The disaster is Stevens & Ainge's fault

[bcgenuis]

Ainge ruined the team's chemistry this season in his pursuit of Anthony Davis.  Additionally, not working with Stevens to establish a clear hierarchy on this team had led to chemistry issues.

Tell me that in the back ofSmart, Brown, and Tatum's head they are not thinking I might not or probably will not be here next year (I'll be in NO) so I do not care so much what happens.  (ok maybe Smart not so much)

Rozier and Morris (FA's) might be thinking the same thing. That is practically a 1/3 of the team that is partially mentally checked out. 

Kyrie dealing with all the media non-sense as well is thinking who will or will not be here next year.  And if he is thinking about leaving, then he is mentally checked out as well.

Ainge did not forcefully address this issue, he should have CLEARLY stated we will deal with the offseason in the offseason and worry about Anthony Davis then. Additionally, he should have warned NOP that if trade talks leak, the price willing to be paid goes down.  And let face facts, if somehow, this team wins the championship, are we going to blow it up for Anthony Davis?  If Tatum averages 22/8 in the Finals that the Celtics won, are we trading him? 

By indicating that this squad is not good enough, and that A Davis is what is needed, the chemistry was ruined - gone! It is everyone for themselves!  And it clearly shows.

Stevens is at fault as well by not setting the hierarchy and clearly establishing the #1, #2 and #3 options on this team. As stated in other posts, Stevens' anyone can shoot and should shoot theory of offense works best with a squad that does not have premier players/scorers.  When you have a Kyrie level talent, he has to be your number 1 offensive option- every night!  As a coach, you tailor your offense around that player.  (As an aside, rarely does a team whose primary scorer is also the PG win championships (GSW is an outlier because you can also argue that KD is also a #1) I think having the ball in one players hand too much causes the other players to zone out, especially if they are top level players as well.)

Stevens has (as far as we know) not told lesser players to get in line and stick with their roles, even at a sacrifice to their stats. A team needs scorers, defensive specialists, 3&D players, etc. These roles should have been assigned and enforced.  If a player is not happy with his role, he should be moved.  Take Rozier for example, if he is not happy coming off the bench as the back up PG, then move him for a pick or 2 or a player that will be content being Kyrie's backup.

[KGBirdBias]

Cmon man. How could Ainge have avoided any of this. As soon as the trade deadline passed all the media talking heads immediately put AD on the Celtics. Ainge has never said anything.

Stevens just needs to manage games better and sit guys win or lose.

[ihatelakers]

   ive never heard any of those Anthony davis stories out of dannys mouth. more false media stories again,but danny could have done a better job at shooting some of them down I guess

[CptZoogs]

I think Ainge has clearly been guilty of trying to have his cake and eat it too, and this dates back well before the AD news emerged.   I do not understand why Ainge didn't move Terry back at the draft and he definitely should have been moved at the deadline.  Sometimes making the right move isn't all about talent.  I also don't think it helps retaining Kyrie by retaining his "back-up plan" on the roster.  Ainge should have shown the commitment to getting Kyrie locked in long term and found someone who could accept a backup position long term.

[C3LTSF4N]

This forum is getting tough to read.  People still not understanding that the media lays out whatever they want and everyone buys right into it.

Everyone looks at what’s going on this second and not the big picture.  Keep on keepin on Boston Celtics, there’s a bump in the road but I’m glad we have good leadership with a long term plan.

[Who]

There is no disaster.

This team is in great shape long term. Is very talented and is well equipped to make a major run in the playoffs.

There have been more bumps on the road along the way this season but that is all they are. Not some major trainwreck. Just bumps. Small obstacles that can be overcome.

[PhoSita]

I do think that some blame falls with Ainge for not foreseeing that Rozier would be an issue given his high profile success in the playoffs last year and the fact that the team was going to ask him to return to a 20-25 mpg role.

I think it was foreseeable that there would be issues with minutes and shots for Tatum and Brown as a result of Hayward's return, but I'm not sure that could have been avoided.


I think the lack of reliable big man depth is another issue for which Ainge deserves some blame.  Both Theis and Baynes have a history of being at least somewhat injury prone.  Robert Williams is a very raw rookie.  Yabusele has shown nothing to suggest that he can be relied on for minutes outside of garbage time at the NBA level.  Ojeleye is a decent third string 3/4 but can't log minutes at the 4 or 5 against teams playing traditional big men.

[Monkhouse]

I do think that some blame falls with Ainge for not foreseeing that Rozier would be an issue given his high profile success in the playoffs last year and the fact that the team was going to ask him to return to a 20-25 mpg role.

I think it was foreseeable that there would be issues with minutes and shots for Tatum and Brown as a result of Hayward's return, but I'm not sure that could have been avoided.


I think the lack of reliable big man depth is another issue for which Ainge deserves some blame.  Both Theis and Baynes have a history of being at least somewhat injury prone.  Robert Williams is a very raw rookie.  Yabusele has shown nothing to suggest that he can be relied on for minutes outside of garbage time at the NBA level.  Ojeleye is a decent third string 3/4 but can't log minutes at the 4 or 5 against teams playing traditional big men.

I think keeping Rozier, Morris, and Yabusele, (start of season), was a bad idea in hindsight.

[GreenEnvy]

I do think that some blame falls with Ainge for not foreseeing that Rozier would be an issue given his high profile success in the playoffs last year and the fact that the team was going to ask him to return to a 20-25 mpg role.

I think it was foreseeable that there would be issues with minutes and shots for Tatum and Brown as a result of Hayward's return, but I'm not sure that could have been avoided.


I think the lack of reliable big man depth is another issue for which Ainge deserves some blame.  Both Theis and Baynes have a history of being at least somewhat injury prone.  Robert Williams is a very raw rookie.  Yabusele has shown nothing to suggest that he can be relied on for minutes outside of garbage time at the NBA level.  Ojeleye is a decent third string 3/4 but can't log minutes at the 4 or 5 against teams playing traditional big men.

I don’t see how it’s Ainge’s fault the guys he drafted exceeded expectations.

You can’t just start dumping talented players because of it, and Rozier has been insurance the entire season in the event Kyrie leaves.

I’ll be fine putting him on a very short leash in the playoffs, if not DNPing him. We can use Smart for ~12mpg (Kyrie 36mpg in playoffs) at PG or even use Wannamaker.

242 available minutes:
Kyrie 36
Tatum 34
Horford 32
Hayward 32
Morris 28
Brown 28
Smart 28
Baynes 18
6 remaining minutes to Theis/Rozier, give or take. But can easily be made up by some of these guys (Baynes 20, Smart 30, etc.).

I like that. A nice tight rotation, if guys are hot they stay in, if they are cold they get yanked. Nobody is being overworked.

[Surferdad]

I think Ainge has clearly been guilty of trying to have his cake and eat it too, and this dates back well before the AD news emerged.  I do not understand why Ainge didn't move Terry back at the draft and he definitely should have been moved at the deadline.  Sometimes making the right move isn't all about talent.  I also don't think it helps retaining Kyrie by retaining his "back-up plan" on the roster.  Ainge should have shown the commitment to getting Kyrie locked in long term and found someone who could accept a backup position long term.

Possibly because Kyrie is an injury risk?  Just a guess.   
As far as locking Kyrie up, it's a two-way street and we now know Kyrie wants to keep his options open.

[PhoSita]

I don’t see how it’s Ainge’s fault the guys he drafted exceeded expectations.

It is his fault for not foreseeing that a player with a level of confidence that doesn't really match his talent would be unhappy going back to a bench role after putting up counting stats for a long playoff run.


Rozier's been a problem all year long -- to be clear, not the only problem, but he's been one of them -- and that could have been avoided if the team found a trade for him last summer when his value was probably much higher than it is now.

[GreenFaith1819]

No disaster.

Things will come together.

[footey]

We need to get more physical with teams. I rewatched the Bulls game. Zach Levine was on fire. What do you do when that happens? Rough him up. Get physical. Ditto Markennen. Those two were just so comfortable out there, no one got physical. No wonder they scored at will.

We’re playing like wusses.

[SparzWizard]

No disaster.

Things will come together.

Too late. Not this season.

[mctyson]

I do think that some blame falls with Ainge for not foreseeing that Rozier would be an issue given his high profile success in the playoffs last year and the fact that the team was going to ask him to return to a 20-25 mpg role.

I think it was foreseeable that there would be issues with minutes and shots for Tatum and Brown as a result of Hayward's return, but I'm not sure that could have been avoided.


I think the lack of reliable big man depth is another issue for which Ainge deserves some blame.  Both Theis and Baynes have a history of being at least somewhat injury prone.  Robert Williams is a very raw rookie.  Yabusele has shown nothing to suggest that he can be relied on for minutes outside of garbage time at the NBA level.  Ojeleye is a decent third string 3/4 but can't log minutes at the 4 or 5 against teams playing traditional big men.

More so, you would think that Ainge would know you cannot go 10 deep with guys who all think they are starter quality.