Celtics News

[Roy H.]

I think we should stop focusing so much on the regular season as well. This team was really good in the regular season the last two years and could not get out of the second round.

I think it is tough to argue that this team is worse than the team from last years regular season. Their record may be worse because I do think the team benefited from a lot of teams trying to tank and I do think we will rest our top guys more this year. But I just do not think it matters in the regular season because I do feel this team is worse than last years playoff team that could not get out of the first round.

Granted I do sadly think Moranis has been proven right with the fact that this team just did not have enough talent. Unless Hugo develops into a borderline all star I think it is going to be tough to compete in the near future. And I think that would have been the case even if we had kept JB.

he must have hacked your account to post this. 

nothing's been proven yet.

Yeah.  The team probably isn't good enough to compete for a championship now, but I think they would have been with Brown and Robinson.

[Who]

I think we should stop focusing so much on the regular season as well. This team was really good in the regular season the last two years and could not get out of the second round.

I think it is tough to argue that this team is worse than the team from last years regular season. Their record may be worse because I do think the team benefited from a lot of teams trying to tank and I do think we will rest our top guys more this year. But I just do not think it matters in the regular season because I do feel this team is worse than last years playoff team that could not get out of the first round.

Granted I do sadly think Moranis has been proven right with the fact that this team just did not have enough talent. Unless Hugo develops into a borderline all star I think it is going to be tough to compete in the near future. And I think that would have been the case even if we had kept JB.

he must have hacked your account to post this. 

nothing's been proven yet.

Yeah.  The team probably isn't good enough to compete for a championship now, but I think they would have been with Brown and Robinson.

And could have improved their final flaw -- bench shooting / scoring -- by making some trades. By trading some of the youth & future picks.

Easy route to being one the top team in the East and one of the 3-4 top teams in the league.

[Ilikesports17]

"Impact on winning" is the new "Optionality".  It must have done well with the marketing test groups.

People talk about veteran leadership, and they talk about how important vets are," Stevens said. "And my argument to that would be good vets are really important. Guys that really have a great understanding of where they are in their career, how they impact winning and the appropriate amount of expectations from the individual standpoint, and I think that that's what you get with Mike [Conley]. And he still, every time he plays, has a big impact on winning."

Stevens continued.

"And so I think the balance of being able to play at a high level (and) not needing to play every minute of every game is an incredibly valuable thing, and it's usually reserved for guys that have a good perspective on life. And Mike does ? he certainly has that."

Brads been using variations of this term for like 8 years.

Has he been using it on 36 and 39 year olds, though?

I mean its really not an uncommon phrase. What do you expect him to say? I think these guys are bad at basketball?

[Roy H.]

"Impact on winning" is the new "Optionality".  It must have done well with the marketing test groups.

People talk about veteran leadership, and they talk about how important vets are," Stevens said. "And my argument to that would be good vets are really important. Guys that really have a great understanding of where they are in their career, how they impact winning and the appropriate amount of expectations from the individual standpoint, and I think that that's what you get with Mike [Conley]. And he still, every time he plays, has a big impact on winning."

Stevens continued.

"And so I think the balance of being able to play at a high level (and) not needing to play every minute of every game is an incredibly valuable thing, and it's usually reserved for guys that have a good perspective on life. And Mike does ? he certainly has that."

Brads been using variations of this term for like 8 years.

Has he been using it on 36 and 39 year olds, though?

I mean its really not an uncommon phrase. What do you expect him to say? I think these guys are bad at basketball?

It's a buzz phrase he's using this offseason.  It's supposed to make us feel good about adding over the hill veterans. 

But, if it's as common as you say (rather than 2026 spin) I'm sure you've got lots of examples of Brad saying the same thing in years past?

And more importantly, how is it quantified in the case of Paul George, who we here is more impactful than his peers?

[Vermont Green]

Isn't the "impacts winning" coming from advanced stats like NRtg and on/off +/-?  That was the narrative around Brown.  The team statistically was better with Brown off the court when looking only at these or similar stats.  With Paul George, in 2025-26 regular season, he had a NRtg of +3.6 while the team overall was -0.1.  So the team was much better when he played.  He impacted winning statistically.  In the playoffs, George was -8.2 with the team at -10.1, so better with George here also.

I am not saying that I fully buy the idea of basing a player's impact on winning purely on these stats.  I go a lot by what I see on the court.  In the case of Brown, I saw a much better player than what these stats suggest.  With George, at least in the playoffs vs. BOS, he looked like a player who impacted winning so he checked both boxes.

Of course, you can only impact winning if you are on the court, and that is a concern with Paul George.  But I do expect George to impact winning when he plays.  Derrick White has always been one of those players who has a great NRtg but not always great box score stats (and plays every day).  I don't know why anyone would be surprised to see George impact winning in a similar way as White, just in fewer games/minutes.

If George can play 60 games + playoffs (Horford-like), this trade will age well.  If it is more like 40-50 games and then worn out for the playoffs (Porzingis-like), not so much and there will be a lot more pressure on what BOS gets out of those picks (either in the draft or trading the picks).

[gift]

I was curious because I feel like I've heard Brad use this exact phrase many times. It turns out, he has. Chat helped me find some:

Jan. 2015    General player development   "individual ability to impact winning"

June 2015    Terry Rozier                  "a basketball player who wins and impacts winning"

July 2015    Amir Johnson                  "the way that he impacts winning"

2015         Marcus Smart                  "My biggest thing about Marcus is not what he does
                                           statistically, it's how he impacts winning."
                                           Also: "I know that guy impacts winning."

Mar. 2016    Marcus Smart                  "He impacts winning and tonight was a good example of that."

Jan. 2017    Marcus Smart                  "still have a positive impact on winning"

2017         Celtics roster                "We'll see how much they impact winning."

May 2018     Marcus Smart                  "They focus on that he impacts winning."

July 2019    Grant Williams                "That's a steady guy who impacts winning"
                                           and: "still impact winning."

Jan. 2020    Jae Crowder                   "He impacts winning everywhere he's been...
                                           He just impacts winning."

Mar. 2020    Abdel Nader                   someone you could put into a game and "impact winning with"

Feb. 2022    Derrick White                 "really, really impact winning."

So the good news is this isn't a recent buzzword deployed just for this offseason. The bad news is that Paul George is receiving the same praise from Brad as Amir Johnson. I guess if Brad starts adding "really, really" to the "impacts winning" then we're on to something.

[gift]

I was curious because I feel like I've heard Brad use this exact phrase many times. It turns out, he has. Chat helped me find some:

Jan. 2015    General player development   "individual ability to impact winning"

June 2015    Terry Rozier                  "a basketball player who wins and impacts winning"

July 2015    Amir Johnson                  "the way that he impacts winning"

2015         Marcus Smart                  "My biggest thing about Marcus is not what he does
                                           statistically, it's how he impacts winning."
                                           Also: "I know that guy impacts winning."

Mar. 2016    Marcus Smart                  "He impacts winning and tonight was a good example of that."

Jan. 2017    Marcus Smart                  "still have a positive impact on winning"

2017         Celtics roster                "We'll see how much they impact winning."

May 2018     Marcus Smart                  "They focus on that he impacts winning."

July 2019    Grant Williams                "That's a steady guy who impacts winning"
                                           and: "still impact winning."

Jan. 2020    Jae Crowder                   "He impacts winning everywhere he's been...
                                           He just impacts winning."

Mar. 2020    Abdel Nader                   someone you could put into a game and "impact winning with"

Feb. 2022    Derrick White                 "really, really impact winning."

So the good news is this isn't a recent buzzword deployed just for this offseason. The bad news is that Paul George is receiving the same praise from Brad as Amir Johnson. I guess if Brad starts adding "really, really" to the "impacts winning" then we're on to something.

and i just realized one source for these quotes came from a url i don't think i can post in full here but is rather funny given the current discussion- https://defector.com/this-stupid-basketball-cliche-impacts-puking-out-my-****ing-breakfast. if you fill in the asterisks you can get to the article. 

[Roy H.]

Nice job, gift.

I wonder, what players don't impact winning from Brad's POV?  (Other than JB, the only guy on the team to have a ECF or Finals MVP).

76 year old Mike Conley does it, so the bar is probably not as high as we might assume?  (I really like Conley's leadership qualities and he's a very smart player. I'm just not sure how much he's going to be determining wins and losses at this stage of his career.)

[slamtheking]

Nice job, gift.

I wonder, what players don't impact winning from Brad's POV? (Other than JB, the only guy on the team to have a ECF or Finals MVP).

76 year old Mike Conley does it, so the bar is probably not as high as we might assume?  (I really like Conley's leadership qualities and he's a very smart player. I'm just not sure how much he's going to be determining wins and losses at this stage of his career.)

must be the ones he doesn't mention in the press conferences

[Vermont Green]

Nice job, gift.

I wonder, what players don't impact winning from Brad's POV? (Other than JB, the only guy on the team to have a ECF or Finals MVP).

76 year old Mike Conley does it, so the bar is probably not as high as we might assume?  (I really like Conley's leadership qualities and he's a very smart player. I'm just not sure how much he's going to be determining wins and losses at this stage of his career.)

must be the ones he doesn't mention in the press conferences

You mean other than Jaylen Brown (who he clearly does not feel impacts winning enough to warrant a max contract extension)?  How about Vucevic or Simons or Boucher or Tillman or Minott or any other player that Stevens moved on from?  I don't think he sees these players as impacting winning.

I don't see this as all that controversial.  Stevens has an idea of what he believes impacts winning and what players it applies to.  He has done pretty well over the years using whatever analysis he has been using.  In the case of Paul George, I can see how he impacts winning, the question is if he can stay on the court.  Stevens must feel he can get enough out of him the next season or two.  That part is a risk.  But I don't think it is so hard to see that Paul George is still a good player, when he plays.  Just go back and watch the series vs BOS last spring.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I think we should stop focusing so much on the regular season as well. This team was really good in the regular season the last two years and could not get out of the second round.

This is what it boils down to for me. They could go 82-0 in the regular season and it wouldn't matter one bit if they get bounced early again.

[Roy H.]

Nice job, gift.

I wonder, what players don't impact winning from Brad's POV? (Other than JB, the only guy on the team to have a ECF or Finals MVP).

76 year old Mike Conley does it, so the bar is probably not as high as we might assume?  (I really like Conley's leadership qualities and he's a very smart player. I'm just not sure how much he's going to be determining wins and losses at this stage of his career.)

must be the ones he doesn't mention in the press conferences

You mean other than Jaylen Brown (who he clearly does not feel impacts winning enough to warrant a max contract extension)?  How about Vucevic or Simons or Boucher or Tillman or Minott or any other player that Stevens moved on from?  I don't think he sees these players as impacting winning.

I don't see this as all that controversial.  Stevens has an idea of what he believes impacts winning and what players it applies to.  He has done pretty well over the years using whatever analysis he has been using.  In the case of Paul George, I can see how he impacts winning, the question is if he can stay on the court.  Stevens must feel he can get enough out of him the next season or two.  That part is a risk.  But I don't think it is so hard to see that Paul George is still a good player, when he plays.  Just go back and watch the series vs BOS last spring.

Eh...  I wouldn't go that far.  He's moved on from Smart and Timelord and KP and Horford and Jrue and Kornet, etc., etc.  The last four of those guys won a title, and of course JB won a title, ECF MVP, and Finals MVP.

Pretty hard to argue that none of those guys "impact winning".  But, I guess we'll see.  We've replaced that overpaid "contributes to losing" deadbeat Jaylen Brown with a true winner (despite no titles) in Paul George.  So, a championship seems imminent.

He has done pretty well over the years using whatever analysis he has been using.

I think that analysis was "take the two superstars that Danny drafted and give them a coach that wasn't admittedly burnt out".  That seemed to pay off with a title and another Finals appearance.

[slamtheking]

Nice job, gift.

I wonder, what players don't impact winning from Brad's POV? (Other than JB, the only guy on the team to have a ECF or Finals MVP).

76 year old Mike Conley does it, so the bar is probably not as high as we might assume?  (I really like Conley's leadership qualities and he's a very smart player. I'm just not sure how much he's going to be determining wins and losses at this stage of his career.)

must be the ones he doesn't mention in the press conferences

You mean other than Jaylen Brown (who he clearly does not feel impacts winning enough to warrant a max contract extension)?  How about Vucevic or Simons or Boucher or Tillman or Minott or any other player that Stevens moved on from?  I don't think he sees these players as impacting winning.

I don't see this as all that controversial.  Stevens has an idea of what he believes impacts winning and what players it applies to.  He has done pretty well over the years using whatever analysis he has been using.  In the case of Paul George, I can see how he impacts winning, the question is if he can stay on the court.  Stevens must feel he can get enough out of him the next season or two.  That part is a risk.  But I don't think it is so hard to see that Paul George is still a good player, when he plays.  Just go back and watch the series vs BOS last spring.

Eh...  I wouldn't go that far.  He's moved on from Smart and Timelord and KP and Horford and Jrue and Kornet, etc., etc.  The last four of those guys won a title, and of course JB won a title, ECF MVP, and Finals MVP.

Pretty hard to argue that none of those guys "impact winning".  But, I guess we'll see.  We've replaced that overpaid "contributes to losing" deadbeat Jaylen Brown with a true winner (despite no titles) in Paul George.  So, a championship seems imminent.

He has done pretty well over the years using whatever analysis he has been using.

I think that analysis was "take the two superstars that Danny drafted and give them a coach that wasn't admittedly burnt out".  That seemed to pay off with a title and another Finals appearance.

and 3 early dismissalls from the playoffs

[No Nickname]

If George can play 60 games + playoffs (Horford-like), this trade will age well.  If it is more like 40-50 games and then worn out for the playoffs (Porzingis-like), not so much and there will be a lot more pressure on what BOS gets out of those picks (either in the draft or trading the picks).

Personally I couldn't care less if he plays 60 regular season games or 40.  As long as we're able to be a top four team in the East and play a lesser team in Round 1, the amount of games PG plays is meaningless to me.

It's all about advancing to the ECFs and making it a competitive series.  If PG contributes greatly in the playoffs, that's what will make this trade "better." 

The trade still sucks (currently), but if PG can push this team to an ECF or better-- not just be on the team, but be our #2 or #3 best player-- then I'll have to revisit the trade and assess it again.

That's a big if.  I'm not delusional.  But it's not out of the realm of possibility.