Welcome Charles Lee

[Roy H.]

Welcome our 2024-2025 head coach!

Celtics are hiring a lot of assistants who have been head coaching finalists with Lee and Cassell.

Guess it gives a good backup plan if Mazzulla doesn't work out

well we now have 2 coaches on staff that would likely be better than Maz.  The whole thing comes down to the C's mistake of removing the interim tag.  They could have pivoted right now to Lee if they hadn't done that.

Yeah, I said the same thing on Reddit. If all three were up for HC vacancies last offseason, Joe would pretty easily be the 3rd choice there.

We are supremely fortunate that we managed to sign two of the top assistants in the league who also don’t have previous HC experience. Of course, Vogel would have been a welcome addition, but it could have created a power dynamic if things weren’t going well..

Brad has a much higher opinion of Joe than Joe's critics.  Brad gives the impression that he thinks Joe is an Eric Spoelstra in the making.   Heat fans wanted him fired when he couldn't win in 2011.  Pat Riley stood behind him. Rest is history.  I'm willing to be patient with the guy.

My point was that before the Ime scandal, Joe was nowhere near being hired as the HC of an NBA team, never mind one that had just been to the Finals and is in clear win-now mode.

I am not being critical of his potential moving forward, I just wish his learning wasn't coming at the expense of our Title window. Hopefully this past season accelerated that learning and he is on a trajectory to be a championship-level coach [very] soon.

And, at the very least, we now have very capable assistant coaches behind him now. Ime had Hardy, Stoudamire, and Joe. Joe had Stoudamire and that was only for half a season.

Joe was almost hired for the Utah job instead of Hardy, according to Ainge

Ainge also almost traded four picks for Justice Winslow.  Sometimes you luck out.

But, do you have a link?  I thought Utah wanted Joe as as assistant, not as a head coach.

[Kernewek]

Welcome our 2024-2025 head coach!

Celtics are hiring a lot of assistants who have been head coaching finalists with Lee and Cassell.

Guess it gives a good backup plan if Mazzulla doesn't work out

well we now have 2 coaches on staff that would likely be better than Maz.  The whole thing comes down to the C's mistake of removing the interim tag.  They could have pivoted right now to Lee if they hadn't done that.

Yeah, I said the same thing on Reddit. If all three were up for HC vacancies last offseason, Joe would pretty easily be the 3rd choice there.

We are supremely fortunate that we managed to sign two of the top assistants in the league who also don’t have previous HC experience. Of course, Vogel would have been a welcome addition, but it could have created a power dynamic if things weren’t going well..

Brad has a much higher opinion of Joe than Joe's critics.  Brad gives the impression that he thinks Joe is an Eric Spoelstra in the making.   Heat fans wanted him fired when he couldn't win in 2011.  Pat Riley stood behind him. Rest is history.  I'm willing to be patient with the guy.

My point was that before the Ime scandal, Joe was nowhere near being hired as the HC of an NBA team, never mind one that had just been to the Finals and is in clear win-now mode.

I am not being critical of his potential moving forward, I just wish his learning wasn't coming at the expense of our Title window. Hopefully this past season accelerated that learning and he is on a trajectory to be a championship-level coach [very] soon.

And, at the very least, we now have very capable assistant coaches behind him now. Ime had Hardy, Stoudamire, and Joe. Joe had Stoudamire and that was only for half a season.

Joe was almost hired for the Utah job instead of Hardy, according to Ainge

Ainge also almost traded four picks for Justice Winslow.  Sometimes you luck out.

But, do you have a link?  I thought Utah wanted Joe as as assistant, not as a head coach.

On mobile so I can’t get to the exact quote but it’s from the Dan S globe article from a little while ago - he was a finalist for HC and then Ainge wanted to poach him as an assistant after Hardy got the gig.

The MassLive summary has it as well:

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was a finalist for that Jazz head coaching position before Hardy was hired and Boston prevented Ainge from hiring Mazzulla as an assistant last offseason before he was promoted to head coach in Boston in place of Udoka.

https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2023/06/danny-ainge-defends-celtics-calls-joe-mazzulla-better-coach-than-ime-udoka.html

[Celtics2021]

So they’re making Charles Lee second in command?

Hopefully he’s learned from the Battle of Monmouth.

[gouki88]

Thrilled!! Pretty happy with our reinvented assistant coaching group after its decimation

[SHAQATTACK]

Welcome our 2024-2025 head coach!

Yup

[Surferdad]

Welcome our 2024-2025 head coach!

Celtics are hiring a lot of assistants who have been head coaching finalists with Lee and Cassell.

Guess it gives a good backup plan if Mazzulla doesn't work out

well we now have 2 coaches on staff that would likely be better than Maz.  The whole thing comes down to the C's mistake of removing the interim tag.  They could have pivoted right now to Lee if they hadn't done that.

Yeah, I said the same thing on Reddit. If all three were up for HC vacancies last offseason, Joe would pretty easily be the 3rd choice there.

We are supremely fortunate that we managed to sign two of the top assistants in the league who also don’t have previous HC experience. Of course, Vogel would have been a welcome addition, but it could have created a negative power dynamic if things weren’t going well..

TP for you, good summary. Add these two excellent coaching hires to a returning Gallo, and the team is already better than the previous one that was 48 minutes away from the Finals.

[Celtics4ever]

Big upgrades over the guys who left.   

[cman88]

Honestly, better coaching is more important than whomever they sign in the offseason at this point. And so far you signed 2 of the top assistants to the coaching staff. and one being an ex-player which is very important to the players it seems like..

Interested to see whom else they sign the round out the coaching staff. but this is a BIG first step to getting where we need to go.

I do wonder how much the brain drain of the coaching staff/added with Mazzulla coming in in September and being fresh with not as much talent around him affected the team/play. We may never know but it did seem that after Damon left their play went substantially down.

[Who]

Honestly, better coaching is more important than whomever they sign in the offseason at this point. And so far you signed 2 of the top assistants to the coaching staff. and one being an ex-player which is very important to the players it seems like..

A better head coach = I agree

Better assistants = I doubt it.

[cman88]

Honestly, better coaching is more important than whomever they sign in the offseason at this point. And so far you signed 2 of the top assistants to the coaching staff. and one being an ex-player which is very important to the players it seems like..

A better head coach = I agree

Better assistants = I doubt it.

You don't think assistants have any impact on performance? especially signing 2 as good/highly accomplished/head coaching finalists as Cassell/Lee? IMO they will have a big impact and input in this team next year on offense/defense as well as with the players.

I will say it is odd that if the 3 were interviewing for HC Joe would be last on my list of those 3...

[Roy H.]

Honestly, better coaching is more important than whomever they sign in the offseason at this point. And so far you signed 2 of the top assistants to the coaching staff. and one being an ex-player which is very important to the players it seems like..

A better head coach = I agree

Better assistants = I doubt it.

You don't think assistants have any impact on performance?

so basically these additions are worthless?

Well, he didn't say worthless.  Just less important than our off-season signings.  I think we have to see who we add first?  🤷🏻‍♂️

[Who]

Honestly, better coaching is more important than whomever they sign in the offseason at this point. And so far you signed 2 of the top assistants to the coaching staff. and one being an ex-player which is very important to the players it seems like..

A better head coach = I agree

Better assistants = I doubt it.

You don't think assistants have any impact on performance?

so basically these additions are worthless?

Well, he didn't say worthless.  Just less important than our off-season signings.  I think we have to see who we add first?  🤷🏻‍♂️

Yep. Most of the time changes to assistant coaches do not have a noticeable impact on the court. Sometimes, on rare occassions, they do. Will this be one of those times? Who knows.

Changes to the player personnel has much greater chance of improving the team.

[gouki88]

Honestly, better coaching is more important than whomever they sign in the offseason at this point. And so far you signed 2 of the top assistants to the coaching staff. and one being an ex-player which is very important to the players it seems like..

A better head coach = I agree

Better assistants = I doubt it.

You don't think assistants have any impact on performance?

so basically these additions are worthless?

Well, he didn't say worthless.  Just less important than our off-season signings.  I think we have to see who we add first?  🤷🏻‍♂️

Yep. Most of the time changes to assistant coaches do not have a noticeable impact on the court. Sometimes, on rare occassions, they do. Will this be one of those times? Who knows.

Changes to the player personnel has much greater chance of improving the team.

I think there was a noticeable impact when we lost 2 senior assistants and promoted another without replacing them!

[Neurotic Guy]

Honestly, better coaching is more important than whomever they sign in the offseason at this point. And so far you signed 2 of the top assistants to the coaching staff. and one being an ex-player which is very important to the players it seems like..

A better head coach = I agree

Better assistants = I doubt it.

You don't think assistants have any impact on performance?

so basically these additions are worthless?

Well, he didn't say worthless.  Just less important than our off-season signings.  I think we have to see who we add first?  🤷🏻‍♂️

Yep. Most of the time changes to assistant coaches do not have a noticeable impact on the court. Sometimes, on rare occassions, they do. Will this be one of those times? Who knows.

Changes to the player personnel has much greater chance of improving the team.

A unique circumstance in that it's a championship contending roster with a very young HC and experienced assistants.  The coaching staff dynamics and the interplay with players is going to be interesting.  Joe is going to have to show a personality strength unique for a 35 year old (imo) to be the leader of a staff of coaches that have more coaching experience and life experience than he has.  He may well have to deal players maybe showing more respect for assistants than for the HC.  That happens, but as HC a maturity beyond his years will be needed. 

[Who]

Honestly, better coaching is more important than whomever they sign in the offseason at this point. And so far you signed 2 of the top assistants to the coaching staff. and one being an ex-player which is very important to the players it seems like..

A better head coach = I agree

Better assistants = I doubt it.

You don't think assistants have any impact on performance?

so basically these additions are worthless?

Well, he didn't say worthless.  Just less important than our off-season signings.  I think we have to see who we add first?  🤷🏻‍♂️

Yep. Most of the time changes to assistant coaches do not have a noticeable impact on the court. Sometimes, on rare occassions, they do. Will this be one of those times? Who knows.

Changes to the player personnel has much greater chance of improving the team.

A unique circumstance in that it's a championship contending roster with a very young HC and experienced assistants.  The coaching staff dynamics and the interplay with players is going to be interesting. Joe is going to have to show a personality strength unique for a 35 year old (imo) to be the leader of a staff of coaches that have more coaching experience and life experience than he has. He may well have to deal players maybe showing more respect for assistants than for the HC.  That happens, but as HC a maturity beyond his years will be needed.

Yeah agreed on everything.

Larry Bird was phenomenal at that. He hired two coaches. The best offensive assistant coach in the league in Rick Carlisle and the best defensive assistant coach in the league in Dick Harter. He delegated and gave both huge levels of responsibility to do their thing. Those two assistants had a massive impact on Indiana.

Remains to be seen how Mazzula handles his assistants and whether he can make the most of what they have to offer.

And like you say above, big difference between a Larry Bird who is one of the most celebrated basketball players of all time and little known young head coach like Mazzula. Never any doubt of who the boss was with Bird. Never any doubt of his pedigree. Bird never feared his underlings doing well or showing him up. He empowered them. Will Mazzula?

Already we have posts here about "coaches in waiting" and the "new Celtics head coach in 2024-25" both for Charles Lee and for Sam Cassell. How will Mazzula handle that? If they get too much love from the media or within the locker room from the players? If they look to the assistants for leadership instead of the head coach.

Not an easy task for Mazzula.