Brad Steven rotations - I am impressed

[Section301]

Brad is doing something I always wondered coaches do not do in Basketball. That is play without a set starting five. Play the players that match up the best with your opponent. Play the players that give your opponents the most problems.

This means you are going to have different rotations depending on the team you play. This means the coach really has to coach.

Doc Rivers was not a coach at all. He just rode his star players - that is why he bailed to the Clippers, and why he would run off to watch his kids play when the Celtics had a game the next day. He will fail woefully with the Clippers.

Doc Rivers had three first ballot Hall of Famers for five years and all he could show was two finals appearances and one chip.

This post is exactly what I've been impressed with so far.  The ability to adjust on the fly, and figure out who can play with who, and who SHOULD be out there considering the opponents lineup.

There never should be a 'set' lineup.  Adjust to the game as it goes, with regards to how you're playing and who the matchups are with the opponent.

That is what Stevens has done best so far.

But... he didn't adjust on the fly, at least not in the most obvious example.  He sat through four games of horrible Avery Bradley PG play before finally making a switch.

And again, if Stevens had some real talented players to work with, you can be sure he'd go with a set lineup...no matter how well Norris Cole plays, he's not going to be starting ahead of a health DWade any time soon.  By the same token, Pressey will see a lot less of the floor if a healthy Rondo is present.  And I sure as heck couldn't see Indiana deciding "Gee, Miami goes small a lot at the C, maybe we should consider not starting Hibbert..."

Stevens is doing what he can with what he has.  That doesn't make him Red Auerbach.

I didn't call him Auerbach.  I told you what he's done best so far.

& yes, he did adjust on the fly as noted by the 7 games you've only played so far.  I mean you're calling him out after only 4 games ?  Really ?

No, you didn't call him Auerbach, but a couple have.  from the original post in this thread:

I am so impressed with Brad Stevens rotations.  He has a knack for knowing what the team needs a play or two before it happens.  Totally opposite to Doc, where Doc would make the adjustment about 3 to 5 plays late.  It is such a rare gift.

I never saw Red coaching but from what I've heard, that's where he excelled.  At making the correct sub at the right time.   I have only seen Phil Jackson and to a lesser extent RCarlisle and RAlderman(very under rated) so good at subbing.

Pops and JSloan are close, but their style is mostly based on "the system"  and not on gut feeling subbing.

Kudos to Brad for his ability and to DA for recognizing what a great talent he is.

And I agree that calling him out after 4 games is ridiculous, so I haven't done it.  It's almost as riculous as comparing him to Red after 7 games.

And maybe your definition of 'on the fly' is just different than mine...but I still say if it took him 4 games to figure out AB isn't a point guard, shame on him.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Brad is doing something I always wondered coaches do not do in Basketball. That is play without a set starting five. Play the players that match up the best with your opponent. Play the players that give your opponents the most problems.

This means you are going to have different rotations depending on the team you play. This means the coach really has to coach.

Doc Rivers was not a coach at all. He just rode his star players - that is why he bailed to the Clippers, and why he would run off to watch his kids play when the Celtics had a game the next day. He will fail woefully with the Clippers.

Doc Rivers had three first ballot Hall of Famers for five years and all he could show was two finals appearances and one chip.

This post is exactly what I've been impressed with so far.  The ability to adjust on the fly, and figure out who can play with who, and who SHOULD be out there considering the opponents lineup.

There never should be a 'set' lineup.  Adjust to the game as it goes, with regards to how you're playing and who the matchups are with the opponent.

That is what Stevens has done best so far.

But... he didn't adjust on the fly, at least not in the most obvious example.  He sat through four games of horrible Avery Bradley PG play before finally making a switch.

And again, if Stevens had some real talented players to work with, you can be sure he'd go with a set lineup...no matter how well Norris Cole plays, he's not going to be starting ahead of a health DWade any time soon.  By the same token, Pressey will see a lot less of the floor if a healthy Rondo is present.  And I sure as heck couldn't see Indiana deciding "Gee, Miami goes small a lot at the C, maybe we should consider not starting Hibbert..."

Stevens is doing what he can with what he has.  That doesn't make him Red Auerbach.

I didn't call him Auerbach.  I told you what he's done best so far.

& yes, he did adjust on the fly as noted by the 7 games you've only played so far.  I mean you're calling him out after only 4 games ?  Really ?

No, you didn't call him Auerbach, but a couple have.  from the original post in this thread:

I am so impressed with Brad Stevens rotations.  He has a knack for knowing what the team needs a play or two before it happens.  Totally opposite to Doc, where Doc would make the adjustment about 3 to 5 plays late.  It is such a rare gift.

I never saw Red coaching but from what I've heard, that's where he excelled.  At making the correct sub at the right time.   I have only seen Phil Jackson and to a lesser extent RCarlisle and RAlderman(very under rated) so good at subbing.

Pops and JSloan are close, but their style is mostly based on "the system"  and not on gut feeling subbing.

Kudos to Brad for his ability and to DA for recognizing what a great talent he is.

And I agree that calling him out after 4 games is ridiculous, so I haven't done it.  It's almost as riculous as comparing him to Red after 7 games.

And maybe your definition of 'on the fly' is just different than mine...but I still say if it took him 4 games to figure out AB isn't a point guard, shame on him.

I have to wonder if it's really a knock on Brad to have used Bradley as the main PG for four games if you consider how long Doc took to arrive at that conclusion, and to once again put him in that role after Rondo went down (coming off an injury that made him miss half the season no less).

So yeah, I don't think that it took him 4 games criticism holds any water at all.

[Interceptor]

I have to wonder if it's really a knock on Brad to have used Bradley as the main PG for four games if you consider how long Doc took to arrive at that conclusion, and to once again put him in that role after Rondo went down (coming off an injury that made him miss half the season no less).

So yeah, I don't think that it took him 4 games criticism holds any water at all.

Never mind that it's more complicated than "Bradley can't run the point". Fact of the matter is, if Bradley CAN hold his own, that allows you to play JG at the two and have him on the floor at the same time as Wallace.

Bradley was horrendous at PG, but he was a summer removed from having to do it on the fly last season. Under the circumstances, it's worth trying it out if you're Brad Stevens. Crawford is a better handler, but he's a minus defender.

The experiment failed, but that's OK, that's what this season is for. Maybe AB will eventually become passable at the job.

[Section301]

Brad is doing something I always wondered coaches do not do in Basketball. That is play without a set starting five. Play the players that match up the best with your opponent. Play the players that give your opponents the most problems.

This means you are going to have different rotations depending on the team you play. This means the coach really has to coach.

Doc Rivers was not a coach at all. He just rode his star players - that is why he bailed to the Clippers, and why he would run off to watch his kids play when the Celtics had a game the next day. He will fail woefully with the Clippers.

Doc Rivers had three first ballot Hall of Famers for five years and all he could show was two finals appearances and one chip.

This post is exactly what I've been impressed with so far.  The ability to adjust on the fly, and figure out who can play with who, and who SHOULD be out there considering the opponents lineup.

There never should be a 'set' lineup.  Adjust to the game as it goes, with regards to how you're playing and who the matchups are with the opponent.

That is what Stevens has done best so far.

But... he didn't adjust on the fly, at least not in the most obvious example.  He sat through four games of horrible Avery Bradley PG play before finally making a switch.

And again, if Stevens had some real talented players to work with, you can be sure he'd go with a set lineup...no matter how well Norris Cole plays, he's not going to be starting ahead of a health DWade any time soon.  By the same token, Pressey will see a lot less of the floor if a healthy Rondo is present.  And I sure as heck couldn't see Indiana deciding "Gee, Miami goes small a lot at the C, maybe we should consider not starting Hibbert..."

Stevens is doing what he can with what he has.  That doesn't make him Red Auerbach.

I didn't call him Auerbach.  I told you what he's done best so far.

& yes, he did adjust on the fly as noted by the 7 games you've only played so far.  I mean you're calling him out after only 4 games ?  Really ?

No, you didn't call him Auerbach, but a couple have.  from the original post in this thread:

I am so impressed with Brad Stevens rotations.  He has a knack for knowing what the team needs a play or two before it happens.  Totally opposite to Doc, where Doc would make the adjustment about 3 to 5 plays late.  It is such a rare gift.

I never saw Red coaching but from what I've heard, that's where he excelled.  At making the correct sub at the right time.   I have only seen Phil Jackson and to a lesser extent RCarlisle and RAlderman(very under rated) so good at subbing.

Pops and JSloan are close, but their style is mostly based on "the system"  and not on gut feeling subbing.

Kudos to Brad for his ability and to DA for recognizing what a great talent he is.

And I agree that calling him out after 4 games is ridiculous, so I haven't done it.  It's almost as riculous as comparing him to Red after 7 games.

And maybe your definition of 'on the fly' is just different than mine...but I still say if it took him 4 games to figure out AB isn't a point guard, shame on him.

I have to wonder if it's really a knock on Brad to have used Bradley as the main PG for four games if you consider how long Doc took to arrive at that conclusion, and to once again put him in that role after Rondo went down (coming off an injury that made him miss half the season no less).

So yeah, I don't think that it took him 4 games criticism holds any water at all.

Ok.  I don't agree, since I'd like to think Stevens should have been able to figure it out based on what had gone before (and since there wasn't anyone here who honestly thought AB was a serviceable point guard and none of us is assumed to be a coaching genius), but I don't think I'm giving up too much even if I agree with you. 

Your point would definitely establish that Stevens is smarter than Doc.  I still think it's a long walk from "smarter than Doc" to "reminds me of Auerbach." 

[Celtics18]

In defense of Stevens on the issue of Bradley at point guard, I want to add that I don't think anyone, including Brad, thought that Avery was a serviceable point guard.  On the other hand, I don't think a lot of folks thought that Jordan Crawford was a serviceable starting point guard either.  The coach kind of had to work with what he was given, which was a roster without a starting caliber point guard.

[mmmmm]

I have to wonder if it's really a knock on Brad to have used Bradley as the main PG for four games if you consider how long Doc took to arrive at that conclusion, and to once again put him in that role after Rondo went down (coming off an injury that made him miss half the season no less).

So yeah, I don't think that it took him 4 games criticism holds any water at all.

Never mind that it's more complicated than "Bradley can't run the point". Fact of the matter is, if Bradley CAN hold his own, that allows you to play JG at the two and have him on the floor at the same time as Wallace.

Bradley was horrendous at PG, but he was a summer removed from having to do it on the fly last season. Under the circumstances, it's worth trying it out if you're Brad Stevens. Crawford is a better handler, but he's a minus defender.

The experiment failed, but that's OK, that's what this season is for. Maybe AB will eventually become passable at the job.

This^ captures my take on it perfectly.

This (playing guys out of position, in particular at 'smaller' positions) is not something only the C's have been trying out.   OKC did it to turn Westbrook into a passable point.  Orlando is doing it with Oladipo.   Other teams have tried it out here and there, with other players, with mixed results.

If it works, you get a way to put a size advantage out on the court (in this case, not with AB himself, but with the ability to slide JG over).

If not, you slide everyone back to their normal spots and if nothing else you gave your 'experiment' some heavy experience in ball-handling that may benefit down the road even when not playing point.

And, as you say, AB is still very, very young ( at just under 23, he's the 4th youngest on the team behind Pressey, Olynyk and Sullinger).   He could still eventually become passable at point down the road, as he becomes more experienced.

[CapnDunks]

I think Stevens found that one of the "strengths" of this roster is that there are a lot of solid role players. This is also because there aren't a lot of really good players.

But it allows you to swap around starting lineups and play long rotations.

Since you don't have to worry about getting your nonexistent stars playing time.