Official Celtics 2021-22 Season Thread

[djFan71]

Get healthy, get rest, dump Kemba, hire a real assistant.

I love ET, but as a "former player assistant coach" I think guys like/respect him, but he's not a guy with gravitas. He's not putting fear into anyone for disappointing him. He's not "man, that's f'in <player>, I'm gonna hang on his every word" level. He's just an easy-going good dude, who knows ball. Like everyone else on the coaching staff. We need someone with just MORE. A former head-coach like D'Antoni with Nash who's done more. A former player with more juice. More something.

Of course, that falls into tinkering around the edges territory until we get/grow and elite top 2-3, but it's something.

[cloverleaf]

For the record, beyond RW and TF, EF, AN and PP also all have higher TS% than any of their "Big Four". Those three also have about half the usage of the Jays (ranging from 13.5-16.5% compared to 29.7-30.6%), despite also being able to score at all three levels. JB and JT are just 2% and 1% above league average in TS%, while KW and MS are 3% and 6% below league average respectively. The Jays get swarmed by the D and then too often lose the ball or force up a bad shot without even looking for their wide-open teammates.

A new coach with a new approach is desperately needed.

Except if the roleplayers were asked to score on the same volume as the top 4 while not benefiting from the attention given to the top 4, they will not be rocking the same TS%.
Having your best 4 players take most of the shots is not a bad coaching move.

That is true. But we've been hearing all year how the Jays have too heavy a load, when actually they've been all about getting their shots when spreading the wealth more would have helped the team. There's a lot of room between 13.5% and 30.6% usage. Give those "role players" 5% more usage each and the team would have been much harder to defend. IMO the problem wasn't that the bench can't score, but that the dynamic with the stars on the team, indulged by Brad, made it hard for them to contribute as much as they could have.

And having Smart shoot 3s at a greater rate than everyone but the Jays and Kemba is indeed a bad coaching move.

[NuckyPowell]

In times like these I like to get really wasted and pop in the ole 2008 championship DVD special. Calms the nerves

I rewatch Timi’s’18 Philly series highlights, or our comeback vs Houston with the charges Smart draws on Harden. Those were the days.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

Man I missed the days of those IT lead teams. Not even close to the most talented team but man they brought it every night and were fun to watch.

Pretty much the exact opposite of this year's team.

[Shak_Celts]

Man I missed the days of those IT lead teams. Not even close to the most talented team but man they brought it every night and were fun to watch.

Pretty much the exact opposite of this year's team.

that's because people romanticize what happened. those teams got blown out multiple times a season by some bad/avg teams. I remember when Denver wasn't good but they kept finding ways to blow us out at times. I remember games where we would look so bad and IT4 and the team would be playing horribly, but the only reason we'd pull the game out is that IT would score 20 or more in the 4th. Those teams didn't have to deal with Covid. They were mostly healthy with AB being one of few who would miss a lot of time here and there (I think Al too). One season we seemed like we went down 15+ as routine but again IT4 would find Monster level 2nd half (4th Q), the only thing I can't remember is if it was that last season but I feel like it was.

[Parliament10]

Read on Twitter

[Fencer reregistered]

Kornet is on the second year of a contract he originally signed with the Bulls. I think it follows from this that the Celtics have his Early Bird rights.

The Wizards declined Wagner's rookie-scale option. I think it follows from this that the Celtics never had anything like Bird rights on him.

Correct?

[Fencer reregistered]

The knives are out for Smart.

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/kendrick-perkins-marcus-smarts-time-celtics-has-run-its-course

"I think something drastic needs to happen and it's not firing Brad Stevens," Perkins said Tuesday on Celtics Pregame Live. "I think that Marcus Smart has ran his course. I think guys are tired of hearing his voice in the locker room. I think guys are tired of his ill-advised shot taking at times, some of his turnovers that he has.

"If Marcus Smart could be just a star in his role, and that means bringing that defensive intensity, diving on the floor for loose balls, those hustle plays on the other end, not trying to do so much. You can see it in people's body language, when he tries to do too much it deflates the team. So I do think the Celtics need to look into moving Marcus Smart this summer, to be honest with you. I think it's ran its course."

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated says the C's looking to trade Smart wouldn't be anything new. He also echoes what Perkins had to say about Smart's questionable decision-making wearing on teammates.

[ParticleMan]

I agree 100% with Perk about Marcus. He's tried to take on a leadership role, which is good, but he has done a terrible job of leading by example. He always brings the intensity, which is good, but his decision making is awful, and if anything it seems to be getting worse. We keep waiting for Good Marcus to take over and Bad Marcus to be put on ice, but safe to say it's never going to happen here, at least not under Brad.

This feels like the Antoine Walker "grip on the franchise" situation. Let's hope Danny sees it the same way. Maybe after trading Marcus, he'll bring him back in a few years after he's learned his lesson.

[cloverleaf]

https://www.celticslife.com/2021/05/congrats-to-jayson-tatum-on-winning.html

No comment.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

The knives are out for Smart.

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/kendrick-perkins-marcus-smarts-time-celtics-has-run-its-course

"I think something drastic needs to happen and it's not firing Brad Stevens," Perkins said Tuesday on Celtics Pregame Live. "I think that Marcus Smart has ran his course. I think guys are tired of hearing his voice in the locker room. I think guys are tired of his ill-advised shot taking at times, some of his turnovers that he has.

"If Marcus Smart could be just a star in his role, and that means bringing that defensive intensity, diving on the floor for loose balls, those hustle plays on the other end, not trying to do so much. You can see it in people's body language, when he tries to do too much it deflates the team. So I do think the Celtics need to look into moving Marcus Smart this summer, to be honest with you. I think it's ran its course."

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated says the C's looking to trade Smart wouldn't be anything new. He also echoes what Perkins had to say about Smart's questionable decision-making wearing on teammates.

This season isn't on smart I think this team has deeper issues. Smart is a 6th or 7th guy off the bench. He's the guy that should be getting 20 minutes a night busting his ass on defense and making hustle plays but because of the injuries, or maybe the fact that Steven's absolutely loves him, he's getting a ton of minutes.

Problem with Smart is he thinks he's as good as Steph Curry offensively and those ill-advised shots do wear on players after a long season.

Fournier and Williams need to be paid and on paper smart is the guy you move.

Then again I have no idea what the organization is thinking. Maybe the players are a bit tired of him but Steven's clearly loves him and Danny does too so I wouldn't be surprised if they let some other guys walk and and pay smart 20 to 25 million a year.

[BK_2020]

You are not watching the games I'm watching if you think Smart is a 20 mins a night guy. Or you grossly overestimate the level of talent in the NBA. 20 mpg guys are dudes like Pat Connaughton and Facundo Campazzo. There is not a single NBA team that's so stacked top to bottom that Smart wouldn't get 30 mins a game on it.

[cloverleaf]

You are not watching the games I'm watching if you think Smart is a 20 mins a night guy. Or you grossly overestimate the level of talent in the NBA. 20 mpg guys are dudes like Pat Connaughton and Facundo Campazzo. There is not a single NBA team that's so stacked top to bottom that Smart wouldn't get 30 mins a game on it.

Great! The C's should be able to get something decent in return for his expiring!

[BRUNiNHO91]

Man.. Everything just went soooo wrong for us. A masterpiece that turned into an absolute **** show.

Where do you even begin trying to fix this team? Clock is now ticking on Tatum and Brown so a full tanking year is not even up for debate at this point.

[Parliament10]

Man.. Everything just went soooo wrong for us. A masterpiece that turned into an absolute **** show.

Where do you even begin trying to fix this team? Clock is now ticking on Tatum and Brown so a full tanking year is not even up for debate at this point.

We gotta Tank the rest of the Season. And, get into the Lottery.
Then Re-tool. We need to shed about 4 or 5 players. Not counting the Two-Ways.

[robbie84]

I personally believe we went after Fournier to replace Smart for next season.
I love Marcus, but he's given too much freedom on offense (from the 3 point line).
He either needs to be reigned in by Brad (who doesn't have the balls to do it..sidenote, I also love Brad and want him here forever.) But Marcus has KILLED us too many times this season and I 100% agree with Perkins.

I think we'll see a line up next season of:
Kemba
Fournier
Brown
Tatum
Rob

I think it's possible we could get rid of Kemba by including Smart.

There is also the potential to keep Smart as starting PG, but again, if this were to happen, he has to become much more of a facilitator and shoot WAY less threes.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

If I am Fournier I am still wondering what I walked in to. Yeah I know about the injuries blah blah blah but this team also plays no D and flat out takes games off if they think they are better then their opponent. Add in questionable coaching decisions, like rotations and zero accountability if I am Fournier I am looking to see what else is there the second FA opens.

[bisme37]

If I am Fournier I am still wondering what I walked in to and I am looking to see what else is there the second FA opens. Yeah I know about the injuries blah blah blah but this team also plays no D and flat out takes games off if they think they are better then their opponent.

The good thing about Fournier is as bad as the Cs are this year they're still better than most of the Orlando teams he played on. So even though we're disappointed he may feel like he's come up in the world lol. There's def more talent and potential here than his past teams.

I don't know anything about it obviously but I feel pretty good about him coming back. Just my gut feeling.

[Shak_Celts]

If I am Fournier I am still wondering what I walked in to and I am looking to see what else is there the second FA opens. Yeah I know about the injuries blah blah blah but this team also plays no D and flat out takes games off if they think they are better then their opponent.

So he feels at home? You don't lose as much as the Magic have over the years without a bunch of half-assing it.

In the end, I think he stays if the money is right, but wouldn't be surprised if he gets paid by another team.

[ParticleMan]

anyone else worried that teams that evan fournier play for always end up like this?
i'm telling you, for all his shooting, the guy sucks the life out of teams.