Author Topic: We always look quite different by the end of the season  (Read 532 times)

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We always look quite different by the end of the season
« on: December 02, 2016, 02:07:25 PM »

Offline CelticPride2016

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I am referring to the Brad Stevens era. We are not even twenty games into this season and a lot of fans seem agitated or nervous. I am writing this so perhaps some of them can settle down and not forget about the big picture.

This could technically be referred to as the Kelly Olynyk era. He arrived with Brad. He was signed four days after Brad Stevens. I am using basketball-reference.com for my info.

It seems obvious we were supposed to tank in year one, but Brad put together quite a competitive team for such a bad roster. Tanking would have meant not playing Humphries. But that is not how Brad rolls. He will play whomever he thinks will give the team its best odds of winning.

Brad and Danny are like teachers who do not condemn a player for a bad game or stretch of games. They are always trying to bring out the best in their students or in this case, players. I often felt that Danny and Doc were not on the same page. It seems that Danny is willing to evolve and has improved in this regard.

I don't think the 2013-14 team should have won more than 15 games, but they won 25.

Some 2013-14 moves: Danny traded Courtney Lee, Bayless and Crawford, three guards.

2014-15 was the crucial year. We jumped from 25 to 40 wins. To me, it seems that the general rebuild was over in a year and a half. I respect that many disagree with that. Even quite recently, perhaps this off-season after acquiring Horford, many still did not want to think that perhaps we had pretty much gone from worst to almost done with all the major moves which constitute a rebuild ending. It's just words. We often disagree with semantics or perspective. Two people can view the same situation quite differently. The famous Japanese movie Rashomon covered this idea.

Teams always change. Nonetheless, one of the best parts of the Celtics is its continuity. Avery Bradley is the glue which connects the present team to the Big Three and 2008. If Danny needs to trade one of Isaiah, Smart and Bradley, I'd like to think it won't be Avery. But for now we have all three, so maybe we should appreciate this moment. It does seem unlikely Danny can keep them together indefinitely. Yet, maybe we shouldn't dwell on the financial aspects. Why conjecture on future forks in the road? What do they have to do with the current team? Why debate Olynyk, for example, instead of just watching what he does all year and not just a few games? Things tend to work themselves out.

2014-15 moves:

Smart is drafted. Humphries is gone. Avery is signed to his current contract. Evan Turner is signed. We know about the Rondo trade bringing in Jae Crowder. Jeff Green was traded. Lots of activity. Thornton traded. Danny acquired Jerebko and Isaiah. I am not mentioning everything.

That was quite a rebound from the point of trading Paul and KG to the Nets. There's not much need to discuss Danny moves from last year as he didn't make as many. I am hoping people do not forget that took a year and a half for Brad and Danny to turn a ten win team on paper into a 40 game winner and just about .500 for a team. That was remarkable in itself.

Last year: Jerebko resigned. Amir signed. No more Pressey. David Lee signed and then waived later in the season.

Last year definitely seemed to have less Danny movement than the previous two.

This off-season Turner and Sully left. We got Horford.

It seems to me that Danny is now fine-tuning instead of constantly reshuffling the cards each season and during seasons.

This year's team is only now starting to be healthy enough to form into a force. The Celtics are trying to make the jump from decent to great.

There are many question marks. Marcus Smart is pitiful at shooting. I wish Brad would turn off his green light until there are better results. He is absolutely destroying us on many offensive possessions. Yet, Marcus does bring intangibles. But so did Jordan Crawford.

Marcus Smart is up in the air. As is Olynyk. I'd rather not mention players like Zeller who to me is a poor man's Humphries. He is serviceable, but he shows no potential for becoming a solid part of a good team's rotation. Zeller is the person you play when there is no other choice.

Every year forms its own personality. The current team has to be given an incomplete.

Guys come back from injuries. They seem to do surprisingly well at first probably based on adrenaline. Look to Olynyk and Horford. Then the rust seems to show up. But it won't last forever. This team needs one or two months without injuries or there is no way to know what we have.

Amir is a question mark. Every player is in some way.

Basketball works best as intuitive second nature. Players that stick together tend to improve as teammates. I think we are clearly better than we were last year despite not currently being on a 48 win trajectory. It can be frustrating. I guess this is about hitting a groove, firing on all cylinders, but that Brad and Danny can't just snap their fingers and it happens. It takes great effort and trust amongst everyone involved.

I am not ready to give up on this team in regards to Brad having a knack of producing when push comes to shove. His teams do improve within individual seasons. I believe there is something called chemistry and that Danny and Brad also believe in it. Chemistry takes time. The best pasta sauces are slow cooked over many hours or think of brewing tea.

I think patience is needed. We have two and a half months until the trading deadline. I'd give this team a month or two to gel before hitting the panic button.

Re: We always look quite different by the end of the season
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2016, 03:12:36 PM »

Offline LarBrd33

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Yeah there's a clear pattern where Brad will tinker and tweak, the team will start slow, he'll settle on the rotations that work the best and we go on a run.

I've said this about a billion times now, but Brad has that stat guru guy he brought with him from Butler and their entire thing is to collect as much data as possible to determine the best possible rotations, plays, etc.  You can't collect data without experimenting. 

This year in particular we can be significantly different, because we will likely be in the mix for some trades in a couple weeks.

Re: We always look quite different by the end of the season
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2016, 03:16:24 PM »

Offline alldaboston

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Yeah there's a clear pattern where Brad will tinker and tweak, the team will start slow, he'll settle on the rotations that work the best and we go on a run.

I've said this about a billion times now, but Brad has that stat guru guy he brought with him from Butler and their entire thing is to collect as much data as possible to determine the best possible rotations, plays, etc.  You can't collect data without experimenting. 

This year in particular we can be significantly different, because we will likely be in the mix for some trades in a couple weeks.

I haven't really been paying attention to the rotations as much this year...is Brad still changing it up every game? Or has he started to figure out which guys to play, and when to play them?
I could very well see the Hawks... starting Taurean Prince at the 3, who is already better than Crowder, imo.

you vs. the guy she tells you not to worry about