A leader is born. Reject the Tank

[Ogaju]

When the season seemed lost and we were burdened with the lackluster efforts of Rondo, Green, Sully, and Olynyk I wrote a post titled 'EMBRACE THE TANK'. After last night's game I am humble enough to see that this new version of the Celtics deserve make some noise in the playoffs. They are fun to watch and are a quite effective bunch.

Most interesting development through all the changes is that the team has developed an identity and acquired a leader. The identity of this team is an unrelenting stifling defense played through the opponents shot clock, basket, missed shot rebound, or turnover. It is simply beautiful to watch and it has the Garden rocking.

The team now has a leader. It took a while but the players look to him, and feed off his commitment to defense and knowledge of the intricacies of basketball. Yesterday's victory over the Hornets is the type that turns a season and a program around. It is the type that has teams and players believing in themselves and their leader. It is the type that leads to the birth of a winning culture and a team leader. A Celtic leader was born yesterday, his initials are CBS, Coach Brad Stevens. We don't need the draft to turn this baby around. We already have the assets and the team foundation to make noise. Playoffs baby, and in Danny we trust to use the assets we already have,

REJECT THE TANK!!!!

[Clench123]

Love the post    I never doubted Stevens even through the rough patches we've been through.  The guy to me seems like the type of coach that'll be lethal if handed enough talent.  What he does may not make sense to us at times but he at least is willing to try different things instead of Doc or other coaches who'll be trying to force things.  Kudos to our guys who has stepped up as well.

I think we have something here.  I really do

[Celtics4ever]

The team now has a leader. It took a while but the players look to him, and feed off his commitment to defense and knowledge of the intricacies of basketball. Yesterday's victory over the Hornets is the type that turns a season and a program around. It is the type that has teams and players believing in themselves and their leader. It is the type that leads to the birth of a winning culture and a team leader. A Celtic leader was born yesterday, his initials are CBS, Coach Brad Stevens. We don't need the draft to turn this baby around. We already have the assets and the team foundation to make noise. Playoffs baby, and in Danny we trust to use the assets we already have,

We beat the Hornets, don't you think that you are taking this a little out of context? They were 23-32 before this game.  While I agree that CBS is a good leader, the guys have never quit on him and this was a fun victory for the fans.  I think the hyperbole is a little over the top.  I usually tell folks not to quit their dayjob but you could become a cheerleader with your enthusiasm.

[Ogaju]

are you kidding? You have to acknowledge the evidence and the facts on the ground. You cannot avoid the narrative and that is why I posted that I had changed my mind regarding the tank. It takes a open mind to do that. I am not an unrepentant cheerleader. I call em as I see em.

I was on record that IT is better than Rondo. How do you like dem apples?

[BDeCosta26]

This team is overachieving. Highly so. But that being said, it's becoming quite clear that CBS is one of the best ten-fifteen coaches in the NBA and his star is rising. Much like his Butler teams, I think this Celtics team is going to make this kind of overachieving our norm. That man has gotten our players to really buy into what he is selling, and considering the roster turnover and "asset collection" vibe to most of the season, that's quite impressive. He's squeezed every ounce of talent out of so many different players in just two years, I really can't wait to see what he can do once we get a couple more difference makers in here.

Just another feather in DA's cap for this rebuild. The BK trade, getting Zeller and IT for next to nothing, grabbing Crowder and what will probably be a mid-late teens first round pick and the two early seconds we got from Wright by trading Rondo two seconds before he fell off a cliff. Jerebko for a 35 year old guy we were literally about to let walk away for nothing. Hiring the perfect coach to see through this rebuild and locking him up to be here when were good again. The Jeff Green trade. It's just amazing when you consider where we were when we lost the 2013 series to NY.

This team is definitely overachieving, and they may not make the playoffs. But it's impossible to dismiss the way this team is coming together. We're establishing a culture, a way of thinking that permeates all levels of the organization. These guys play their hearts out, balls to the wall and they believe they can beat anybody. IT was the perfect addition for these guys, especially at that price. We haven't had a guy like him since Pierce, and he fits perfectly in what DA and CBS are trying to build. With our long term financial flexibility and treasure trove of assets it is a beautiful time to be a Celtics fan.

We're in a nearly unprecedented position of having another team losing on our behalf for the next three years, and considering how many assets we have, I'll take a couple spots in the draft if it means this team with all of its youth and inexperience makes it happen. If Rondo, Green, Thornton and Nelson were still here and were responsible for an eighth seed, I might think differently. But it's not. This is real progress before our eyes .

[hpantazo]

One aspect I think people underestimate about this team winning instead of tanking is that winning raises the value of our prospects if we expect to trade them in the near future for star players. It's one thing to trade for a young guy who puts up good numbers on a bottom 5 team, it's a totally different thing to trade for a guy who is putting up the same numbers at the same age on a playoff team.

[Thruthelookingglass]

This is real progress before our eyes .

What a turnaround in our fortunes and the sentiments on Celticsblog.  I love the enthusiasm.  I love that the right players are starting to fill their roles the right way and with the right mindset.  This is what set the Spurs apart.  I love to watch that team.

I haven't been able to see a C's game lately but it sounds like we have a team now that believes they can excel WITHIN the system instead of as an individual or outside it.  Can't wait to see this for myself.

In the meantime, all this bodes well.  Thank the Lord this team has turned around a throwaway season.  I don't fault anyone for being giddy! 

[D.o.s.]

This team is overachieving. Highly so. But that being said, it's becoming quite clear that CBS is one of the best ten-fifteen coaches in the NBA and his star is rising. Much like his Butler teams, I think this Celtics team is going to make this kind of overachieving our norm. That man has gotten our players to really buy into what he is selling, and considering the roster turnover and "asset collection" vibe to most of the season, that's quite impressive. He's squeezed every ounce of talent out of so many different players in just two years, I really can't wait to see what he can do once we get a couple more difference makers in here.

Just another feather in DA's cap for this rebuild. The BK trade, getting Zeller and IT for next to nothing, grabbing Crowder and what will probably be a mid-late teens first round pick and the two early seconds we got from Wright by trading Rondo two seconds before he fell off a cliff. Jerebko for a 35 year old guy we were literally about to let walk away for nothing. Hiring the perfect coach to see through this rebuild and locking him up to be here when were good again. The Jeff Green trade. It's just amazing when you consider where we were when we lost the 2013 series to NY.

This team is definitely overachieving, and they may not make the playoffs. But it's impossible to dismiss the way this team is coming together. We're establishing a culture, a way of thinking that permeates all levels of the organization. These guys play their hearts out, balls to the wall and they believe they can beat anybody. IT was the perfect addition for these guys, especially at that price. We haven't had a guy like him since Pierce, and he fits perfectly in what DA and CBS are trying to build. With our long term financial flexibility and treasure trove of assets it is a beautiful time to be a Celtics fan.

We're in a nearly unprecedented position of having another team losing on our behalf for the next three years, and considering how many assets we have, I'll take a couple spots in the draft if it means this team with all of its youth and inexperience makes it happen. If Rondo, Green, Thornton and Nelson were still here and were responsible for an eighth seed, I might think differently. But it's not. This is real progress before our eyes .

Stevens is a top 15 coach, eh?

[jambr380]

This team is overachieving. Highly so. But that being said, it's becoming quite clear that CBS is one of the best ten-fifteen coaches in the NBA and his star is rising. Much like his Butler teams, I think this Celtics team is going to make this kind of overachieving our norm. That man has gotten our players to really buy into what he is selling, and considering the roster turnover and "asset collection" vibe to most of the season, that's quite impressive. He's squeezed every ounce of talent out of so many different players in just two years, I really can't wait to see what he can do once we get a couple more difference makers in here.

Just another feather in DA's cap for this rebuild. The BK trade, getting Zeller and IT for next to nothing, grabbing Crowder and what will probably be a mid-late teens first round pick and the two early seconds we got from Wright by trading Rondo two seconds before he fell off a cliff. Jerebko for a 35 year old guy we were literally about to let walk away for nothing. Hiring the perfect coach to see through this rebuild and locking him up to be here when were good again. The Jeff Green trade. It's just amazing when you consider where we were when we lost the 2013 series to NY.

This team is definitely overachieving, and they may not make the playoffs. But it's impossible to dismiss the way this team is coming together. We're establishing a culture, a way of thinking that permeates all levels of the organization. These guys play their hearts out, balls to the wall and they believe they can beat anybody. IT was the perfect addition for these guys, especially at that price. We haven't had a guy like him since Pierce, and he fits perfectly in what DA and CBS are trying to build. With our long term financial flexibility and treasure trove of assets it is a beautiful time to be a Celtics fan.

We're in a nearly unprecedented position of having another team losing on our behalf for the next three years, and considering how many assets we have, I'll take a couple spots in the draft if it means this team with all of its youth and inexperience makes it happen. If Rondo, Green, Thornton and Nelson were still here and were responsible for an eighth seed, I might think differently. But it's not. This is real progress before our eyes .

Stevens is a top 15 coach, eh?

I agree that the excitement may be a bit overblown, but what's the big deal in saying Stevens is a top 15 coach? That's not that impressive. He is basically saying that he is a slightly above average NBA coach, and why not? He has taken our bunch of misfits and actually improved the team without our three best players (Rondo, Green, and [most recently] Sully). We were supposed to go the other direction. It's possible he could have figured it out.

[BDeCosta26]

This team is overachieving. Highly so. But that being said, it's becoming quite clear that CBS is one of the best ten-fifteen coaches in the NBA and his star is rising. Much like his Butler teams, I think this Celtics team is going to make this kind of overachieving our norm. That man has gotten our players to really buy into what he is selling, and considering the roster turnover and "asset collection" vibe to most of the season, that's quite impressive. He's squeezed every ounce of talent out of so many different players in just two years, I really can't wait to see what he can do once we get a couple more difference makers in here.

Just another feather in DA's cap for this rebuild. The BK trade, getting Zeller and IT for next to nothing, grabbing Crowder and what will probably be a mid-late teens first round pick and the two early seconds we got from Wright by trading Rondo two seconds before he fell off a cliff. Jerebko for a 35 year old guy we were literally about to let walk away for nothing. Hiring the perfect coach to see through this rebuild and locking him up to be here when were good again. The Jeff Green trade. It's just amazing when you consider where we were when we lost the 2013 series to NY.

This team is definitely overachieving, and they may not make the playoffs. But it's impossible to dismiss the way this team is coming together. We're establishing a culture, a way of thinking that permeates all levels of the organization. These guys play their hearts out, balls to the wall and they believe they can beat anybody. IT was the perfect addition for these guys, especially at that price. We haven't had a guy like him since Pierce, and he fits perfectly in what DA and CBS are trying to build. With our long term financial flexibility and treasure trove of assets it is a beautiful time to be a Celtics fan.

We're in a nearly unprecedented position of having another team losing on our behalf for the next three years, and considering how many assets we have, I'll take a couple spots in the draft if it means this team with all of its youth and inexperience makes it happen. If Rondo, Green, Thornton and Nelson were still here and were responsible for an eighth seed, I might think differently. But it's not. This is real progress before our eyes .

Stevens is a top 15 coach, eh?

Considering all the turnover and roster mish-mash he's had to deal with in his first two years, and what he's managed to accomplish this year with this group, getting so much effort out of a team that's clearly overmatched all the time, yes he is. That's only means he's in the top half of coaches in the league. I think that's pretty fair .

I can easily make a case that 15 NBA franchises would be better off in the next few years with Stevens at their helm. And not just rebuilding teams. OKC would be better off with anyone not named Scott Brooks, but imagine what Stevens coulda done with that group if he grew with them. The Bullets would have to be crazy to not trade CBS for Randy Wittman if they had the chance. Same with the Rockets and McHale. It's not exactly a crazy thing to say. Are you not excited for what he can do once we get some real talent here? Cause I am .

[kozlodoev]

Stevens is a top 15 coach, eh?

More like top 25 or top 30.

[BDeCosta26]

Stevens is a top 15 coach, eh?

More like top 25 or top 30.

There's 30 coaches in the league. So you think all the other coaches in the league are doing a better job with what they have to work with than Stevens is? The ability of a coach isn't wholly dependent on their W-L record. Stevens has done a better job with this team the past few years than Brooks has done in OKC. He's done better than Whitman in DC, Flip in Minnesota, Steve Clifford in Charlotte, Monty Williams in NO, Byron Scott in LA, that mess of a coaching situation in Sacto, Vaughn and whoever the new guy is in ORL, Fisher in NY, Hollins in BK, Brown in Philly and those are just guys not up for debate. I would say a whole lot more are fairly debatable.

Being a good coach means getting your players to perform at the best of their ability to reach the highest levels they can go while also developing young players to improve their weaknesses. It's not all about how many wins you stack up. I get that some people are just trying to temper the excitement building around here with a little dose of reality, and trust me, I fully understand this is not a very good basketball team and they probably won't make the playoffs. But if you can't see that the job Stevens has done here all year is one of the better jobs being done by all the coaches in the NBA , I don't know what to tell you. Executives, coaches and players around the league have been very impressed with what DA and CBS have done here in the past two years. His star is rising and he's one of the best young minds in the game.

Let the people be excited. They have something to be excited about.

[kozlodoev]

Stevens is a top 15 coach, eh?

More like top 25 or top 30.

There's 30 coaches in the league. So you think all the other coaches in the league are doing a better job with what they have to work with than Stevens is? The ability of a coach isn't wholly dependent on their W-L record. Stevens has done a better job with this team the past few years than Brooks has done in OKC. He's done better than Whitman in DC, Flip in Minnesota, Steve Clifford in Charlotte, Monty Williams in NO, Byron Scott in LA, that mess of a coaching situation in Sacto, Vaughn and whoever the new guy is in ORL, Fisher in NY, Hollins in BK, Brown in Philly and those are just guys not up for debate. I would say a whole lot more are fairly debatable.

Being a good coach means getting your players to perform at the best of their ability to reach the highest levels they can go while also developing young players to improve their weaknesses. It's not all about how many wins you stack up. I get that some people are just trying to temper the excitement building around here with a little dose of reality, and trust me, I fully understand this is not a very good basketball team and they probably won't make the playoffs. But if you can't see that the job Stevens has done here all year is one of the better jobs being done by all the coaches in the NBA , I don't know what to tell you. Executives, coaches and players around the league have been very impressed with what DA and CBS have done here in the past two years. His star is rising and he's one of the best young minds in the game.

Let the people be excited. They have something to be excited about.

Yes, I'm fully aware there are 30 coaches in the league

I'm pretty excited myself, Brad S is starting to look like he has a pulse these days. And we've even started running some recognizable plays. Perhaps there is some hope for him after all.

[D.o.s.]

^That's more or less my feeling, too.

I think the team's improvement has to do with the fact that they're all doubling down now that the trade deadline has passed, so they know they're not going to be  traded. It happens every year. I don't think that the team having an easier schedule than they did at the start of the season (when they looked absolutely atrocious) is reason to sing stevens' praises from the rafters.

Stevens is not, for example, a demonstrably better coach than Monty Williams.