New Wyc interview (04/13)

[Eddie20]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/04/13/nba-boston-celtics-wyc-grousbeck/7654339/

"I'm not used to being out of the playoffs," he said. "I remember being back to the building phase back from '03 to '07, and we knew in '03 that we didn't have a team that was capable of winning. So we changed the coach and the general manager and really started over just building through the draft, with the goal eventually of maybe making a couple of transformative trades. And that's really how it played out in '07. So we really think we're going to do the exact same thing. We're going to draft and be patient and provide the payroll and support and steady hand necessary to bring this back, because I'm only interested in banners. I named my company 'Banner 17' – we got that one (championship in 2008). I might as well name it Banner 18, because that's all we're interested in."

Still, it doesn't make it any less painful. Grousbeck reflected on how the Celtics got here and looked ahead to what he sees as a bright future in Boston in a brief interview with USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick.

Q: Does living through that championship process in 2007 give you confidence going forward?

A: "It does. It's worked once before, and the converse has not worked – which is bolting on veterans without a long-term plan. I actually think there are examples around the league of people who have tried hard to make every year a good year, and you end up in a box and you don't have a future that's as bright as you'd like it to be."

Q: But this (more stringent collective bargaining agreement) didn't exist in '07. How does that change your approach?

A: "The success over the league over the last few years has meant that there's a lot more money going to players, and really these guys can find their money in any city now. The differentiating factor is whether or not they can win a ring. I've got a ring. It's my proudest possession. It's a [dang] fine thing to have, and the people who don't have them really want them. And so I think this levels the playing field for Boston, because people believe that (general manager) Danny (Ainge) and (first-year coach) Brad (Stevens) and the Boston environment can maybe get them to a championship. So in the new NBA, you can get your money anywhere but you don't know where you can get your championship.

"I like what we're starting to build from. We've got a coach I have a lot of confidence in. I think we've got one of the very best GMs in the league. We've got a lot of will in the ownership group to support this to the very end, as far as we can. When we brought in Kevin (Garnett from Minnesota via trade in the summer of 2007) and Ray (Allen via free agency that same summer) and had Paul, that was three max contracts. It was a huge commitment, and our ownership group looked at each other around the table and everybody committed that they would not only do their own piece but that they'd do anybody else's piece who didn't have an interest. So everybody doubled down, and nobody left. Everybody doubled down. That's the way this ownership group is.

"It's particularly fun for me to know that all those guys (Garnett and Pierce) are teammates now (in Brooklyn), because it sort of goes 'A to Z' in this organization. We're all in it for that, and it's really painful to go through a year when you don't feel like you're a contender, but we feel like we're trying to build a contender by playing our kids and building up their value and their skills. Two examples of that come to mind – Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger. They're getting a lot more playing time this year on our team than they might get on more established contending teams. Their skills are definitely better having played on the 2014 Celtics than on other teams, and that's going to serve us really well in the future."

Q: Every owner always has some sort of timeframe in mind, and a lot of people expect you guys to pull the trigger on something (trade-wise) major when all the pieces align. So what is your timeframe?

A: "Nothing would make me happier than to be contending next year. We went from basically worst to first in '07-'08. Having said that, this is going to be a multi-year process. We've got a young core that we're excited about. We've got picks (seven first-rounders in the next three drafts) and a GM and a coach that looks like a recipe for a lot of success in the future, but it doesn't look like it's an overnight success. So we're prepared for the long haul, but we'd love to accelerate it if we could."

Q: Look back a second for me on last summer. It was pretty dramatic with how that (old Celtics) group was broken up. When you look back on it, did you feel like you were nearing that point of switching gears or did it catch you off guard because of Doc's situation? (former coach Doc Rivers was allowed to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers in late June, and Boston received a 2015 first-round pick in return)

A: "Looking back on Doc's career with us, he is as responsible for the championship as anybody I can name. He's one of a really small group who really brought that championship to Boston, so the fact that he didn't want to go through a rebuild, which was just inevitable, is not a knock on him. He had tasted championship basketball, and he wanted to get back to it quicker. I respect him for that. I've got no problem with that, and we're very glad we've got Brad. It makes it a lot easier with a coach like Brad (Stevens) in here, or easier to take. But you know, we miss Doc and we respect Doc."

Q: So as the playoffs arrive, will you watch more Clippers games than the rest and follow him at this point?

A: (Laughs) "Um, I'm friendly rivals with every team in the league, and I'm really annoyed that anyone is going to win this year other than us. I'm not going to break character on that one, Sam, I'm sorry. You're not going to get me on that one."

[Kane3387]

I think we might have a similar year next year like we did this year. At that point I don't think ownership will be as patient. Got to think the success of the all the other major sports teams in Boston will pressure the Cs into being competitive sooner them later.

That's cool with me bc next years draft will be pretty good too from what I hear.