Grantland’s Zach Lowe has an interesting interview with Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. The big takeaway for me? Stevens, a man who makes more than $3 million annually, doesn’t have to buy his own ties:
Did you have a lot of green ties before? Do they come with this job? Do they just appear on your desk?
Let’s put it this way: I haven’t bought one.
So the team buys them!
It’s not them! It’s not the Celtics. Some come in the mail, somebody delivers it. Actually, that’s not true: I bought one for the press conference. But that was because we were flown to Boston on July 4, and we needed a green tie. But other that, we haven’t bought one.
Who is the mystery shopper getting Stevens’ ties? Probably Wyc’s personal assistant.
Lowe gets into some Xs and Os, like the Celtics philosophy on guarding pick-and-rolls:
You’ve made one massive change from how Doc Rivers coached. On his Boston teams, the big man guarding screeners on pick-and-rolls would jump out aggressively on those plays — really attack the point guard above the 3-point arc. You’re having the big guys on this team drop back more consistently than almost any team in the league. Have you always been a “drop” guy? Or is it just something you thought would fit this team?
I’ve never dropped in my life. Thirteen straight years of hard showing and blitzing.
What changed?
Looking at what I thought would be most effective long term, in large part because of study, and because of hiring a guy like [lead assistant] Ron Adams, and listening to what he thought was the best bet for our team. That was really hard for me. You’re coming into a new situation, and you’re not coaching what you’re comfortable with. It’s a double whammy. But Ron is really good at it, and [assistants] Jamie [Young] and Jay [Larranaga] have been here. Walter [McCarty] has been here in the NBA as a coach and a player. The more we looked at it, and the more we looked at our team, we just thought it was a good thing. Our guards can get into the ball, and our bigs are really bright on the back line covering for one another.
Brad Stevens listens to his (insert 13 letter expletive) assistants? Don’t tell Jason Kidd.
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