Brad Stevens: President of Basketball Ops
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Holy Christ. Humphreys offered a correction (in a kind way much appreciated) to my oversight and I took responsibility and owned the mistake. I don't think the error affected my point though that Boston is once again fighting a negative perception of itself as a racist city in the wake of KI's comments. I didn't just imagine the stories generated by those comments and those stories were big news for a cycle or two (and will now live on with each google search of Boston and racism). They feed into a negative perception of the city that going forward could affect the decision-making of a minority player all things being equal. Hiring a minority coach would be a good counter move YMMV. If you don't think that Boston, fairly or unfairly, is perceived (particularly within the sports world) as a place that still hasn't fully come to terms with racism, then I'm at a loss. Just one year ago, the Red Sox released a statement acknowledging Torii Hunter was the victim of racist slurs. Hunter himself had no-trade clauses to Boston added to contracts because of the issue. KI has standing in the NBA and there's a reason why he pulled off this specific band aid. It's a vicious and diabolical strike on an accepted narrative outside of Boston which the Celtics, to their credit, have navigated well over the years. It's a narrative guaranteed to play well across the country much like the Patriots and Tom Brady cheating with Deflategate. Thanks though for the transcription of the psychodrama playing in my head. Kreskin would be impressed.
I doubt they would be "kicking Zarren out," but, if you are Zarren do you really want to stay after you have been passed over to be Ainge's successor?
Under Ainge, Boston's front office seems to have become very closed and insular. It has been Danny Ainge, Mike Zarren, Austin Ainge, Brad Stevens. Maybe the highest profile front office newcomer in recent years has been Alison Feaster, but she is working her way up within the Celtics as opposed to bringing fresh NBA experience from outside the organization.
I'm fine, overall, with Danny Ainge's accomplishments and performance during his tenure (if not for almost Portlandesque repeated extraordinary bad luck, Boston would have raised more banners), but now that he has moved on I think the team should be looking to broaden its perspective by bringing in NBA-experienced management talent from outside the organization. I don't mean "big name guys" or "blow it up" on the management side - and indeed the pivot to Stevens as the top guy takes going outside for a big name off the table - but looking outside the organization for a rising young star who brings a different perspective seems like the right thing to do.
I don't know enough about Landy Fields to know if he is that type of guy or not, but I think bringing in a GM from outside makes a lot of sense.
As to "easily connecting with the players," I think you are misconstruing the original comment. You absolutely do not want a young former player GM who is hanging out with Jaylen and Jayson, etc. There needs to be a professional distance between management and players for a team to work. But, in today's NBA, you probably do need to have a better understanding of players, agents, and how to recruit and keep them happy than what Ainge and the Celtics front office brought to the table.
The big thing is if it's not Zarren, make sure you get someone to advise that knows the ins and outs of what you can pay someone and what you cannot.
Pitino deep-sixed himself right off the bat by either not keeping Jan Volk* or getting someone who knew the cap like he did- first thing Pitino had to do was renounce (for no compensation) a bunch of veterans (Rick Fox having the most value) because he signed the execrable Travis Knight for big (and fatal) bucks. Maybe a couple of those rookies who got thrown in there could have been spoon-fed the NBA a bit more if there were veterans around.
*it was incredible how many people Pitino fired just because he could. Not Volk, of course, you'd kind of expect that; but, for goodness sakes, the PA announcer (who was good), even the guys that held up the "P1/T1" cards at the press table.
Pitino deep-sixed himself right off the bat by either not keeping Jan Volk* or getting someone who knew the cap like he did- first thing Pitino had to do was renounce (for no compensation) a bunch of veterans (Rick Fox having the most value) because he signed the execrable Travis Knight for big (and fatal) bucks. Maybe a couple of those rookies who got thrown in there could have been spoon-fed the NBA a bit more if there were veterans around.
*it was incredible how many people Pitino fired just because he could. Not Volk, of course, you'd kind of expect that; but, for goodness sakes, the PA announcer (who was good), even the guys that held up the "P1/T1" cards at the press table.
Yeah they need a cap/tax/CBA expert. We've heard that Zarren is one of the best. But we've also watched the C's make some stupid moves at the margins too, having already stapled picks to players and drafting bums just to stash for roster apots and stuff like that. I'm not smart enough to unpack who's responsible for some of the dumber (albeit small) moves.
The answer is Ainge. We have no way of knowing who within the organization supported whatever moves you have in mind, or why they did or didn’t.
Yeah I get that. My point is that we can't unpack whether Zarren is as good as people are saying, since we made some stupid moves that are cap/tax related to some extent. The roster spot nonsense is definitely on Ainge. Most of it is obviously on Ainge.
None of those were really cap moves or mistakes though, they were roster moves because Danny didn't trade picks. Also the needs of the team changed rapidly with Kyrie, then Horford, then Hayward.
Cap mistakes are things like SAC missing out on a TPE because they screwed up order of operations.The Celtics are widely regarded as one of the best teams at maximizing the cap rules, and I think some of the moves people think of as cap/tax related are actually good cap management. Your needs change, and you need to shift with them, trading assets to dump money isn't evidence you screwed up the cap to me, it's evidence that you are managing the cap given your changing needs, and that you're willing to admit when things don't work out.
Zarren is hard to figure out because he's 100% not driven by being an NBA GM at any cost. He turned down multiple chances (including allegedly PHI) because he loves the Celtics, is a life-long C's fan and wants to win there. Now, maybe this changes his mind, but I'm not sure he would rather be a GM or Assistant GM elsewhere than his current role here. It's not clear if promotion is what drives him.
It's a little post facto now but if anyone is interested in hearing how DA interacted with players, DA was on the new-ish podcast produced by D'Amico, Grande, Abby, and Perkins (not all of them are on all podcasts) in April and discussed a bit of how he interacted with players. I found it fascinating: https://open.spotify.com/episode/278GhRPRKoOvlf4YpNPJf4
Which ones? I can’t recall a move the Celtics making that suggested they missed a cap nuance. And any moves partly motivated by tax avoidance would arise from ownership directives.
What is an example of such a mistake? I, like Cellar Door, think the Celtics are pretty elite at the cap----one can argue Miami and OKC are equal or better but I am not sure there is much evidence (or expert input from insiders such as Hollinger) that they are much lower on the overall NBA list on cap management than top 5. Maybe I'm missing it---can you cite a specific mistake?
As several know, I was critical of the draft and FA last offseason but do not see much of a case that was a function of cap knowledge/errors.
Not drastic mistakes, but stapling picks to get rid of sex pants and Kanter was no good. Dumping Theis at the 11th hour to fit NG seemed unnecessary.
I'm not saying that Zarren is no good. I've heard the same stuff that you guys have...that he's like Rain Man for this shit. Just asking if we're positive about that. Sounds like everyone is saying "yes" to that question.
I'm not saying that Zarren is no good. I've heard the same stuff that you guys have...that he's like Rain Man for this shit. Just asking if we're positive about that. Sounds like everyone is saying "yes" to that question.
I don't disagree - but by the same token, what was a move they made where people went "wow, they really utilized the cap rules to their benefit in a way a different team wouldn't"? Not trying to be snarky, honestly curious - nothing immediately comes to my mind but I may be forgetting some. Whereas for a team like the Pats, I could rattle off a number of times when they used the cap rules to their benefit (obviously it is not apples to apples because, at least to me, the NFL cap rules are much more complex).
The reason I put Presti higher is I think he has done things like voidable years no one had tried (wasn't that presti?) and I don't know of Celtics doing any of those kinds of things. But to some degree it is the absence of errors that defines Zarren/Ainge on this. So, go back and read about the Lakers transactions the summer they got Davis---they lost cap space and exceptions because of sequencing. The Kings process error was cited earlier. I am not aware of any of those ever happening to Celtics. That matters, in aggregate.
Yeah, none of those are really cap moves or mistakes, those were about clearing mistakes on talent.
In fact Theis is an obvious case of a smart cap move to duck under the tax.
Of course it woudlnt be very difficult a cover to simply state that Ainge came to us with the idea and we wanted him to remain. In fact, it was Wyc who interjected and stressed this point that made me chuckle as it seems like a bad Hollywood script. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter but my position has been all year that Ainge was on the hot seat and a PR cover following a disappointing couple of years surely isn’t going to convince me otherwise. Carry on.
Again we are looking for Drama. Maybe Zarren was brought in and asked? Maybe he was told of the plan to gauge his thoughts. Maybe he is totally 100% behind this. Loves Brad, Wants Ainge to live to his 80s and is happy with the raise they gave him to stay.
All that is at least as likely as an evil pissed off Zarren Broods in the corner plotting Brad and the celtics downfall while colluding with 31 other teams for a job opportunity.
Time will tell.
All that is at least as likely as an evil pissed off Zarren Broods in the corner plotting Brad and the celtics downfall while colluding with 31 other teams for a job opportunity.
Time will tell.
The roster structure has been disappointing for several years. Too much talent that wasn’t cohesive......lose Kyrie, Rozier, Horford, Hayward and Morris.....as we then have too few shot creators. Yeah, we’ve been discussing how disappointing Ainge has structured his rosters for some time now.
I mean... in a vacuum maybe, but I really doubt Wyc said "oh man a 3rd ECF in 4 years even with 2 of the 3 best players having injury issues, time to sack Danny". If he was on the hot seat it wasn't for last year.
Why is covid only an excuse for poor play? Maybe the C's only got to the ECF last year because of Covid. The other teams also had injuries.
I don't believe that Cs stapled at pick to get rid of Poirier. They sent cash and that's it I believe. https://www.celticsblog.com/2020/11/19/21578682/boston-celtics-trade-vincent-poirier-to-oklahoma-city-thunder
Kanter signed for 2 years/$10M with a player option. It's possible but unlikely that they could have signed him for cheaper. I don't remember the Cs cap situation at that point but obviously there's a case to be made that they should have given him more $ in one year but I don't recall anyone saying that the Cs mismanaged the cap on that signing. Whether they should have signed him in the first place would be a a DA/Brad question, not a Zarren question.
And as for Theis - after watching how the season ended up, do people still wish that BOS had kept him and gone over the luxury tax this year? I really liked watching The Is as a player but IMO, the results of the season weren't changing drastically with or without him.
My guess is that at the deadline this year their number one priority was adding talent (which they did) and number two was getting under lux tax (which they also did).
They likely had multiple trade discussions active on the last day, some of which would address both and some which would not. When it came time to do the Fournier deal (which met only objective 1) they had a different deal (Theis) lined up to meet objective 2. Maybe some other deal overall was better but the other team(s) didn't bite. Who knows, but they didn't have to do both in a single transaction. What I took away from teh day they were pretty clear on what two things they wanted to do and had multiple plans in place to try and do them, so while I get giving Theis away felt bad I also think it was part of an overall strategy and that getting under the tax was a pretty valuable thing to accomplish. Plus, as others noted, Theis didn't move the needle for the team rest of this year anyway
They likely had multiple trade discussions active on the last day, some of which would address both and some which would not. When it came time to do the Fournier deal (which met only objective 1) they had a different deal (Theis) lined up to meet objective 2. Maybe some other deal overall was better but the other team(s) didn't bite. Who knows, but they didn't have to do both in a single transaction. What I took away from teh day they were pretty clear on what two things they wanted to do and had multiple plans in place to try and do them, so while I get giving Theis away felt bad I also think it was part of an overall strategy and that getting under the tax was a pretty valuable thing to accomplish. Plus, as others noted, Theis didn't move the needle for the team rest of this year anyway
Sure, but it's a results business. They made the ECF with a hobbled Kemba and hurt Hayward, they were good in the regular season. There is no way the owner is looking at last year as anything but a modest success. Certainly he isn't looking to fire his highly successful GM.
If leaving wasn't DA's idea, I doubt he'd be helping out with the transition and even afterwards (he mentioned that he was willing to help with the draft and FA if he were asked).
DA's been doing this for a long, long time. The last two years have been brutal for everyone. He's used all of the picks he's gotten; the Cs have limited ways of improving themselves other than internal growth or getting lucky in the draft. He's had two heart attacks. Why so hard to believe that he wanted to step out?
I think you're totally right, but the people that have decided Danny was fired are not going to be convinced otherwise. If he goes to another organization in an advisory capacity, they'll say this is proof that he was fired. If he does TV or never works in a front office again, this will be proof that he was fired and isn't well respected in the league and can't get another job, or something. It doesn't matter, these people have made up their minds.
I mean, he could have been fired (I doubt it) based on this offseason and season and a general feeling he wasn't right for the job.
I just think the idea he was on the hot seat after last season is crazy.
They had to dump Theis in order to stay under the tax threshold, which was an order from the ownership.
I agree with you, we have no idea, I'm just pushing back on the certainty. I tend to buy the narrative the team is providing. Danny's comments after the Kyrie stuff read like they were spoken by a dude who just didn't have the job in him any longer. I definitely think you can read his actions and statements over the last year as a dude who just lost the stamina for the job. I appreciate that Danny had that level of self-awareness to step aside. I'm surprised there isn't a "Thank you Danny Ainge" thread, honestly.
I think that's the bottom line. They didn't lose to Bklyn because they didn't have Theis (the Grant Williams that probably got more of his minutes than anyone else did a decent job; especially compared to the Grant Williams we suffered with all year). I'm not sure if they finish 4-6 w/him either. Of course, not having him and depending on the undependable TL was not good optics, just sayin'.
Regarding Theis, of course not. If Theis went for 20/20 every night after we traded him, nobody rational would rather skip the reset for him. That was my point. Keeping him shouldn't have been impossible this year. I think that was a tax calc decision that we got wrong.
Not a huge one, before anyone accuses me of holding a candlelight vigil for DT, but it seemed like a hasty call because math. Counterpoints include "nobody is perfect" and "Art Howe".
They were under the tax threshold. Then they went over by adding NG and had to dump DT. I'm all for it, but it seemed hasty.
I'm probably looking for moles on a supermodel here, but it made me question at the time whether they had their tax shit straight.
Those that think that Ainge was "fired" really should read Himmelsbach's column in the Boston Globe. Ainge made references to how difficult it was to lose people he knew for a long time, and Himmelsbach noted that Ainge's 2nd heart attack was far more serious than originally reported. A guy that just got pushed out isn't going to talk about how he felt after some close friends died and use that as organizational cover; it's rather distasteful to speculate Ainge would do that.
At some point, the "Ainge was fired" folks need to provide better evidence than some random tweets from reporters that are not nearly as plugged in as they are made out to be.
At some point, the "Ainge was fired" folks need to provide better evidence than some random tweets from reporters that are not nearly as plugged in as they are made out to be.
I have no idea if Ainge retired for health reasons, or was fired, but ownership had to be concerned with DA's recent condescending and tone-deaf comments about players. I suspect DA brought up retiring at some point after his heart attack, was talked into staying, but then Celtic ownership knew they had a problem after his recent public comments and let him resign rather than face the PR and blowback of continuing to employ Ainge.
All speculation on my part. But if he ends up consulting or working for the Jazz it kind of blows a hole in the retiring for health reasons, as he certainly could have been named consultant emeritus with the Celts.
All speculation on my part. But if he ends up consulting or working for the Jazz it kind of blows a hole in the retiring for health reasons, as he certainly could have been named consultant emeritus with the Celts.
I don't see the issue here. They had a TPE, they saw an opportunity to add a player for basically nothing, and to stay under the tax by dumping their 3rd C.
There was a push to get more minutes for TL, and it was coming at Theis' expense, additionally Brad wanted to play less (or no) two big and adding a wing while moving Theis made that possible.
I don't see how that comes across as not having their tax numbers straight. They swapped out an expiring bench big for a better player. It isn't like they didn't know they needed to move salary to add Fournier and had to panic sell him.
Mini hi-jack
I thought the Theis trade (I liked Theis, he played hard and understood the D) was so indicative of the shit luck the Celts had this year. They traded Theis as part of the Fournier signing, and almost immediately after Fournier comes aboard he gets covid for 3 weeks, and TL geting the PT he deserved, showed signs of prentural defensive instincts and skills that were simply amazing to watch. That was elite shit that TL brought on the shot-blocking spectrum, but he broke and couldn't stay on the court.
Best laid plans...
I thought the Theis trade (I liked Theis, he played hard and understood the D) was so indicative of the shit luck the Celts had this year. They traded Theis as part of the Fournier signing, and almost immediately after Fournier comes aboard he gets covid for 3 weeks, and TL geting the PT he deserved, showed signs of prentural defensive instincts and skills that were simply amazing to watch. That was elite shit that TL brought on the shot-blocking spectrum, but he broke and couldn't stay on the court.
Best laid plans...
They are also almost certain to be in the tax in future years, so this year was their best chance to rest the tax and avoid the "repeater penalty." Given that Theis was clearly not a make-or-break player for this year's team and is a free agent in this offseason anyway, doesn't strike me as a big deal.
The draft & stash guys happened because of a personnel decision (the refusal to unload James Young after his rookie year), and Zarren wasn't the personnel guy. Had they paid someone $3 million to eat Young's contract they could have made an actual pick at #16 or #23. Zizic was used in the Irving trade, so all it really cost them was the Kyurse.
And while people bitch and moan about having to pay picks to move on from personnel decisions, they've put Boston in a position to add talent and operate above the tax line as the JayCrew is ascendent. Re-setting that tax line was important to Boston moving forward as the three years' grace they just bought takes them through the end of Jaylen's deal.
This sounds incredibly unlikely. You think Wyc, who hired a guy who was an incredibly successful GM for 18 seasons, would give him the "privilege" of resigning over the comments he made? The most pertinent part of the comments to my mind, was when Ainge said he'd never heard Kyrie mention racism on behalf of the fanbase while Kyrie was in Boston. He was trying to call out Kyrie but the comments came off like he was defending a racist city. Tone-deaf or not, they certainly didn't warrant a firing. Look, the owners said they begged Danny to stay and he wanted to leave. You honestly think his comments were abhorrent enough that they would cause ownership to change their mind? That is laughable to me.
Probably not an order from ownership so much as a practical consideration for a team being built around two burgeoning young all stars. A failure to reset the cap would have meant invoking a repeater tax (which is hideous) in the middle of this post-rookie deal run for the JayCrew. The reset means more ability to operate over the tax line without getting orders from the owners to slash the payroll.
Like i said, I have no idea, nor am I as attuned as you are about the private conversation between Ainge and ownership regarding his future for the past 2 years. However I found Ainge's comments about KI tone deaf, but dealable, BUT his comments from 2019, in an interview with NPR's Shira Springer which I just heard a few days ago, were dismissive and offensive to NBA players. My take is that once those combined comments saw light, ownership had to act and let Ainge resign for health reasons.
Lets call it professional courtesy for his decades of service to the team.
YMMV
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Appoligies if this has
I agree 100%. Ainge has never cared what people think. If he got fired he'd shrug, and move on. If he wanted to saty and was forced out he would not participate in something that gave the people that fired him cover. So much of what we saw "It's a me problem" his shocking negativity when doing color, etc fit with him being fed up. These are the types of jobs that require passion and energy. Without both, you walk away.
I briefly listened on 98.5 and there was a reporter on (not sure who) that was well connected to Brad saying he didn't think Brad would be in this role for more than a year before he returned to coaching.
I think they realized that Theis was expendable once TL emerged as a regular rotation guy. In the big picture, Theis is a JAG and was only irreplaceable until someone replaced his minutes.....which TL did. With the season coming to an end it seemed fine to only need 2 bigs which is far different than only having 2 at the start of an 82 (or 72) game season.
When you have max guys on their third contract it gets tough to stay under the tax line. Walker alone gets you to 28% of the LT line. Add in Jaylen and it's closer to 45%. I mean, sure, they could have sent out more guys for nothing last draft night in order to create an even larger cushion so that they could absorb Fournier without having to trade away Theis. But I suspect that if they'd given away Grant Williams in order to add Carsen Edwards, Javonte Green, and some other random salary to the dump list that you'd be citing that as a failure of cap management.
The decisions that have been hurting Boston lately are the personnel ones, primarily Danny holding on too long to the Davis/Irving dream (and that's not hindsight for me, I was off the Unibrower Train the minute he hired LeBron to be his agent and was an early advocate for just moving on and building around Hayward and JayCrew). Everything since his stubborn refusal to trade Irving has been reverberations from that non-move. (I.e. Replacing Kyrie with Kemba led to the Hayward exit as he didn't like being the fourth wheel.)
it (brad leaving to coach again after 1 yr) may turn out to be true, but does it make sense? Replace Brad with another front office exec with a coach in place - wouldn't the new exec want to hire their own coach?
Interesting that Brad would put that out there to a reporter immediately after taking the job. Leaking such a story is something that could indeed get him fired. So could be nothing but speculation; always be skeptical of self-reported claims of being "well connected".
