Brad Stevens Thread – Finding The Way

[thomas1897]

Brad Stevens is known for his ability to analysis and apply basketball knowledge and develop very good NBA players. He is doing this very good. Nick Stauskas signing has added to his arsenal of good basketball talent. Building a very good bench is very important to reach the NBA finals. I commend Brad Stevens and continue in the process of rebuilding and remaking the Celtics. Thanks

[Celts17Pride]

Brad Stevens is building the Celtics with a purpose. He knows what type of players that he wants and then goes out and gets them. Stevens is trying to build the team from the top down only interested in players that may possibly fit. I've been very impressed with Brad Stevens and really believe the best is yet to come.

[snowman]

Ainge gave Brad this roster, and at the same time in lux cap hell:

Jaylen Brown
Carsen Edwards (gone)
Tacko Fall (gone)
Evan Fournier (gone)
Luke Kornet
Romeo Langford (gone)
Aaron Nesmith
Semi Ojeleye (gone)
Jabari Parker (gone)
Payton Pritchard
Marcus Smart
Jayson Tatum
Tristan Thompson (gone)
Kemba Walker (gone)
Tremont Waters (gone)
Grant Williams
Robert Williams

Brad has turned it into this roster and is 2.5+ mil under the lux tax:
Jaylen Brown
Malik Fitts SF 10-day
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Kelan Martin 10-day
Aaron Nesmith
Payton Pritchard
Matt Ryan 2-way
Marcus Smart
Nik Stauskas
Jayson Tatum
Daniel Theis
Brodric Thomas 2-way
Derrick White
Grant Williams
Robert Williams

Can anyone say executive of the year candidate?

[jmr07019]

Rob Williams extension looks silly at the moment. I don't think it's a stretch to say he would see close to double if he hit the open market. Looking like Brad's best move at the moment.

Kemba and a pick for Horford has been a homerun move as well. Really made everything fit together so much better. His second best move.

Smart's deal and the White trade a are looking like very good moves as well.

The Ime hire has obviously been debated a bunch but it's tough to argue with the way the team is playing right now.

[JimmyPlopper]

The upgrade from Ainge to Stevens has made a big difference. Teams future looks bright

[LarryBirdsFingr]

Yes

[ParticleMan]

I'd say Ainge had the same basic vision as Brad but Ainge was never willing to "lose" a trade to get the guy he wanted. As a result he was never able to fully commit to the vision. Brad clearly has the guys he wants, and the guys he didn't want, and the roster has been pretty much scrubbed of the latter in less than a year. Even the Ime move is looking like genius now that the guys are buying in.

A couple of months ago it seemed like we were resigned to NBA purgatory. My how the turn tables.

[celticfan42487]

I'd say Ainge had the same basic vision as Brad but Ainge was never willing to "lose" a trade to get the guy he wanted. As a result he was never able to fully commit to the vision. Brad clearly has the guys he wants, and the guys he didn't want, and the roster has been pretty much scrubbed of the latter in less than a year. Even the Ime move is looking like genius now that the guys are buying in.

A couple of months ago it seemed like we were resigned to NBA purgatory. My how the turn tables.

I suppose, but should we really applaud a GM for losing trades?

The players that we now boast as the best starting lineup are all guys Ainge drafted high in the lottery or drafted himself outside of a what 35 year old Horford?

Are they playing well now because of anything really Stevens or Ime has done or are they just bouncing back and reaching the same level they would with any NBA coach?

Like getting White is nice, getting Horford is nice. But the reason Ainge didn't trade picks was because in Boston unless you're already a contender you're likely only going to get an allstar by trading picks for one or drafting one. We traded our first this year and potentially a lottery pick swap in a future Tatum less Cetlics season mortgaging the future for someone that comes off the bench and honestly doesn't do anything that Marcus Smart doesn't already do for the team.

I think everyone and your mother would say a late first for White is fair, but the pick swap well after everyone is out of contract is a dramatic overpay.

Like I'm glad we got some helpful players off the bench, but we're here to win and do what's best for the franchise to get to that next championship. Not what's best for this team to get to the second round. We still have a serious lack of talent in the starting lineup away from being a contender and are starting lineup has a age 35 big so would anyone be shocked if he fell off a cliff next year at 36 and our starting lineup lost one of it's critical pieces? Hell not only would we not be surprised no one could even blame Horford if he did, he already is playing way above what he should be able to at his current age.

I just don't think other than the Horford trade there's much to be applauded at the moment that Stevens has done as a GM.

But to be fair I think what we have now and what his team vision post trade deadline is incomplete. I find it hard to believe he overpaid for White to keep him and Smart both on the team. They just do too many of the same roles for a basketball team and Smart does them all better than White... I think there was supposed to a John Collins trade follow up to that so it would make more sense as to why he overpaid for White so much. So I'll wait till the start of next season to see what he truly had in mind. This can't be it, and I don't think even a new GM would overpay that much just because they liked a 6th man for their non contending team. There has to be another shoe that was suppose to have dropped.

[Bleedsgreen]

Like getting White is nice, getting Horford is nice. But the reason Ainge didn't trade picks was because in Boston unless you're already a contender you're likely only going to get an allstar by trading picks for one or drafting one. We traded our first this year and potentially a lottery pick swap in a future Tatum less Cetlics season mortgaging the future for someone that comes off the bench and honestly doesn't do anything that Marcus Smart doesn't already do for the team.

Umm Horford, Kemba and Heyward Signed with the Celtics as all stars. The team Horford signed to was no way a contender. Well Kemba just stole money. They aren't superstars but they were all-stars. The Nets were able to build an Ainge team with no draft picks, then got lucky that one superstar with miswired brain wanted to go there and then convinced his all time team friend to join him.

::After looking at some of mine old Ainge posts::
Though must say Tatum, Brown and especially Rob Williams have made Ainge draft record much better than it has been.


it pretty evidently clear that Stevens has a basketball mind. At the time of the shakeup I kinda prefer that he stayed as coach but picked his own guy to be GM that he could control kinda like Pop with Buford. But this seems to be working out and the players are buying in with Udoka. Looks and sounds like Stevens has even stayed out of Udoka way and let him coach instead of being a coach from the fan seats.

[Fencer reregistered]

I'd say Ainge had the same basic vision as Brad but Ainge was never willing to "lose" a trade to get the guy he wanted. As a result he was never able to fully commit to the vision. Brad clearly has the guys he wants, and the guys he didn't want, and the roster has been pretty much scrubbed of the latter in less than a year. Even the Ime move is looking like genius now that the guys are buying in.

A couple of months ago it seemed like we were resigned to NBA purgatory. My how the turn tables.

Ainge also couldn't resist the lure of excellent-scoring PGs who didn't fit Stevens' overall vision.

[Curmudgeon]

I don't think Ainge and Stevens have the same vision at all. Ainge hoarded assets in his hunt for white whales. Stevens is willing to spend assets to put the best team on the floor.

There is literally zero chance that Ainge would have made the Derrick White deal. Zero.

[Curmudgeon]

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[darrendaye]

I don't think Ainge and Stevens have the same vision at all. Ainge hoarded assets in his hunt for white whales. Stevens is willing to spend assets to put the best team on the floor.

There is literally zero chance that Ainge would have made the Derrick White deal. Zero.

The team circumstance was a bit different, but, I would throw out the IT trade as a possible discussion point here.

[Curmudgeon]

I don't think Ainge and Stevens have the same vision at all. Ainge hoarded assets in his hunt for white whales. Stevens is willing to spend assets to put the best team on the floor.

There is literally zero chance that Ainge would have made the Derrick White deal. Zero.

The team circumstance was a bit different, but, I would throw out the IT trade as a possible discussion point here.

You mean the one that brought him in or the one that sent him out?

[darrendaye]

I don't think Ainge and Stevens have the same vision at all. Ainge hoarded assets in his hunt for white whales. Stevens is willing to spend assets to put the best team on the floor.

There is literally zero chance that Ainge would have made the Derrick White deal. Zero.

The team circumstance was a bit different, but, I would throw out the IT trade as a possible discussion point here.

You mean the one that brought him in or the one that sent him out?

Brought him in.

[Curmudgeon]

Well, Ainge won that deal, which also brought in Jerebko. But at that point the Celtics were in the toilet and weren't ready for Moby Dick. That was also the year in which he drafted Rozier and R.J. Hunter.

[celticfan42487]

Like getting White is nice, getting Horford is nice. But the reason Ainge didn't trade picks was because in Boston unless you're already a contender you're likely only going to get an allstar by trading picks for one or drafting one. We traded our first this year and potentially a lottery pick swap in a future Tatum less Cetlics season mortgaging the future for someone that comes off the bench and honestly doesn't do anything that Marcus Smart doesn't already do for the team.

Umm Horford, Kemba and Heyward Signed with the Celtics as all stars. The team Horford signed to was no way a contender. Well Kemba just stole money. They aren't superstars but they were all-stars. The Nets were able to build an Ainge team with no draft picks, then got lucky that one superstar with miswired brain wanted to go there and then convinced his all time team friend to join him.

::After looking at some of mine old Ainge posts::
Though must say Tatum, Brown and especially Rob Williams have made Ainge draft record much better than it has been.


it pretty evidently clear that Stevens has a basketball mind. At the time of the shakeup I kinda prefer that he stayed as coach but picked his own guy to be GM that he could control kinda like Pop with Buford. But this seems to be working out and the players are buying in with Udoka. Looks and sounds like Stevens has even stayed out of Udoka way and let him coach instead of being a coach from the fan seats.

I mean that's nice, but they signed with us an ECF team with max money available for free agency.

Do you see that situation happening again for this team in the near future? How about before Tatum and Brown's max contracts expire?

Yeah so pretty much that isn't a route that's possible to get an all star for us. It would have only been with drafting really lucky in the draft like drafting Bane or Rob Williams at the end of the first as we had done before, OR by trading like 4 first rounders for a disgruntled one to a team like the Wizards.

That's just my concern. Ainge was about winning championships not second rounds in the playoffs, so I get concerned when I see 2 firsts traded for a 6th man who everything he brings to the team is a lesser form of what Smart does instead of waiting for the opportunity to flip 4 for allstar which may never come. But the only way you 100% never trade for an allstar is never trying.

I'd rather take the chance we can get lucky and get another Rob or Bane in the late first round than a 6th man for a few years.

I guess in the end I believe talent wins in the NBA above all else. And I also believe when Tatum has 2 or 1 year left on his contract he's going to look at the Lakers and he's not going to stay because he rode out a couple seasons with a Coach and 6th man he enjoyed on Team USA but he might stay if he looks at a team with say a Beal, Brown, Rob core next to him that was just in the finals the year prior.

In the end I guess I just fully view the NBA the way Ainge and Heinkie do. And I fully believe that's the only way the NBA players view it too, they're all Durants now.

[Curmudgeon]

If pure talent wins in the NBA why are the Lakers 27-35? Good basketball wins in the NBA just like everywhere else.

[hugepatsfan]

I don't think Ainge and Stevens have the same vision at all. Ainge hoarded assets in his hunt for white whales. Stevens is willing to spend assets to put the best team on the floor.

There is literally zero chance that Ainge would have made the Derrick White deal. Zero.

The team circumstance was a bit different, but, I would throw out the IT trade as a possible discussion point here.

I get what you mean, but the particulars there are really worlds apart. At that point, we had an absolute treasure chest of 1st round picks. He gave up a very late pick (believe it was CLE's that we got for the Zeller salary dump back when Lebron was there and they were sure to pick late). In the hierarchy of our assets between all of the picks (our own and others) and then players on the roster who had value, that pick was honestly probably like the 15th most valuable piece we had. Stevens has made moves off a roster without nearly the same kind of tradable players or treasure chest of picks. For him to have moved each of our last 1st rounders for non-stars is a MAJOR philosophical shift from Ainge.

If you look through history, basically all the championships are won by top 20-30 players in the game. Not top 20-30 at a given time, I mean the whole history of the game. Go look up every team that's won since the 80s. Then go look up any top whatever all time players list. Other than the 03-04 Pistons team, who's won without a guy that's generally among the top 20-30 all time on any list. Probably the only other one you'll find is Giannis last year just because he's still building a resume towards that kind of ranking.

Ainge was obsessed with hoarding his chips so he could pounce if a guy who had already proven himself to be that caliber of player. KG trade for example. Stevens on the other hand, seems to be willing to hope that Tatum develops into that guy or at least the kind of guy who can recruit someone like that to BOS at a discount the way other teams do. And in the meantime, he's happy to just put the best team he can around Tatum (and Brown to a lesser degree) and try to facilitate that growth. Basically, he's not obsessed with the one big move that wins it all. He's happy for just organic team building and maybe getting some luck one year to make a real run even if improbable.

[Curmudgeon]

Stevens is betting on Tatum and Brown, He's also got three nice complementary pieces locked up long term (Smart, Williams, White). That's a nice foundation assuming that the two stars improve.