It's time to clear out the roster before CBS loses the team

[kozlodoev]

Hard not to with our roster, so much for the rim protection.

I think taking a mid major college to the NCAA championship game twice is harder than winning a NBA with three hall of famers, don't you?

You just traded for a guy who averaged ~4 blocks per 36 prior to the trade. Apparently the Celtics brass thinks the best way to get rim protection is to keep him mired on the bench, which we've been doing dutifully.

And no, coaching in a league with top talent is typically always the hardest. Just ask old friend Rick Pitino.

[Evantime34]

Both this year and last year the team has played really hard with what seems to be a gameplan for the first third or more of the season.

Then it all seems to fall off as the team struggles and everyone decides that being a lottery team means that "who cares". Which makes sense, even if it makes it impossible to watch.

I think they played hard in the last third of the season as well, it just happened to be with mostly d leaguers.

I think after the deadline once all the vets are moved they will play hard again.

[D.o.s.]

Hard not to with our roster, so much for the rim protection.

I think taking a mid major college to the NCAA championship game twice is harder than winning a NBA with three hall of famers, don't you?

You just traded for a guy who averaged ~4 blocks per 36 prior to the trade. Apparently the Celtics brass thinks the best way to get rim protection is to keep him mired on the bench, which we've been doing dutifully.

And no, coaching in a league with top talent is typically always the hardest. Just ask old friend Rick Pitino.

Seriously. Anyone that thinks that coaching in the NCAA is harder than the highest level of professional sport is completely deluded.

[mmmmm]

t the job it was pretty much assumed that he'd have a learning curve ahead of him. This is part of it.  The Skiles, get in your face, approach works for a limited period of time, then players tire of it and the team ends up underperforming once again and Skiles is out the door.
 
Yes, Brad could well stand to 'grow a pair' in terms of dealing with players and also start working the refs a little more than he has, but assuming he wants to be here, I would give him time.  Its not like this a championship team that's under .500 because the coach can't get them to play.

Showing leadership doesn't mean he needs to get into anyone's face. As a matter of fact, that's probably one of the less efficient ways to be a leader.

But there are simple things he could do in order to establish credibility. For example, have basic, clearly outlined expectations of players -- including effort, defensive assignments, shot selection, plays, etc. Reward guys that meet said expectations, send a message to guys who don't.

Of course, Stevens seems to fail miserably at the later because he seems to have a very limited idea of what the former is. I don't think he knows who his best scorer is, or how to get good scoring chances over the course of a game. He seems to lack a core defensive philosophy, or at least has no idea how to translate his intentions into on-court performance.

The only time this team goes on the run is when (a) a shooter gets hot, or (b) someone gives you a great one-on-one defensive performance. Both of these are bound to happen from time to time over the course of a long season, but it doesn't exactly scream "well-coached team".

Major Tommy Point, K.

I'm patient and realize this is a lost season so am still of the mindset to give Stevens more time (and a better roster) to eventually 'prove himself', but I totally agree with your assessment here.

[clover]

Bulpett has some disheartening quotes from Stevens at practice today:

"The climate would seem ripe for changes in the rotation, but Stevens widened the scope.

    "I think we all have to [establish a better purpose]," he said. "I think we are all responsible for it. But, ultimately, that?s what I?ve got to do, I?ve got to do a better job of that.

    "If it means that we have to change some things, then we have to change some things. If it means that we have to change some ways that we are approaching things, then we have to do that. If it means personnel changes in certain moments, we have to do that. We?ve all talked about the rotations and our evenness, and it?s not getting any more separated, let?s put it that way, especially after last night."

    The coach did have his guys in for a practice heavy on drills today when no workout had been on the schedule before the afternoon trip to New York and tomorrow's game against the Nets. But he went on to allow that changes were "tougher to do" [in the NBA]. "I've maybe done that once during my six years before," he said. "I don?t think it?s all that effective of a thing. It may look good, it may look like something to talk about, but then who do you go back with first? Then what if the second group doesn?t play that well? There?s so many ifs and twists and all that. I understand why people do it, but I don?t think it?s all that effective usually. It's usually because you don?t feel good about how your team is ready to play.""

Lots from Jeff Green, too: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/celtics_insider/2015/01/celtics_pointing_fingers_inward_to_explain_unacceptable

[mmmmm]

I think taking a mid major college to the NCAA championship game twice is harder than winning a NBA with three hall of famers, don't you?

No.  Not even close.

The NBA has the best, most talented players and most talented coaches and you have to beat them in a long, grueling season and through multiple game-series at each step of the playoffs - you can't hope to get by someone better than you on a fluke single game.

College is college.

[knuckleballer]

Hard not to with our roster, so much for the rim protection.

I think taking a mid major college to the NCAA championship game twice is harder than winning a NBA with three hall of famers, don't you?

You just traded for a guy who averaged ~4 blocks per 36 prior to the trade. Apparently the Celtics brass thinks the best way to get rim protection is to keep him mired on the bench, which we've been doing dutifully.

And no, coaching in a league with top talent is typically always the hardest. Just ask old friend Rick Pitino.

Seriously. Anyone that thinks that coaching in the NCAA is harder than the highest level of professional sport is completely deluded.

They have such different challenges, it's hard to compare.  But overall, I'd much rather coach NCAA.  If I had a chance to coach a top college program or the NBA, I'd go to college.  It's a much better environment, the pay is still a lot, it's a much more positive environment, and you can be there for decades.  That goes for football as well.

[Casperian]

Breaking News: Bad team loses games.

Fans in agreement, must be the coach's fault. More at 6.

[guava_wrench]

Breaking News: Bad team loses games.

Fans in agreement, must be the coach's fault. More at 6.

TP

[LarBrd33]

Don't compare Stevens to Pitino.   There's a very clear difference in their demeanor.  Brad is a patient even-keeled teacher who never criticizes his players.    Brad understands that winning is very low on the priority list of his job requirements.  More important is balancing developing the youth with showcasing the vets... all while keeping the players happy. 

I think he's doing fine.  We don't hear much from Gerald Wallace these days... which is a testament to Brad's management ability.   Crowder is new... he'll fall in line with the big picture and learn to appreciate his minutes.

Pitino, on the other hand, came into Boston as a hot-head egomaniac with guns-a-blazing and the expectation that he was going to build an instant-contender around superstar Tim Duncan.  I remember reading articles back in 1997 about how the players needed oxygen tanks after his practices, because he was pushing them so hard.  He'd bark orders at them, demand 1000% effort on full-court-press defense, talk down to the professionals by holding mid-game lectures where he'd pull out a chair and the players would all surround him like children. 

Eventually, PItino's players lost respect for his methods.  They didn't want to be treated like children any more.  They stopped responding to his antics.   As soon as he was replaced with the level-headed Jim O'Brien, the team responded by playing overachieving basketball.  Granted, this was partially because O'Brien gave his two young stars (Walker and Pierce) free reign to literally do whatever they wanted on the offensive end as long as everyone committed to playing his style of defense.   Everyone else fell in line with their roles.


Brad getting fired would do jack squat to improve the immediate results on the floor as long as Ainge continues to give conflicting directives of showcasing veteran talent and developing youth.  We're not going to start seeing clear rotations and roles until this mess of a roster is cleaned up.    Things will fall into line after the trade deadline. Gotta assume someone like Green will fetch a 2nd rounder.  WE'll probably see a couple guys like Bass bought out once we fail to get assets for them.  Gotta wait another month. 

[GreenGoggles]

Hard not to with our roster, so much for the rim protection.

I think taking a mid major college to the NCAA championship game twice is harder than winning a NBA with three hall of famers, don't you?

You just traded for a guy who averaged ~4 blocks per 36 prior to the trade. Apparently the Celtics brass thinks the best way to get rim protection is to keep him mired on the bench, which we've been doing dutifully.

And no, coaching in a league with top talent is typically always the hardest. Just ask old friend Rick Pitino.

Seriously. Anyone that thinks that coaching in the NCAA is harder than the highest level of professional sport is completely deluded.

They have such different challenges, it's hard to compare.  But overall, I'd much rather coach NCAA.  If I had a chance to coach a top college program or the NBA, I'd go to college.  It's a much better environment, the pay is still a lot, it's a much more positive environment, and you can be there for decades.  That goes for football as well.

Sure, but I'd much rather build a team in the NBA than college. Why would I want to rely on recruiting rather than scouting, drafting, trading and signing free agents? You have much more freedom in the NBA.

[guava_wrench]

I think taking a mid major college to the NCAA championship game twice is harder than winning a NBA with three hall of famers, don't you?

No.  Not even close.

The NBA has the best, most talented players and most talented coaches and you have to beat them in a long, grueling season and through multiple game-series at each step of the playoffs - you can't hope to get by someone better than you on a fluke single game.

College is college.

Agreed. The NCAA tournament is single elimination. That means there is more randomness to outcomes.

College basketball and college sports in general is mostly about recruiting. Also, you can have tons of top teams in college sports because there are so many teams. There are only 30 teams in the NBA. If you put the 30 best coaches in the world in the NBA, half of them will have losing records, despite being elite coaches.

For that last reason, I suspect that there are some coaches in college basketball better than certain NBA coaches. Look at Krzyzewski. Why would he ever consider coaching the pros when he is guaranteed winning seasons every year due to his ability to recruit and the diluted talent in college basketball due to so many scholarships and the freedom of players to choose their school? Calipari can recruit the top players every year. That is impossible in the pros.

[2short]

Green has been extremely consistent this year, just as of late.  Pretty much when Rondo was going to be traded I think Bass/Green and maybe Sully had their games slack off.
I for one can see how green and bass would want out and can't blame them in the least.  I don't blame stevens but think he should be running games and pt.  If ainge has anything to do with it then shame on him.
The season is done and largely a waste so stevens as the coach needs to work on the little things and pairings and moral for NEXT SEASON. 

[hwangjini_1]

Hard not to with our roster, so much for the rim protection.

I think taking a mid major college to the NCAA championship game twice is harder than winning a NBA with three hall of famers, don't you?

You just traded for a guy who averaged ~4 blocks per 36 prior to the trade. Apparently the Celtics brass thinks the best way to get rim protection is to keep him mired on the bench, which we've been doing dutifully.

And no, coaching in a league with top talent is typically always the hardest. Just ask old friend Rick Pitino.

and while we are at it, why not ask these guys as well?:

Gregg Popovich: Not many people know that Popovich began his coaching career at Pomona-Pitzer in California and spent a year on sabbatical learning under Larry Brown at Kansas.

Chuck Daly: Daly coached at BC and Penn before heading to the NBA in 1978. He’s won a gold medal and a pair of NBA titles with the Pistons.

Bill Fitch: Fitch coached in college until leaving Minnesota in 1970 for the NBA. He won an NBA title in 1981 with the Celtics.

Larry Brown: He’s been everywhere, but he’s also been successful everywhere.

PJ Carlesimo: Seton Hall used to be good in hoops, and that was thanks to Carlesimo, who took them to the title game in 1989. He’s been in the NBA since 1994, but is probably best known for getting choked by Latrel Spreewell.

yes, most coaches that make the jump from college to the nba did NOT succeed. but there are those who do succeed and do quite well.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/07/04/how-have-coaches-fared-making-the-jump-from-college-to-the-nba/

[the_Bird]

Breaking News: Bad team loses games.

Fans in agreement, must be the coach's fault. More at 6.

The team's losing games, that's not a surprise or an indictment of the coach.

The team's without direction.  The players are clearly getting frustrating.  Inconsistent effort, and no consequences.  Newcomers are speaking out about the obvious lack of accountability.

That's on the coach.