Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
The situation in Washington should encourage Celtics faithful to cherish Stevens, who appears to have the locker room under his guidance. Even when the Celtics don’t play well, they play hard, and that has been the case since Stevens inherited the patchwork roster from the post-Garnett-Pierce team in 2013. And when he senses they aren’t playing with the passion that is required to be successful, he expresses his anger in a way that pierces his players.
If Stevens was a perpetual screamer, his words wouldn’t have the same effect. But when he does scream, the players react. Maybe all of the players don’t love old coach, but the players all appear to have enough respect for him to realize he is invested in their personal success.
So even when players may gripe about playing time or roles, it seems they understand that rebelling would disrupt the team concept. And one of the caveats of building a team without a legitimate superstar or prima donna is that the players realize they won’t be successful without being a cohesive group. Isaiah Thomas, criticized in his previous stops for being too ball dominant, has learned (sometimes the hard way) that the Celtics won’t win unless he has an even balance between shooting and distributing.
Globe: Brad Stevens has the Celtics’ attention
When you scan the league’s coaching landscape, it’s pretty easy to see what the Celtics have in Brad Stevens. One coach has already been fired, another (Wittman in Washington) is almost certainly on the way out, and a third (Byron Scott in LA) seems to be employed only because its improving his teams lottery chances.
The interesting part of this quote are the “Maybe all of the players don’t love old coach” and ” even when players may gripe about playing time or roles” lines…. which seems to be a little insight into some slight unsettlement in the locker room…. which really should be no surprise.
We knew going in that one of the biggest challenges facing Brad Stevens was guys being unhappy with a lack of playing time. The Celtics could be undefeated right now and there’d probably still be someone grumbling a little bit about not getting minutes.
The important thing is that Stevens is keeping them together so far. I know the “trust the process” line is supposed to be Philly’s… but they’re using it in place of “don’t panic, please give us more time.” It much more applicable to the Celtics, both to fans and players. Everyone has to trust this process in Boston, even the guys in that locker room who may be wondering why they’ve fallen out of favor.
The way this season is going, someone’s fortunes could turn on a dime. Tyler Zeller is an injury away from being the starting center again. One bad matchup could thrust a bench guy into a key role. It could happen tonight… tomorrow… next month… who knows.
Stevens is doing a nice job so far keeping this together. The players are also doing a nice job themselves staying together, even through a rough stretch where they nearly lost to the Nets and Sixers in the same week. As much as it’s on Stevens to keep it together, it’s on the guys as well to stay together themselves. As we’ve seen in Houston, if the players decide don’t want to listen to a coach, then there will be trouble.
But that’s not happening here, and credit is spread throughout the organization. Danny Ainge and the ownership group have established Stevens as their long-term coach and that will quell any sort of player unrest. A full-on mutiny is unlikely when players know it will get them nowhere.
But it’s also unlikely when the coach respects his guys like Stevens does. It’s hard to get mad when you have a mutual respect. We can disagree with one another, but when that mutual respect exists, it’s easier to “agree to disagree” and look past that for the greater good.
So yes, let’s cherish Brad Stevens… even though I don’t understand his obsession with Evan Turner… but I digress…
Related links: Herald: Stevens keeps it “real” with Celtics
Page 2: Jahlil Okafor is on a roll
Four sources independently confirmed to The Inquirer the 76ers center was pulled over on the Ben Franklin Bridge around three weeks ago for 108 miles per hour. Anything over 40 m.p.h. is considered reckless driving.
This news come days after it was revealed that Okafor had been involved with two altercations while leaving nightclubs.
This dude went out, got a gun pointed at him… then went out again and threw a punch at a fan in Boston… and somewhere in there managed to get busted for driving 108 miles per hour.
Yes, he’s a 19 year-old doing stupid shit, but man… this is some really stupid shit.
Trust the process, Philly.
Related links: CSNNE: Police: alleged victim comes forward in Okafor fight
And Finally…
Earlier this season, Megeath got his chance to meet the legendary power forward. He tracked down Garnett in Denver, who greeted him warmly. Megeath told Garnett what he has meant to Megeath over the years.
I told him about what he has done for my life and how I carry his number on my prosthetic eye and his demeanor changed. We talked more about it and he opened up a little about his current situation in dealing with the loss of Coach Saunders. Both of us were in tears by this point. He insisted on signing anything I had for him to sign and he expressed his respect by writing “LOYALTY” on the Wolves jersey and “The Big Ticket” on the Celtics. He also wanted to take a pic together holding the BiO shirt I brought to him.
After Jackie MacMullan’s piece on Garnett, there were people who called KG out for being a bully. I get that he hasn’t handled himself in an exemplary manner on the court or in practice 100% of the time, but, to quote Russell Westbrook… don’t get it twisted… Kevin Garnett is a good guy.
If you haven’t read that whole story… check it out. It’s worth the time and the video is pretty great too.
The rest of the links:
Globe: Warriors are basking in golden state | In current NBA, shooters are at a distinct advantage
Herald: Smart following mom’s advice on return | Ainge: NBA stops equal parts effort and instinct
CSNNE: Celtics-Magic preview: two teams on similar paths | Magic may be without Fournier | Toughest road test awaits with five-game trip
ESPN Boston: Sullinger catching everything that comes his way
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