Mike Gorman doesnt think Tatum and Brown can be the leaders for the Celtics

[PhoSita]

If you listen to the entire quote it makes sense.  This team lacks veteran leaders.  Ostensibly you'd look to Kemba and Smart, but they've both missed a lot of time. 

Neither Tatum nor Jaylen is really up to the task of being the leader on the floor right now.  That's understandable since they're both still young even though it is frustrating.

[hpantazo]

If you listen to the entire quote it makes sense.  This team lacks veteran leaders.  Ostensibly you'd look to Kemba and Smart, but they've both missed a lot of time. 

Neither Tatum nor Jaylen is really up to the task of being the leader on the floor right now.  That's understandable since they're both still young even though it is frustrating.

Very well put. Wasn't Tristan Thompson also supposed to bring some vet leadership with championship experience?

[Roy H.]

Paul Pierce was a terrible leader, until he grew into the role.  These guys will get there.

[hpantazo]

Paul Pierce was a terrible leader, until he grew into the role.  These guys will get there.

True. Doc had a big hand in getting him there though, including some tough love and some rifts early on.

[footey]

Jackie Mac just published an in depth article about Chris Paul's leadership. He can be quite grating. But he holds guys accountable.

I have more hope for Jaylen emerging in that role. I don't think it's in Jayson's DNA.  Jayson is an incredible talent, but just don't think he is the guy who can lead.  Smart has his moments, too, but just is not talented enough, and does too many dumb things, that diminishes his leadership capacity.

[seancally]

You know what I’d like Gorman to tell the talk show heads and Boston media?

“Tatum and Brown are remarkable people, remarkable players, and have shown tremendous leadership for guys their age. They’ve led this team to multiple ECF appearances already. We’re lucky to have them and I’ll enjoy watching them take the next steps as leaders. They have room to grow and that’s pretty astonishing given how good they already are.”

Edit: And you know what? Enough with the Pierce comparisons, as though Paul (love him) was also a community role model who also led his team to multiple ECF appearances at their age. He wasn’t, and he didn’t. Tatum and Brown are way ahead of Pierce as leaders at their age. Pierce was a knucklehead. These guys are not.

[gouki88]

Paul Pierce was a terrible leader, until he grew into the role.  These guys will get there.

Given his recent antics maybe PP has reverted again into knuckleheadedness

[Ogaju]

I agree that Tatum and Brown are too young to lead this team far right now, but what about Kemba and Smart? Those guys are vets who are supposed to be good team leaders.

Leader Smart just got suspended for one game for threatening a ref.

lol @ Leader Smart

[PAOBoston]

Paul Pierce was a terrible leader, until he grew into the role.  These guys will get there.

Paul Pierce was a terrible leader...until KG came here and did the leading.

[ozgod]

Scoring 38 and 35 points on a must win game should earn the Jays come credit with Mike.

[Vermont Green]

At age 23 and 24, if they tried to be too much of leaders, it would actually likely backfire.  You just cant be that young and be running around trying to tell vets what to do.  Leadership comes in due course.

I see this criticism as kind of preemptive.  Criticizing them for something based on an assumptions that they won't become good leaders in the future.

[td450]

Two points:

First, Tatum and Brown are not at the same place as far as leadership goes. It seems pretty obvious to me that Brown is a leader and Tatum is just Tatum. It wasn't just the 20 points in the first quarter, it was the manic intensity on defense and the conscious attempt to bring along other teammates. Brown made sure to get good looks for Tatum and Thompson even as he was clearly taking over the game, and to Tatum's credit, he made a couple of great passes back.

Tatum and Brown play like separate islands, and it is not a good trend. It was nice to see the first quarter play out differently. There was some slippage after that by Tatum where he went back to his old habits, but it's something to build on.

Second, Walker and Smart are not leaders, and it isn't because they've missed games. Walker is a genuinely positive guy and Smart is super competitive, but they display no other forms of leadership. They don't adjust their games to what the team needs. They don't course correct in games when the team stagnates. They don't sense when they need to get another player going. They just do what they do.

[nickagneta]

Two points:

First, Tatum and Brown are not at the same place as far as leadership goes. It seems pretty obvious to me that Brown is a leader and Tatum is just Tatum. It wasn't just the 20 points in the first quarter, it was the manic intensity on defense and the conscious attempt to bring along other teammates. Brown made sure to get good looks for Tatum and Thompson even as he was clearly taking over the game, and to Tatum's credit, he made a couple of great passes back.

Tatum and Brown play like separate islands, and it is not a good trend. It was nice to see the first quarter play out differently. There was some slippage after that by Tatum where he went back to his old habits, but it's something to build on.

Second, Walker and Smart are not leaders, and it isn't because they've missed games. Walker is a genuinely positive guy and Smart is super competitive, but they display no other forms of leadership. They don't adjust their games to what the team needs. They don't course correct in games when the team stagnates. They don't sense when they need to get another player going. They just do what they do.

I'm not buying that Kemba isn't a leader. Most of the guys on this team were lauding the leadership qualities and positivity that Kemba brought to the team during games and in the locker room before and after games last year. I don't that has changed simply because 10 months passed.

[Moranis]

Listened to Gorman and it sounds like a lot of his frustration is that he thinks this team should be a contender, and it quite simply doesn't have that level of talent.

[td450]

Two points:

First, Tatum and Brown are not at the same place as far as leadership goes. It seems pretty obvious to me that Brown is a leader and Tatum is just Tatum. It wasn't just the 20 points in the first quarter, it was the manic intensity on defense and the conscious attempt to bring along other teammates. Brown made sure to get good looks for Tatum and Thompson even as he was clearly taking over the game, and to Tatum's credit, he made a couple of great passes back.

Tatum and Brown play like separate islands, and it is not a good trend. It was nice to see the first quarter play out differently. There was some slippage after that by Tatum where he went back to his old habits, but it's something to build on.

Second, Walker and Smart are not leaders, and it isn't because they've missed games. Walker is a genuinely positive guy and Smart is super competitive, but they display no other forms of leadership. They don't adjust their games to what the team needs. They don't course correct in games when the team stagnates. They don't sense when they need to get another player going. They just do what they do.

I'm not buying that Kemba isn't a leader. Most of the guys on this team were lauding the leadership qualities and positivity that Kemba brought to the team during games and in the locker room before and after games last year. I don't that has changed simply because 10 months passed.

He's a very positive person, and a good person to be around. He probably works hard. That is very different from being a leader.

Think about the qualities you really want in a leader, as opposed to a really good guy. Does he ever get after other guys? Does he see that the team is drifting in the wrong direction and provide the proper adjustments? When the team's energy is low, does he push the team through it?