I would be pretty happy to bring Rozier back, and I would consider this team lucky if he is willing to come back.
This team has treated Rozier like a doormat since the moment he arrived:
1. First he was buried behind Rondo and Smart - he did not complain once.
2. Then then Rondo was traded out he got buried behind Thomas and Smart - again, he did not say a word.
3. When Boston faced injuries Rozier finally got a chance, and he absolutely made the most of that opportunity. Boston surprised everybody by beating the Bucks and the Sixers, then taking the Cavs to 7 games - and Rozier was absolutely instrumental to that run.
4. Then after proving what he can do, what does he get as thanks? He gets buried on the bench once again behind Kyrie and Smart. In a contract year, no less - his last opportunity to show his value and get paid.
5. Despite being buried AGAIN behind Kyrie and Smart, he once again proved himself by filling in extremely well every time the injury bug hit. In 14 games as a starter Rozier averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 43% / 40% / 90%. In those games Rozier had a net rating of +11 and the Celtics were 11-3 (0.785). The Celtics almost always played their best basketball when Rozier was given the starting PG spot...and yet any time the injured partys returned he was thrown straight back to the end of the bench again.
6. I can understand Rozier being beyind Kyrie, but he was also constantly buried behind Smart. Despite the fact that Rozier often outplayed Smart. Despite Smart's constantly poor end of game decision making, Stevens frequently left Smart in the game and Rozier rotting at the end of the bench.
Rozier went through the entire NBA season without making a single complaint. He sat there quietly at the end of the bench and did whatever he was asked, year after year after year.
Finally after after four years of being shoved to the end of the bench and utterly ignored by your coach, after coming off a disastrous season that nobody on the team enjoyed, and after willingly sacrificing your entire contract year for the sake of the team - and not getting a single bit of thanks or appreciation for any of it - finally he reached the limit of his patience and came out to express how he really felt.
And I don't blame the guy one iota, because if I were in his position I would feel exactly the same way.
Ok maybe he could have thought a bit more carefully before talking - maybe going and saying all of this on public TV may not have been the cleanest way of expressing himself But people make mistakes - and Rozier was clearly incredibly frustrated, not just for this season but probably for the way he's been treated the entire time he was in Boston. I really don't think anybody really has the right to blame him for that - the entire league has pretty much acknowledged Rozier's potential as a starting PG in this league for one or two seasons now, and yet the Celtics have been holding him back from achieving his potential from day one.
In all honest, i don't even think most of the things he said were that bad. He didn't really throw specific shade at any one person. In fact the people on the shows pushed and prodded him HARD to try to push him to diss specific individuals (like Kyrie and Kayward) and he refused to do it. He specifically said sure there may have been some challenges with those guys, but that the problem was not any one person. He went out of his way to say it wasn't all Kyrie's fault, and that he also had to make adjustments to taking on a new role as a leader. He mentioned guys had egos, and that created issues, etc.
Many people took offense when he was asked if he would come back to Boston if the team was brought back as it was and he said probably not - that he'd love to come back to Boston but he really wants a starting role. I think that's fair. I think he's earned that. Why WOULD he want to come back only to be buried at the end of the bench for another 4 years?
Anyway I will end my little rant now - but I really do think people are being (and always have been) a little hard on Rozier. I can acknowledge that he made a mistake by coming out and being as vocal as he was, but at least he was honest and speaking from the heart - he seems like the type of guy who doesn't know any other way. If Marcus Smart came out and said all the things Rozier said, you would probably all be praising him for being real and for saying it how it is. Somehow Rozier has been hated on by Celtics fans from day one.
Topic: Are We Really Bringing Back Rozier?? (Update: Nope! Phew) (Read 19790 times)