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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 21, 2021 21:23:21 GMT -5
If the team was dysfunctional, then who was causing the most problems? And why didn't certain players say or do anything about it?
Was it solely Brad Stevens?
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 21, 2021 21:46:50 GMT -5
Here's what is quoted from Jared Weiss from the Athletic (this guy is a Celtics fan who has no reason to fabricate things. I'm not saying any of this is totally factual either).
"The Celtics' locker room was reportedly dysfunctional throughout the 2020-21 NBA season for a myriad of reasons stemming from friction between head coach Brad Stevens and the players, per The Athletic's Jared Weiss. It was reportedly so dysfunctional that when former Pistons forward Blake Griffin asked a Celtics player if he should join the team earlier this season, he was advised not to because of the tension.
Kemba Walker, who was traded to the Thunder Friday, was rumored to be on the move during the offseason. However, once Walker heard of the Celtics' effort to trade him, it was evident he would not be there long term. What didn't help was that Walker and Stevens, were allegedly at odds with each other, and their relationship was characterized as "tension-filled", per the report. Stevens was harder on Walker, specifically for his defensive mistakes than other players, and reportedly showed favoritism for other top players. Stevens was reportedly more aggressive with some players after Gordon Hayward left for the Hornets. Hayward allegedly told Stevens that he needed to establish a stronger voice if the team wanted to win. Walker became more open to playing for another franchise after the team started getting booed at TD Garden for their struggles. The boos reportedly "p---ed him off." By the end of the season, it reportedly was widely believed the Celtics lost their culture of winning. This was exemplified when Boston players paid no mind to Nets guard and former Celtic Kyrie Irving stomping on the team's logo. Players even began to voice their concerns over Stevens's "college offense" that often left the team's best players in isolation situations. They began to welcome the idea of a coaching change for Stevens's favoritism of players and inability to hold some accountable as well, per the report. "
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Post by afceltic on Jun 22, 2021 6:55:27 GMT -5
I think it is Smart,Tatum and Kemba. Smart because of his shooting and Brad not having the balls to tell him to stop or to bench him for it. I think Tatum because to me it seems that he thinks he has already arrived and is enjoying being a celebrity. It may be a case of having too much success too early. But that could have also been because of the offense that was mentioned above. On the other hand, that offense looked really good when guys were playing their role, so I don't think it was the offense. I think it is because Kemba is a isolation scorer and that stunted the offense, so he never fit on either side of the court. Trading for him looked good on paper, but he just didn't fit in and became a cancer in the locker room.
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Post by jmost on Jun 22, 2021 7:59:49 GMT -5
I have no idea what happened or who's to blame, but I can believe the part about losing the winning culture - because for the first time in the Stevens era the team seemed to lack effort on a regular basis.
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Jun 22, 2021 9:31:15 GMT -5
Whatever the case may be, if there are individuals who are causing problems, this needs to end now. The winning culture, the hard working attitude, the team first mindset needs to be established as the backbone of this team once again.
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Post by jmost on Jun 22, 2021 10:14:01 GMT -5
Agreed. It's easy to read between the lines too much, but Brad was quoted saying about Robert that "he's a listener" - which is great to hear about Robert, but kinda implies that others may not be listeners - and that's a problem.
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