Idk if anyone caught the post ceremony interview with Scal and Ray but they mentioned a story to emphasize the toughness of that squad.
Ray said they brought in a big guy free agent (he wouldnt mention by name) and his 1st practice he went to shoot at the rim where Pierce, KG, and Allen were at and Paul basically told him he wasnt shooting with them and to get lost. So the unnamed big man went to the other side of the court to shoot with the other guys and Eddie House told him to get lost too. The guy ended up just standing at mid court doing nothing and Ray said it was at that moment he knew he wasnt gonna last because you had to have at least a little bit of grit to play with them guys.
Anyone have any clue as to who this unnamed player could be? He didnt mention exactly what year it was but it seemed like he was talking about 07-08. I cant think of any big men we brought in that year besides PJ Brown and i know he got along with all those guys and Pierce personally recruited him so there's no way it could be him.
Scott Pollard, probably
Pollard has some grit. My money is on Patrick Obryant like the other poster said.
Pollard & Pierce were college teammates and Pollard was an established vet. I don't see Pierce doing Scot dirty.
Judging by the time frame and names involved, its almost certainly O'Bryant.
Yeah, agreed. The team didn't have much love for POB:
Consider former Celtic Patrick O'Bryant, the ninth pick in the 2006 draft. Early in the 2008-09 season, O'Bryant was putting in some post work with Celtics assistant coach Clifford Ray after practice when Garnett summoned him to the other end of the floor. KG wanted to light a fire under the young center, who he felt was too placid. Garnett immediately began berating O'Bryant, criticizing him mercilessly. When O'Bryant didn't react, KG pushed harder. Still nothing. Garnett walked off the court in disgust.
"You know how he is," O'Bryant says. "He was yelling and screaming, trying to get me to scream back, but that's not who I am. I don't need to yell at someone all the way down the court after I dunk. Just because I didn't have a mean look on my face didn't mean I wasn't listening."
From that day forward, those close to the team say, Garnett would go out of his way to bully O'Bryant. Normally a pass-first player, KG would take the ball forcefully to the hole if O'Bryant was guarding him in practice. He subjected him to a nonstop stream of insults to break him. "Patrick would miss a shot, and he'd just torture him," Powe says. "Kevin wasn't going to forgive him. He'd talk crazy to him. We told Patrick, 'Don't let him get under your skin,' but it was too late." Twenty-six games into his Celtics career, on Feb. 19, 2009, Boston traded O'Bryant, who today maintains he learned a lot from Garnett and doesn't remember being bullied, to Toronto for a 2014 second-round pick. He would play just 24 more games in his NBA career.
"Kevin destroyed him," Rivers says. "It was mean-spirited."
Playing with KG required mental toughness. Paddy O'Blount didn't have that.
It is stories like that, why I continue to maintain that KG was just a flat out A.....hole. He just wasn't a likeable guy and he always seemed to bully and pick on rookies and those he perceived as weak. He continually crossed lines and seems to still show no remorse.
KG played with an incredible intensity and his talent was undeniable, but he is just a straight up p..ck
I think he’s more complex than that. Most guys seemed to love playing with him. He was intensely loyal, and there’s a clear bond with so many in the organization. For instance, during the Dallas game long-term employee Heather Walker was the “hero among us”, recognizing her battle with cancer. I’m not sure if that made the telecast, but I’m confident that what happened next didn’t. Ms. Walker went over to KG to say hello, and he embraced her. Not once, but at least five different times. He spent actually quality time with somebody he clearly cared about.
During the game, the way he treated those around him was very gracious. Ball boys, floor sweepers, ushers. And of course, he showed a deep, deep love for his daughters.
There’s no doubt that he can be an angry bully. But, that doesn’t necessarily define him.
