Crowder on Stevens "He only wants to coach great players with great attitudes"

[saltlover]

If you don't think this is a knucklehead, something's wrong

Yeah, Dray is very, very good player, and seemingly hard worker.  But he is absolutely a bit of a loose cannon, impetuous, and possessing some "knucklehead" traits.

Getting suspended in the Finals for kicking opponents is 100% a knucklehead move.

I dunno. I see Draymond more as a passionate dude who certainly has a temper and gets white line fever which leads him to do the occasional stupid thing on the basketball court or on twitter. He is a deliberate agitator. I don't necessarily think that means he is a knucklehead.

Its like Brad Marchand for the Bruins. He crosses the line. He's not a knucklehead though.

Every team hates the Draymonds and the Marchands of the world when they're playing against them, but every team would take them in an instant if the opportunity arose.

didn't draymond lead the league in techs? That's detrimental to the team success. He literally lost the team a championship for being a knucklehead and getting suspended for a finals game last year.

Cousins led the league in techs.  Draymond is intense.  He's a bit dirty.  But he's incredibly coachable, and he's the on-court motivator of that team.  IT is a guy who gets a lot of techs.  He might have gotten suspended in the playoffs if he hadn't got hurt first.  If you think IT is a knucklehead, I don't know what to tell you.

[mctyson]

Isn't it the coach's job to work with players so that they come to work with great attitude?

Very narrow POV of how the world works, particularly in an industry FILLED with entitlement and employees with guaranteed $$$.

Like Brad Stevens, for example? The team is paying him to coach, not to have it easy.

You immediately assume this is about Stevens trying to make the job easier for himself.  What if he thinks these types actually make the team worse?

[kozlodoev]

Isn't it the coach's job to work with players so that they come to work with great attitude?

Very narrow POV of how the world works, particularly in an industry FILLED with entitlement and employees with guaranteed $$$.

Like Brad Stevens, for example? The team is paying him to coach, not to have it easy.

You immediately assume this is about Stevens trying to make the job easier for himself.  What if he thinks these types actually make the team worse?

I assume that players with more talent make the team better. The ones that don't have "great attitude" might be harder to extract the maximum from, but that's really why you have a coach to begin with. Is this really a controversial statement?

[jdz101]

Isn't it the coach's job to work with players so that they come to work with great attitude?

Very narrow POV of how the world works, particularly in an industry FILLED with entitlement and employees with guaranteed $$$.

Like Brad Stevens, for example? The team is paying him to coach, not to have it easy.

You immediately assume this is about Stevens trying to make the job easier for himself.  What if he thinks these types actually make the team worse?

I assume that players with more talent make the team better. The ones that don't have "great attitude" might be harder to extract the maximum from, but that's really why you have a coach to begin with. Is this really a controversial statement?

Is it really a particularly controversial statement for professional basketball organisations to expect a certain attitude and professionalism from their multi million dollar employees so they can work together to, as you put it 'extract the maximum' from both parties? I would have thought not.

You seem to think its Brad Stevens' job to motivate professional basketball players to do what is expected of them as professional basketball players right out of the gate. Many on here, rightfully so, EXPECT that right out of the gate before they put on a celtics jersey. I myself don't find that particularly unreasonable.

[RockinRyA]

Isn't it the coach's job to work with players so that they come to work with great attitude?

Very narrow POV of how the world works, particularly in an industry FILLED with entitlement and employees with guaranteed $$$.

Like Brad Stevens, for example? The team is paying him to coach, not to have it easy.

You immediately assume this is about Stevens trying to make the job easier for himself.  What if he thinks these types actually make the team worse?

I assume that players with more talent make the team better. The ones that don't have "great attitude" might be harder to extract the maximum from, but that's really why you have a coach to begin with. Is this really a controversial statement?

Yes. Just because you dont think so doesnt mean you are right.

You are so effin arrogant you think that you, with 0 NBA coaching experience, let alone playing experience, knows more than players and coaches who believes being a locker room problem is detrimental to the team.

You people have been to caught up with the vagueness of the term "great attitude" and use it to bolster your own agendas.

Brad Stevens wants players who are not negative presence in the locker, how about that?! He wants players who wants to win rather than just earn his paycheck. He wants players who will leave it all on the court. Great attitude is not tied down to a single trait you possess. Now you could shut up with lumping guys like Cousins and Morris together.

There isnt a single way to build a proper team, unlike Kozdolev the so-called expert here would like you to believe. If Stevens believes he wants a team built with these players then so be it. Like I said before I wouldve taken a gamble on Cousins, but that's me. Its not my team, I wouldnt be the one handling them, its not my style that is going to be implemented. Let him coach his way, and let Kozdolev grit his teeth at his seething hatred for Stevens.

[kozlodoev]

Yes. Just because you dont think so doesnt mean you are right.

You are so effin arrogant you think that you, with 0 NBA coaching experience, let alone playing experience, knows more than players and coaches who believes being a locker room problem is detrimental to the team.

Yes, we should just fold up the blog. Given that most of us have zero of any sort of NBA experience, everything anyone says over here is highly irrelevant. Who are we to comment and have an opinion, eh?

Also, you're being rude. I guess it's unfortunate that you didn't have a chance to learn how to treat people you don't like...

[Celtics4ever]

The mystery to me is why did Crowder come out and say this statement.   Is he letting it be known?   Is he being passive aggressive?   Does he not want to play with Hayward?  Is he being shopped still?   Who knows?   ( all speculation)

But it is odd that he would come out and say this statement.  Because CBS is known to be a guy who took a mid major to the big time, teams with not the greatest players, to the top echelon of the NCAAs.

Just trying to get the thread back on topic here....

[kozlodoev]

The mystery to me is why did Crowder come out and say this statement.   Is he letting it be known?   Is he being passive aggressive?   Does he not want to play with Hayward?  Is he being shopped still?   Who knows?   ( all speculation)

From what I've seen with Crowder so far, it's likely more of the usual: he has no filter whatsoever, so whatever is in his mind is also on the tip of his tongue.

I imagine he also fancies himself a guy with "great attitude"

[wayupnorth]

problem players that were driving forces on NBA championships.

1. Dennis Rodman

2. Metta World Peace

3. Draymond Green

4. Rasheed Wallace

5. Andrew Bynum

6. Tim Duncan

You are the Joel Berry III of this board.

Bravo, and TP.

Ty, best compliment I've ever received.  UNC fan?

Hell yes!

[The One]

I like it...it shows that the organization has a focus and standards.

[Sketch5]

Isn't it the coach's job to work with players so that they come to work with great attitude?

Very narrow POV of how the world works, particularly in an industry FILLED with entitlement and employees with guaranteed $$$.

Like Brad Stevens, for example? The team is paying him to coach, not to have it easy.

You immediately assume this is about Stevens trying to make the job easier for himself.  What if he thinks these types actually make the team worse?

I assume that players with more talent make the team better. The ones that don't have "great attitude" might be harder to extract the maximum from, but that's really why you have a coach to begin with. Is this really a controversial statement?

I still don't think you're getting the attitude part. Smart is rough around the edges, chippy at times with some grit. BUT he's doing because he wants to win, and they'll take those guys over some one like Cousins who's attitude sucks. Every time I see him play I get excited, and at times are. Then in every game he flips, and when it's not going well, he gives up, sulks, and it's the big reason they lose.

 Now he did play well with a coach that told him he was a "kitty" in practice for not running when he didn't want to and kicked him out. Boogie responded to that really well and after that he played well until SAC fired Malon for dumb reasons, and Cousins went back to his old ways. Stevens isn't that kind of coach, and it's not fair to make him have to be that. But for the cheap at the deadline, I'd take a flier on him with who we have on this team now. Guys with great attitudes who can get Boogie to buy in.

I think Stevens would take guys in that needed attitude adjustments, if he had a strong core of guys who would help him with it. He's not their daddy, he's not a babysitter. He should be more focused on getting the most out of guys on the court than stroking egos, and making their daddy issues go away.

[Sophomore]

Cousins led the league in techs.  Draymond is intense.  He's a bit dirty.  But he's incredibly coachable, and he's the on-court motivator of that team.  IT is a guy who gets a lot of techs.  He might have gotten suspended in the playoffs if he hadn't got hurt first.  If you think IT is a knucklehead, I don't know what to tell you.

I guess it depends on what we mean by "great attitude". During the Summer league game against Golden State the other day, Bret Barry was pushing the assistant coach at Golden State about Draymond. He said Draymond works better on a team with a lot of veterans, guys who can ignore a lot of his constant jawboning. I've read that in a few other articles; that his passion and love of the sound of his own voice goes beyond what most people find easy to be around. Is he intense? Does he play hard? Every sign says yes. is he an easy player to coach or have as a teammate? There's a lot of evidence that the answer is no. That said, he would hardly be the only NBA player who's a little bit too intense. And as you're saying, there's no evidence he can't be coached or pouts and takes plays off.

[mctyson]

Isn't it the coach's job to work with players so that they come to work with great attitude?

Very narrow POV of how the world works, particularly in an industry FILLED with entitlement and employees with guaranteed $$$.

Like Brad Stevens, for example? The team is paying him to coach, not to have it easy.

You immediately assume this is about Stevens trying to make the job easier for himself.  What if he thinks these types actually make the team worse?

I assume that players with more talent make the team better. The ones that don't have "great attitude" might be harder to extract the maximum from, but that's really why you have a coach to begin with. Is this really a controversial statement?

Yes it is controversial, particularly because you stated that Stevens wants his job to be "easy."  You directly contradict yourself by saying that making a team better it is all about talent.  Well, if Stevens is selecting more coachable players at the cost of talent, isn't he by your definition actually making his job - which is to win basketball games - harder?

Talent wins but not all talent wins.  The NBA history books are littered with talent that never won, because they did not make their team better.  There is actually a good case to be made that some really talented players actually make their teams worse.

[Kuberski33]

"You can't change people" - Gregg Popovich
(and regarding the specific case of Cousins: he was a documented head case already in high school, not something that happened in Sac)

Failure to follow the advice outlined by Pop in that quote has gotten a lot of coaches and GM's with big ego's fired over the years.