Post by FLCeltsFan on Oct 23, 2016 14:43:14 GMT -5
We were talking at one time about Danny's kind of players and Brad's kind of players and here are some good quotes from the Globe
On putting a premium on players with an edge: “I had one brother [Ainge had two older brothers] who was a Marcus Smart-type of competitor, a very, very highly competitive. I don’t think we ever finished a game. That’s where I first learned the value of intensity, of having an edge. Every coach every fan wants players to play with maximum effort. It’s a talent, and it’s a hard thing to acquire.
“I think it’s easier to become a better shooter than it is to learn to become an intense player. Delonte West and Tony Allen, they were two of my favorite players I’ve ever drafted. And that’s what stands out about a lot of the people that I draft. But not all of them. Maybe my favorite guy I ever coached was Jason Kidd. And Jason played with an amazing edge. Larry had that edge to him too. All those guys I’ve mentioned, their teammates wanted to play with them.
“People value it different. Maybe I overvalue it. I like it when I see it in player, but I also like great shooting and great length, and size, and rebounding. We were the fourth-ranked team in the NBA in defense last year with a 5-foot-8 starting point guard and no rim protectors. That tells you a little bit that the strength of the team was our perimeter defenders. That little edge is good, but not only that, it’s contagious. They see that from a well-established player, and they realize that’s the level you have to play at to really be successful.”
“I think it’s easier to become a better shooter than it is to learn to become an intense player. Delonte West and Tony Allen, they were two of my favorite players I’ve ever drafted. And that’s what stands out about a lot of the people that I draft. But not all of them. Maybe my favorite guy I ever coached was Jason Kidd. And Jason played with an amazing edge. Larry had that edge to him too. All those guys I’ve mentioned, their teammates wanted to play with them.
“People value it different. Maybe I overvalue it. I like it when I see it in player, but I also like great shooting and great length, and size, and rebounding. We were the fourth-ranked team in the NBA in defense last year with a 5-foot-8 starting point guard and no rim protectors. That tells you a little bit that the strength of the team was our perimeter defenders. That little edge is good, but not only that, it’s contagious. They see that from a well-established player, and they realize that’s the level you have to play at to really be successful.”
On working with coach Brad Stevens: “I told Brad right away, ‘I don’t want to surround you with a whole bunch of veteran NBA coaches. I want you to be you. Let’s figure this out together.’ And he’s done that.
“There’s much more of a competitive fire that burns inside him than people see on the outside. I love his temperament; I love how he communicates with his team. I was more demonstrative for sure, especially in my younger years. Brad keeps it inside, and that’s good.
“But I get to see the fire. When it’s just him and me in a room after a game, I get to see what the rest of the world doesn’t. And the sense of humor. He’s just a real guy. It’s so fun for me to be around someone so young who’s so smart, so competent, and so secure in who he is. And so humble in understanding that he doesn’t have it figured out.”
“There’s much more of a competitive fire that burns inside him than people see on the outside. I love his temperament; I love how he communicates with his team. I was more demonstrative for sure, especially in my younger years. Brad keeps it inside, and that’s good.
“But I get to see the fire. When it’s just him and me in a room after a game, I get to see what the rest of the world doesn’t. And the sense of humor. He’s just a real guy. It’s so fun for me to be around someone so young who’s so smart, so competent, and so secure in who he is. And so humble in understanding that he doesn’t have it figured out.”
On what he learned from Red Auerbach: “I learned a lot, especially on how he dealt with people. He was sort of a crusty, grouchy guy at times, but I loved how he knew the right things to say to the players. I loved how his presentation of the guy who made the winning play wasn’t Larry Bird’s 42 points it was, you know, [Robert] Parish’s charge he took with 2 minutes left in the game, or Ainge diving for a loose ball on a possession where we ended up hitting the go-ahead shot.
“In my eight years here, the times Red celebrated me after a game were usually when I started a fight with the other team. It was those types of thing that he appreciated. Heart, intensity, things that go beyond the normal, things that not every player would do or would be willing to do, but who would do whatever it took to win a game.”
“In my eight years here, the times Red celebrated me after a game were usually when I started a fight with the other team. It was those types of thing that he appreciated. Heart, intensity, things that go beyond the normal, things that not every player would do or would be willing to do, but who would do whatever it took to win a game.”
