendencies and how to play alongside him. You know, build chemistry.

Instead they threw Gordon right out there and if you're one of the young guys and no one is really giving you or reinforcing your role, you're looking at things like "oh wow, coach trusts this guy who's a shell of himself right now over me after what I did this postseason?" That fosters resentment and its hard to come back from that after the fact. To me it just seems like some basic things should've been better anticipated. We needed Brad to be more proactive instead of reactive.
Im not giving Brad a pass, he is part of the team.  Part of me is on the "it was a huge mistake by Brad" the other part of me thinks Brad was giving the team an entire season to figure out roles and how to adjust/gel, starting from game 1. And the team never did, including Brad.

I'm disappointed/put blame on  everyone(coaches/staff included) except Smart, Horford, Morris, and Brown(as he did adjust and find his role)

Offline Kuberski33

  • Tiny Archibald
  • *******
  • Posts: 7070
  • Tommy Points: 533
Personally I think the criticisms of Brad and Ainge are accurate and if Washburn is reporting them, there's more than one person with that take. There is a psychological aspect to coaching and it appears that this was dismissed. 

They probably should have foreseen Kyrie's monstrous ego and thought about ways to effectively manage it.  As well as the detachment that can develop with players who are being instructed by guys who never played at their level.  In their shoes I'm not sure that I'd buy what I'm being sold by someone who wasn't good enough to play at my level.  Granted that's not the be all, end all (there's more to coaching than just having played in the league) but I can see where a player would question a coach's credibility. 

Brad's reputation took a major hit this season and in the process he lost this team because they stopped playing for him.


Offline RJ87

  • NCE
  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11685
  • Tommy Points: 1406
  • Let's Go Celtics!
I think most Cs fans (including myself) agree that putting Hayward in the starting lineup right way was a big mistake.

I agree with this and had a number of posts saying coming off the bench and easing in seemed like the best thing (often to a chorus of "they aren't going to pay him $30M to come off the bench" replies).  But that said, even if this was a mistake, how much of the problem did this really cause?  If he had started out on the bench, what is the difference?

I am still good with Stevens.  I suggest we don't give up on him just yet.

I really don't see the harm that starting Hayward caused. It's not like he took over the offense and jacked up shots. Even early on, it seemed the problem was that he deferred and played off-ball to Irving, Tatum and Brown. What were their complaints? That they missed shots and defensive assignments because Hayward was on the court? That Hayward was too passive? And when Stevens benched Hayward it didn't solve those problems. Brown was still in a slump off the bench, Tatum still iso'd, Irving was Irving. I just think starting Hayward is a high profile excuse.

From Jackie Mac's piece earlier this season:
Quote
Still, because the Celtics considered Hayward a key cog in their championship aspirations, they determined that the best way to help him rehab was to let him work out the kinks on the court. It was a strategy that backfired miserably. As Hayward faltered early in the season, his play became stilted, hesitant. His teammates observed this, some from the bench, and chafed at their own lack of opportunity.

"I never felt like guys were frustrated with me," Hayward said, "but you could feel that guys were frustrated with their situation. Everyone in the NBA wants a bigger role. It was tough on everybody. We were trying to win basketball games, but at the same time, I was trying to get back to being the player I was, and some of that involved getting reps."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26131924/the-waiting-gordon-hayward-hardest-part

These issues didn't just recently appear and I don't believe anyone is retconning what happened to redirect blame. This has been an issue.
2021 Houston Rockets
PG: Kyrie Irving/Patty Mills/Jalen Brunson
SG: OG Anunoby/Norman Powell/Matisse Thybulle
SF: Gordon Hayward/Demar Derozan
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo/Robert Covington
C: Kristaps Porzingis/Bobby Portis/James Wiseman

Offline gpap

  • Don Nelson
  • ********
  • Posts: 8224
  • Tommy Points: 417
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2019/05/11/brad-stevens-needs-make-some-changes-his-approach/82LNh1GhYrEBIHwnOdP08O/story.html

Some interesting tidbits:
Quote
It wasn’t that the coaching staff was unaware of these issues, according to team sources; it was that they really didn’t know what to do about it.

Quote
Stevens, who has allowed the players to police themselves in the past, swooped in too late to solve the issues. Some players blamed him for integrating Hayward into the starting lineup without giving more regard to the feelings of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Quote
Stevens has loaded his staff in past years with Butler disciples, young coaches skilled in analytics but not necessarily how to handle millennial NBA players.

Sucks that I can't read the article because I need to subscribe to the Globe's website, but thanks for sharing.

Interesting tidbits and not surprising. I think it was quite clear throughout the entire season that Brad was basically sleeping on the job and making poor decisions (or perhaps not making any decisions at all and just letting the inmates run the asylum.)

I don't think his job is in jeopardy this summer but another season like this, and I would like to think and hope he would be given his walking papers, immediately.

I also recently saw that Micah Shrewsbury accepted a coaching job with Purdue.

The front office may want to consider blowing up that coaching staff. There's that other jackass Jerome Allen who was involved in a college bribe scandal a few years ago.
https://www.thedp.com/article/2018/10/jerome-allen-pleads-guilty-bribery-penn-mens-basketball-coach-esformes-scandal-celtics
He's just literally wasting space and giving the team a bad look.

I agree having a former NBA vet on the staff is a very good idea. An accomplished and former NBA player with a keen insight and intelligence on the game to be Brad's right hand man, because it's clear Brad needs some guidance (and potentially, a future replacement if Brad keep's messing up.)


Offline RJ87

  • NCE
  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11685
  • Tommy Points: 1406
  • Let's Go Celtics!
Hey, guys, don’t worry - this is just a problem of mismatching talent and not a problem of inept coaching and leadership.  ::)

So essentially this is what many of us here have been saying all year long in our criticisms of Brad, i.e. a complete mismanagement of the talent through a hands-off approach to the team.

Dude should’ve had better control of this situation from the get-go by better defining roles and being more involved in establishing the team’s identity and chemistry. Pretty much a lost season due to mismanagement of the talent.

Yeah, that line about "it wasn’t that the coaching staff was unaware of these issues, according to team sources; it was that they really didn’t know what to do about it" is a major concern. This is the NBA, not everything is rainbows and butterflies all the time. You need a coach who can manage personalities and egos when it happens.
2021 Houston Rockets
PG: Kyrie Irving/Patty Mills/Jalen Brunson
SG: OG Anunoby/Norman Powell/Matisse Thybulle
SF: Gordon Hayward/Demar Derozan
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo/Robert Covington
C: Kristaps Porzingis/Bobby Portis/James Wiseman