Has Any Young Celtic Ever Really Not Had a Chance?

[PhoSita]

I'm not sure how you can watch this much basketball and not see the importance of a reasonable and rather set rotation.  The exact difference between both sides played out for the Celtics this year and the team got a lot better once Stevens tightened up the rotation.

I covered this already, go back and read what I said before.

I don't think the organization sees it this way (not caring about wins this season) and to me, I would disagree with this if they did stop caring about wins.  You have to play to win or you are the Sixers.  There isn't much middle ground.

Then why doesn't every team play its main guys 40+ minutes per game?  If winning each game is of the utmost importance, I mean.

If Stevens is so hell-bent on winning every precious game, why ever experiment with lineups in the first place?

Or would you acknowledge that sometimes there are objectives that advance the goal of winning in the larger scheme of things that don't necessarily advance the goal of winning this game tonight?

[Celtics18]

Giving sporadic minutes to young guys not in the rotation would mean benching or reducing the minutes of someone in the rotation.  I'm not sure that would be good for the chemistry or the rhythm of the team.

...

Our Celtics don't have that luxury.

Ok

I don't agree.

[Celtics18]

I'm not sure how you can watch this much basketball and not see the importance of a reasonable and rather set rotation.  The exact difference between both sides played out for the Celtics this year and the team got a lot better once Stevens tightened up the rotation.

I covered this already, go back and read what I said before.

I don't think the organization sees it this way (not caring about wins this season) and to me, I would disagree with this if they did stop caring about wins.  You have to play to win or you are the Sixers.  There isn't much middle ground.

Then why doesn't every team play its main guys 40+ minutes per game?  If winning each game is of the utmost importance, I mean.

If Stevens is so hell-bent on winning every precious game, why ever experiment with lineups in the first place?

Or would you acknowledge that sometimes there are objectives that advance the goal of winning in the larger scheme of things that don't necessarily advance the goal of winning this game tonight?

When you talk about "the larger scheme of things," I believe Brad may at times be coaching with more than the specific game in mind, but I don't believe his rotational decisions involve thinking beyond what is best for the success of this particular season.  He's thinking about how to win now and how to be prepared to win in the post-season.  Of course that means resting guys on some nights, conserving energy of guys, sometimes trying different combinations.

It doesn't mean making rotational decisions based on two or three years down the road.  And, in my opinion that's the way it should be.  This team is playing for playoff positioning.  They are playing to be as successful as possible this year--which, luckily, has the added benefit of being really positive for player development.

[nickagneta]

It's the front office's responsibility to think down the road. It's the coach's responsibility to win in the here and now. Player development is something a coach has to do but with the mind that he has to develop winning basketball habits and a winning basketball mindset in his player. Giving youth playing time without earning it with no regard for whether you are winning or losing doesn't set that winning mindset into place in the player.

This has to be true. Think about this. How many coaches get fired for not developing players? How many coaches get fired for not winning? It's pretty cut and dry when looked at from that perspective. Coaches get paid to win.

The players have to earn their time in order to help maximize the team's chances of winning in the here or now otherwise the player is going to think that their performance is more important than the team winning.If not, what happens is you get a player that doesn't prioritize team over individual.

Doc Rivers understands this. Brad Stevens understands this. Danny Ainge understands this. And that's why the a celtics as an organization doesn't hand players playing time but makes them earn their time. It's also why so very few players have actually not gotten playing time here in Boston and then have gone on to become some so much more somewhere else.