Washburn: Coaching Staff Felt Helpless to Solve Locker Room Issues

GoCeltics123 · Post #1 » by **GoCeltics123** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:01 pm

It became apparent throughout the season that there was major friction among the Celtics players because of some of their understandable personal agendas and how playing time and roles were distributed.

It wasn’t that the coaching staff was unaware of these issues, according to team sources; it was that they really didn’t know what to do about it. Without a coach with any real influence on players such as Irving, or who commanded the reverence of younger players, the staff was essentially left helpless to cure the problems.

Stevens, who has allowed the players to police themselves in the past, swooped in too late to solve the issues. Some players blamed him for integrating Hayward into the starting lineup without giving more regard to the feelings of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. And a series of players-only meetings, even one before Game 5, according to the team source, did nothing to solve the on-court problems, resulting in that embarrassing 116-91 loss to the Bucks.

An hour after the Celtics lost Game 5, assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry announced he was leaving the club for an assistant position with his alma mater, Purdue. So there is a position open and Stevens needs to stray from hiring someone from the Butler tree and bring in a veteran NBA coach and former player.

That coach needs to be in tune with the players, who in today’s NBA have a high regard for coaches who played in the league and have experienced what they experience. The Celtics lost a lot when Walter McCarty decided to take the Evansville University job after last season. He was a calming influence and believe it or not the players recognized him not only from his 10-year NBA career but his role in the movie “He Got Game.”

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge should be held responsible also. He has surrounded himself with longtime friends and analytics people who know the game but their strength isn’t necessarily people skills.

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Joshyjess · Post #2 » by **Joshyjess** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:05 pm

Think they can interest Belichek to do a little moonlighting?

Green89 · Post #3 » by **Green89** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:07 pm

Let Leon Powe fill Micah's spot.

Bar Fight · Post #4 » by **Bar Fight** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:09 pm

It was obvious Brad never took command of the team. Dude was preaching ball movement all year and those guys almost never cared. Everyone was looking to get theirs.

VeryMuchWoke · Post #5 » by **VeryMuchWoke** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:17 pm

Washburn is a (Please Use More Appropriate Word) and a hack. I wouldn't take any of his reports seriously, even if they ring true.

Watch your language, please.
Filters don't catch everything.

~ Parl

Bill Bradley · Post #6 » by **Bill Bradley** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:17 pm

Stevens was inconsistent in holding players responsible. For example, Jaylen was constantly given a quick hook while guys like Kyrie and the Marcuses could seemingly do no wrong and they actually went after Jaylen during games and weren’t held accountable. That is a recipe for problems. I’m surprised Brown hasn’t asked for a trade tbh.

Jakeopp · Post #7 » by **Jakeopp** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:18 pm

Coaching staff definitely needs some changes, gotta fill Shrewsberry's position with someone the players will respect. Enough of this "police yourself" attitude, that clearly doesn't work.

ThirtyFour · Post #8 » by **ThirtyFour** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:18 pm

I know it would probably never happen as he’s basically said he doesn’t want to coach, and he’d probably opt for the Clippers if he ever took an assistant spot being that his home base is in Malibu, but damn KG would be such a perfect person to bring in for multiple reasons.

Jakeopp · Post #9 » by **Jakeopp** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:19 pm

ThirtyFour wrote:I know it would probably never happen as he’s basically said he doesn’t want to coach, and he’d probably opt for the Clippers if he ever took an assistant spot being that his home base is in Malibu, but damn KG would be such a perfect person to bring in for multiple reasons.

For whatever reason I can't see Brad and KG coaching together lol

captain green · Post #10 » by **captain green** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:21 pm

Bring in someone from the celtics tree like Perkins

ThirtyFour · Post #11 » by **ThirtyFour** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:22 pm

Jakeopp wrote:
ThirtyFour wrote:I know it would probably never happen as he’s basically said he doesn’t want to coach, and he’d probably opt for the Clippers if he ever took an assistant spot being that his home base is in Malibu, but damn KG would be such a perfect person to bring in for multiple reasons.

For whatever reason I can't see Brad and KG coaching together lol

Certainly would be a strange pairing.

cloverleaf · Post #12 » by **cloverleaf** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:22 pm

I can't really disagree with Washburn here, in that I've been posting variations of the same sentiments here over the past few days.

ThirtyFour · Post #13 » by **ThirtyFour** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:23 pm

captain green wrote:Bring in someone from the celtics tree like Perkins

If Kyrie leaves I’m all for it, but after the harsh truth Perkins has been dishing, I can’t see them ever working together again.

denmuscles · Post #14 » by **denmuscles** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:26 pm

How would Doc Rivers do with this team ? Brad is a good coach and all but needs that Popovich demand. Pop would straighten this bull out in 24 hours

MagicBagley18 · Post #15 » by **MagicBagley18** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:28 pm

So many problems many of which we all guess correctly ....but giving Hayward his starting job back when he wasn’t ready clearly had a snowball effect on everything IMO. I know Hayward needed his minutes but he didn’t need to start right away.

captain green · Post #16 » by **captain green** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:33 pm

ThirtyFour wrote:
captain green wrote:Bring in someone from the celtics tree like Perkins

If Kyrie leaves I’m all for it, but after the harsh truth Perkins has been dishing, I can’t see them ever working together again.

True but he wouldn't let kyrie skate on anything though.

GoCeltics123 · Post #17 » by **GoCeltics123** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:33 pm

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chrisab123 · Post #18 » by **chrisab123** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:37 pm

I'd be 200 percent on board with James Posey joining this staff. Great Reputation and won a title in Boston.

ThirtyFour · Post #19 » by **ThirtyFour** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:37 pm

MagicBagley18 wrote:So many problems many of which we all guess correctly ....but giving Hayward his starting job back when he wasn’t ready clearly had a snowball effect on everything IMO. I know Hayward needed his minutes but he didn’t need to start right away.

People always laugh, or brush it off when I say it but I really don’t understand why we couldn’t have broken the mold and sent Hayward down to the G-league for rehab so he could get the burn of actual play where the outcome of games wouldn’t have been so important and would have allowed the team to have better evaluated where he was at physically. It would have solved a lot of the issues this season.

But I know, crazy talk.

cloverleaf · Post #20 » by **cloverleaf** » Sat May 11, 2019 11:41 pm

ThirtyFour wrote:I know it would probably never happen as he’s basically said he doesn’t want to coach, and he’d probably opt for the Clippers if he ever took an assistant spot being that his home base is in Malibu, but damn KG would be such a perfect person to bring in for multiple reasons.

I would love to see KG take on Williams and Pierce Tatum this summer. The latter of course was already offered and, a year later, accepted.