Brad Stevens: There will be no tanking

[Clench123]

Stevens still has to nail down what his coaching philosophies will be at the NBA level and how he'll lead a young team. But one aspect he's certain about: There will be no tanking.

"No way," he asserted when the topic was brought up on Monday, saying the idea has never been suggested "by anybody that I've talked to in this organization."

Asked what he'd say to fans who want Boston to tank for a better pick in what's expected to be a loaded 2014 draft class, Stevens said, "I don't think they'll like me all that much, then. I'm one of those guys, I'm going to prepare every single day to be the best that we can be.

"Certainly when you lose guys like [Kevin Garnett] and [Paul] Pierce and Jason Terry, you lose a lot of production. And you lose guys that, especially with Pierce and Garnett, that are icons. And that's always tough to replace. But at the same time, the guys that are coming here have been very productive NBA players, and the guys that are back are very hungry and productive NBA players. So I think it's a good mix."

Pressed on if tanking works, Stevens just smiled. With a .772 winning percentage at Butler (166-49), he's probably the wrong guy to ask about losing games.

"You're talking about stuff that I have no idea about, nor do I care to know anything about," Stevens said. "My deal is a daily process to try to win the next possession."

And maybe, once that possession is won, to find a little family time as well.

That's part of an article on espn.com.  I have no idea how everything will turn out or if Brad would even succeed but I'm really digging his outlook and his attitude.  I'm pulling so hard for this guy. 

[cltc5]

Ths is good to hear, and the more I see this team come together the more excited I get and think we can be decent even if we keep the Nets guys.  fact of the matter is, you cant bet on a lottery pick to lift your team.

[playdream]

Yap he means we are going to tank

[Fafnir]

No coach will ever admit to tanking, too likely penalties and fines would come down from Stern.

Plus I wouldn't rule out tanking, even in 06-07 they didn't plan to tank that entire year. They changed the plan on the fly after the horrible start and Pierce's injury.

[D.o.s.]

Any way you could provide a link to the full article? I'd be really interested to read the rest.

I like Stevens and his attitude. Losing games is one thing, but tanking is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

[Clench123]

Yap he means we are going to tank

Where in that article did you get that impression?  And not trading Rondo is all the proof I need that we're aren't tanking all the way

[PhoSita]

Well, good.

It's not the coach's job to "tank."  The coach should try to win as much as possible with the roster he's given, and instill a hunger to fight hard to win at all costs in his players.

The GM, on the other hand, needs to keep the big picture in mind.  If the goal of the season is not to win as many games as possible but to develop young players and collect assets (i.e. the draft), then you don't give your coach a roster that will win many games.

[letsgoblue86]

Yeah, he means we're not going to intentionally lose games. We're just gonna lose games

[Clench123]

Any way you could provide a link to the full article? I'd be really interested to read the rest.

I like Stevens and his attitude. Losing games is one thing, but tanking is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

http://espn.go.com/boston/story/_/id/9483622/brad-stevens-hits-ground-running-boston-celtics-coach

[Clench123]

Well, good.

It's not the coach's job to "tank."  The coach should try to win as much as possible with the roster he's given, and instill a hunger to fight hard to win at all costs in his players.

The GM, on the other hand, needs to keep the big picture in mind.  If the goal of the season is not to win as many games as possible but to develop young players and collect assets (i.e. the draft), then you don't give your coach a roster that will win many games.

Fair enough

[sed522002]

Well, good.

It's not the coach's job to "tank."  The coach should try to win as much as possible with the roster he's given, and instill a hunger to fight hard to win at all costs in his players.

The GM, on the other hand, needs to keep the big picture in mind.  If the goal of the season is not to win as many games as possible but to develop young players and collect assets (i.e. the draft), then you don't give your coach a roster that will win many games.

Yep, If they lose games fine. But if the players and Coach intentionally lose then that's very bad for player development and culture. How do you practice and prepare for games that you know you're trying to lose? How do you have a successful routine if it's intentionally for failure?

[playdream]

Well, good.

It's not the coach's job to "tank."  The coach should try to win as much as possible with the roster he's given, and instill a hunger to fight hard to win at all costs in his players.

The GM, on the other hand, needs to keep the big picture in mind.  If the goal of the season is not to win as many games as possible but to develop young players and collect assets (i.e. the draft), then you don't give your coach a roster that will win many games.

Yep, If they lose games fine. But if the players and Coach intentionally lose then that's very bad for player development and culture. How do you practice and prepare for games that you know you're trying to lose? How do you have a successful routine if it's intentionally for failure?

no worry about that, just sit your best player and let the rookies play the fourth quarter, mission completed

[jaketwice]

The fact is that we do not need to tank to be successful. We have two draft picks in the next three drafts. We are in a major market - and have the best fans in professional sports.

Danny has shown that assets he developed can be parlayed into star players, and I'm sure he will be able to show that again.

[Snakehead]

Yeah, he means we're not going to intentionally lose games. We're just gonna lose games

Agreed.

[European NBA fan]

Well, good.

It's not the coach's job to "tank."  The coach should try to win as much as possible with the roster he's given, and instill a hunger to fight hard to win at all costs in his players.

The GM, on the other hand, needs to keep the big picture in mind.  If the goal of the season is not to win as many games as possible but to develop young players and collect assets (i.e. the draft), then you don't give your coach a roster that will win many games.

Yep, If they lose games fine. But if the players and Coach intentionally lose then that's very bad for player development and culture. How do you practice and prepare for games that you know you're trying to lose? How do you have a successful routine if it's intentionally for failure?

no worry about that, just sit your best player and let the rookies play the fourth quarter, mission completed

Nope. That's installing a loser culture. If your coach doesn't put in his best effort to win games, it will be reflected in the players. They will think "why work my a** off, when our coach is playing to loose."