Crowder's not wrong.
He's not right either.
Fascinating post!
Thanks. Your's was mind-blowing as well.
I guess I should clarify, though, since I've been called out. I just mean that I don't particularly like it when players start taking this kind of thing to the media. It strikes me as obnoxious.
I trust this team enough and I trust Brad Stevens and his staff enough for this not to become a big deal. Still, I don't like it.
See how easy that was?
Players speaking up doesn't bother me, if they're not throwing anybody in particular under the bus. Crowder wasn't doing that.
I think he has a valid point. In theory, taking full advantage of depth and having the guys on the floor give you 100% all the time sounds good. In practice, you've got a group of human beings who are going to struggle to execute that plan, especially when they don't go into any particular game knowing for sure what kind of minutes they are going to play, how many shots they're going to get, or even what position they'll spend most of their time at.
Most likely, that's just the team the Celts are right now. Brad is making the most of the one really notable strength his team has. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it won't. Some nights it's a lot of fun, some nights it's a mess. When it's a mess, it's a frustrating reminder of how far this team really is from having a blueprint for the future.
I agree with the bolded part. Depth is one of this team's strengths. To maximize that strength, it's going to take a coach who is willing to experiment some, to try some different lineups to try to take advantage of match up opportunities.
I also agree that this approach isn't always going to look pretty. But, in my opinion, it does represent our best bet to stay competitive.
For it to work, though, everybody has to buy in. I know this sounds like a cliche, and it is, but it's also true. The coach isn't going to be infallible, but he needs everybody on board with what he's doing. I don't think a reasonable amount of questioning the plan among the players when things aren't going at their best is necessarily a bad thing. But it shouldn't be done out loud. A guy like Jae Crowder, who is clearly a leader, doesn't need to do this kind of thing. He doesn't need to open the door to the possibility of fracture.
I still have faith that Stevens, and the team, will pull through this. I don't think it's a good look, though. A good win tonight against another quality opponent would go a long way towards making everything right.