Joe Mazzula--New Celtics Assistant Coach

[GoCeltics123]

Read on Twitter

He randomly went off on the John Wall-lead Kentucky team one year in the NCAAs, I remember

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[Green89]

I was wondering when they'd replace Micah.

[darrendaye]

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jim-huber/the-jim-huber-show/e/34-joe-mazzulla-get-1-better-each-day-49964923

[Fencer reregistered]

Good news: He led his high school team to three consecutive state championships.
Bad news: The state was Rhode Island.

https://www.golocalprov.com/sports/former-hendricken-basketball-star-mazzulla-named-head-coach-at-fairmont-sta

[chakdaddy]

Still need Perk

[GregB]

He’s a young no name. But he seems like an impressive person from his interviews. We will see if he’s any good at coaching basketball.

[Kalela]

Someone older and more experienced would have been better in my opinion. I wanted the Celtics to bring back Tom Thibodeau if he is willing to come.

[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

[soxfan2003]

Seems like an okay hire but I would like to see a tough smart player that has played in the NBA for a long time added to Steven staff. The player doesn't have to be a former Celtics player.

[chrisab123]

Cool another guy who never logged minutes in the league

[darrendaye]

I'm hoping his focus is on developing ball handling. I like the idea of seeking talented young coaches, but, I would like to see an experienced hire too. With Horford and Baynes gone, it might be time to hire a big man coach for Robert Williams.

[Ed Pinkney]

Cool another guy who never logged minutes in the league

Not to say they don't need a Waltah-like replacement, but a very large percentage of current NBA coaches (both head coaches and assistants) never played a minute in the league either. Including guys like Popovich.

[Shak_Celts]

Cool another guy who never logged minutes in the league

Not to say they don't need a Waltah-like replacement, but a very large percentage of current NBA coaches (both head coaches and assistants) never played a minute in the league either. Including guys like Popovich.

May be talking about our entire coaching staff. I can't remember any one of them who have. Is it normal for the entire staff to be without one?

[Fencer reregistered]

I'm hoping his focus is on developing ball handling. I like the idea of seeking talented young coaches, but, I would like to see an experienced hire too. With Horford and Baynes gone, it might be time to hire a big man coach for Robert Williams.

His highlight video has a lot more off-hand finishes than Langford's does.

[Fencer reregistered]

Cool another guy who never logged minutes in the league

Not to say they don't need a Waltah-like replacement, but a very large percentage of current NBA coaches (both head coaches and assistants) never played a minute in the league either. Including guys like Popovich.

May be talking about our entire coaching staff. I can't remember any one of them who have. Is it normal for the entire staff to be without one?

I can't quickly think of a currently very successful team without one. Warriors of course have Kerr. Raptors have Adrian Griffin. Nuggets have Ryan Bowen. Bucks have Darvin Ham.

D'Antoni had a brief NBA playing career and a long one overseas. I didn't identify anybody on the Sixers. The Blazers may not have anybody either, but Stotts was drafted in the 2nd round and played a decade of non-NBA pro ball.

[Fencer reregistered]

As matters now stand, is there ANYBODY slated to regularly be with the team -- more consistently than Danny et al. -- who's won an NBA championship? Made the NBA Finals? Won a college championship? Anything beyond some state high school championships and a couple of deep NCAA runs?

[cloverleaf]

So Brad seems to have "vetted" himself and decided to double down on more of the same. Yet another young, no-name, college guy instead of someone who has played and/or coached in the NBA--or professionally anywhere.

Unfortunate IMO.

[FlatearthZorro]

I'm sorry, but Brad needs to stop hiring geeks in their early 30s. When last season was done, all of us thought we needed a vet to help him with character management. Now another no name dude, who was working at what college or school?

[soxfan2003]

Cool another guy who never logged minutes in the league

Not to say they don't need a Waltah-like replacement, but a very large percentage of current NBA coaches (both head coaches and assistants) never played a minute in the league either. Including guys like Popovich.

May be talking about our entire coaching staff. I can't remember any one of them who have. Is it normal for the entire staff to be without one?

If I had to guess and it would be just an educated guess it would be at least 80% of NBA teams have a head coach or some other coach that played in the NBA for at least a part of a year. Some teams with more than one.

What apparently has changed a bit is star/superstar NBA players are no longer as interested in coaching. In the past, many of the superstar players/repeat all-stars (Bill Russell, Bird, Magic, Isiah Thomas, Lenny Wilkens, Dave Cowens, Paul Silas, Heinsohn, Cousy, Collins) got into coaching for at least a bit since relatively speaking they weren't paid that well as players.

I am probably missing someone but the only current NBA coach/ex coach I can think of who has been a superstar player/repeat all-star who entered the NBA in the mid 90's or after that is Jason Kidd.

[soxfan2003]

So Brad seems to have "vetted" himself and decided to double down on more of the same. Yet another young, no-name, college guy instead of someone who has played and/or coached in the NBA--or professionally anywhere.

Unfortunate IMO.

Celtics are probably spending so much on the salaries of Stevens/Ainge/maybe Zarren to a lesser extent that they may be reluctant to pay a competitive rate for an established NBA veteran to be an assistant.

The real reason I would kind of like an ex NBA player to be on the coaching staff is just not so that player may help Stevens have a backbone when dealing with certain players but also so that player can stand up to Ainge and just say the sort of roster you are building is not giving the team the best chance to win.

The right hire whoever it is would actually be a threat to replace Stevens and Ainge. Someone capable of being next head coach of Celtics or someone capable of replacing Ainge. Do Ainge, Stevens and Zarren really want this?