Back when we used to do this with Ainge, it was much harder.
You had to read in between the lines and see what he was saying without actually saying it.
With Brad Stevens, things are a little more clear cut.
The same was true once he moved upstairs.
Let’s just hop right in
We may as well start with Joe.
Despite what the Celts were doing on the floor, none of that really mattered for some people.
As Brad said, Joe is not perfect.
He for sure made mistakes, but what NBA coach is perfect?
Joe is not the reason the season ended.
OK, now the next biggest item on the menu.
There are a few things you HAVE to consider with any GM that is in this spot.
For starters, they can’t really say shit per NBA rules.
I can’t imagine anyone expected Brad to go up there and tell them their plans.
That’s not realistic.
I say that because it’s all Brad has ever talked about since he got the job.
Investing in Tatum and Brown.
Building things around those two players.
As it always does when it comes to contracts, talk is relatively cheap.
We’ll see how they feel based on the extension they offer.
From there, the ball is in Jaylen’s court.
Maybe they offer it and he accepts it.
Maybe they come together and settle on a slightly lower number.
There’s a reason fans are not GMs.
This is the punch in of perspective I was trying to hint at the other day.
The Celtics roster is not one that needs a major overhaul.
They do not need to peel off franchise pillars to make it break through.
They have things they need to address, but it’s marginal.
Big man depth is probably #1 on the list at this point followed by the coaching staff.
Contending in the NBA is hard as hell.
Success is not linear.
They fell short due to execution, not talent.
That to me is why you do not make major changes.
You found a combination and a formula that wins at a high level.
Does he accept that number (double his salary) to then enter UFA next summer?
Or, does he turn it down and go to the market?
If he feels like Joe has him out of the rotation, why should he stay?
At that point, unless you figure out some sort of sign and trade, Grant walks for nothing.
The question then becomes, what is Grant’s market price and how high will the Celts go?
If it’s $12M, do they match?
This one, this one cut me deep.
It honestly makes no sense how poorly the Celts have played in their own building these last two years.
It cost them a spot in the Finals and a potential title.
There’s no way around there and frankly, there’s no excuse for it.
You simply have to win at home in the postseason.
Relying on needing to secure multiple road wins leaves way too much up to chance.
Not protecting your home floor is what ultimately ended your season, and Brad’s right.
9 losses in 41 regular season games and 6 losses in 11 postseason games.
How is that even possible?
If you’re curious, DEN is 8-0 at home this postseason and MIA is 6-2.
Seems pretty important if you ask me.
That’s really it.
Then again, this is why you cannot fuck around and lose all these games at home.
As we learned, you’re one sprained ankle away from ending your season.
I partly agree with this.
It’s true, their clutch time defense was absolutely pathetic in the ECF.
They had a 126 Drtg in those moments, which is beyond terrible.
Not getting stops and allowing the Heat to get back and set their defense absolutely helped.
But….that’s not really the entire story of their late game issues.
Not attacking it from the baseline was more impactful.
To me that’s on Joe, that’s on the staff, and that’s on the players.
Overall, things went pretty much as I expected them to.
I tend to agree.
That’s going to sting for a while.
