Brad Stevens: President of Basketball Ops

PedroKsBambino

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BTW, Brad purposefully saved the Fournier $17+M trade exception instead of extending it in smaller pieces. It will be interesting to see who he adds with that trade exception. He could get a really nice piece with that salary slot.
I feel like that’s his plan and I like it a lot more than trading Jaylen—considering fit with Jayson he’s tradeable but it’s a very small group of guys I’d trade him for.

I personally don’t think I’d deal Jaylen for Mitchell though I see why some would. To me, you create a fit concern and amplify shooting questions while hurting defense. It’s a close call but I wouldn’t do it in particular because you’d have to add in several assets for Utah to do it.

That trade exception does create hard cap questions. For me, another scorer is the target of it is used
 

Jimbodandy

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It may be a "grass is greener" situation. Who could you get that creates offense like JB?

The C's have a bunch of really nice role players but not many score first offensive initiators outside of the JAYs. Can Jaylen's handle get tighter, ball security get stronger, and distribution improve? Can his defense improve? He is only 25.5 and I'm confident IME & his staff can get more/better out of Jaylen going forward. I don't think he's finished improving, so I'd hang on to JB tightly.

The Jaylen trades that were kicked around in December when things looked bad were:
Murray/Keldon Johnson
Haliburton/Barnes (pre Sabonis deal)

The addition of Derrick White changed the roster dynamic going forward. They don't really need a ball-handler with Smart/White signed long term (and PP is looking better by the week)

You make some valid points, selling high should always be considered BUT the Jaylenites won't take this lying down. I'll just get out the popcorn and watch the Celtic fan crime on crime proceed ;)
This Jaylenstan isn't taking the bait. I've called out Ed's bias against JB before. Not sinking more effort into a lost argument.
 

benhogan

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This Jaylenstan isn't taking the bait. I've called out Ed's bias against JB before. Not sinking more effort into a lost argument.
40pt playoff games don't grow on trees when teams are struggling to put up a 100

Jaylen catches more Cellar criticism than he deserves, probably due to expectations and game thread frustration.

Tatum pretty much single-handedly lost the Celtics Game 3. Heaven help JB if he did that.
 

teddykgb

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Plus Butler is 32. The Celts are set up for a great run here. Not sure that Butler would be the best solution from an age / wear & tear perspective.
I wasnt proposing Jaylen for Butler now. There were times we were rumored for him and in hindsight I think he and Tatum would have been quite a duo if it had all worked out. At this point that would of course be a nuts trade to make. Just think we would need that type of player and those are obviously rare. Just feels like teams who are willing to really get into us defensively can very aggressively overplay and we don’t really have the type of wing who can punish that. Both Tatum and Brown have iffy handles for a wing and it is a lot of the reason why they run into turnover problems
 

tims4wins

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I wasnt proposing Jaylen for Butler now. There were times we were rumored for him and in hindsight I think he and Tatum would have been quite a duo if it had all worked out. At this point that would of course be a nuts trade to make
Got it, I figured but wasn’t 100% clear.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I don’t put Brown in the untouchable camp but he practically is given the return would not warrant the risk. You’re never getting a Mitchell type for him and the rest of the options, you’re giving up the best player in the deal.
Probably true unless a player requests a trade to Boston. I don't know who that player would be.
 

bsj

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There's a pretty short list of players that you could get with the $17.1M trade exception but could not get with an $11.6M trade exception (which would have been created if they had taken White into the Fournier exception). I wonder if Brad has anyone specific in mind (KO?)? Would be super funny if they got Fultz just to troll the 76ers.

Duncan Robinson $15,650,000
Derrick White $15,678,571
Norman Powell $15,517,242
Dejounte Murray $15,428,880
Markelle Fultz $16,500,000
Lauri Markkanen $15,690,909
Marcus Morris $15,627,907
Davis Bertans $16,000,000
Malik Beasley $14,491,964
Jonas Valanciunas $14,000,000
Derrick Rose $13,445,120
Kevin Huerter $4,253,357
Will Barton $15,625,000
Christian Wood $13,666,667
Wendell Carter $6,920,027
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope $13,038,862
Brook Lopez $13,302,325
Doug McDermott $13,750,000
Luke Kennard $13,347,727
Zion Williamson $10,733,400
Jordan Clarkson $12,420,000
Patrick Beverley $14,320,987
Kyle Kuzma $13,000,000
Josh Hart $12,000,000
Kelly Olynyk $12,195,122
Kelly Oubre $12,000,000
Dorian Finney-Smith $4,000,000
Robert Covington $12,975,471
Josh Richardson $11,615,328
Nicolas Batum $12,026,998

It would be funny if they targeted Beverley considering how much he seems to hate Boston (they probably wouldnt, he's a lesser version of Smart IMO)
Wouldnt shock me if they just tried to keep White. He's a nice fit for this roster.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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It would be funny if they targeted Beverley considering how much he seems to hate Boston.
Wouldnt shock me if they just tried to keep White. He's a nice fit for this roster.
Sorry for the confusion; I probably should have deleted White but was too lazy. White's signed for multiple years so BOS keeps him unless they deal him. Which is not likely unless someone wants to trade a star and was willing to take pieces back.
 

Cesar Crespo

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But if they could get Issac to fit and he was available and his medicals check out, he would be a great fit for what Ime is trying to do.
He'd be an unbelievable fit if he was healthy. Perfect Horford replacement (though less passing). Him and TL would be a nightmare for other teams. It's crazy how long TL actually is, Isaac is at 6'11, 7'1 and 9'0. Horford is 6'9, 7'1, 8'11. Almost identical. Rob, as well noted, has the 7'6 wingspan and 9'4 standing reach.

Of course, Isaac is not vaccinated. He also has an interesting contract. Because he missed so many games, only 16 million is guaranteed for 22/23 and 7.4 in 23/24.

If he's actually healthy and available, he'd be my number 1 target this offseason as Al's future replacement. I'd love if they somehow got Jalen Smith too but he has a few years. Isaac theoretically should be ready to produce.

Big ifs for a guy who missed the last 2 years due to injury and in the 3 years he did play, he missed huge time in 2 of those. The talent is (was?) there, though.

TL/Isaac/Tatum/Brown/Smart. GL NBA. Talk about length.
 

Auger34

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I don’t put Brown in the untouchable camp but he practically is given the return would not warrant the risk. You’re never getting a Mitchell type for him and the rest of the options, you’re giving up the best player in the deal.
I am not sure Donovan Mitchell is a fit for this team and how they play anyway. He’s a traffic cone on defense, is not a good passer and is very ball dominant.

It’s moot because I don’t think Utah would want to trade Mitchell for Brown but I don’t think the Celtics would take that deal either
 

Auger34

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The topic or conversation of trading Jaylen is really fucking dumb and pointless.

For starters, theres maybe 5-10 players who Brad would trade him for. I’d venture a guess that those teams wouldn’t want to trade those players anyway.

The Jays enjoy playing together, are under contract, and have taken steps forward with their leadership. Why in the name of God would Brad be exploring breaking up two 2 way wings both 25 and under?
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Jaylen is having a great playoffs—shooting well, occasionally putting the team on his back, forcing the issue to the rim. If he were better at defense and had a better handle the conversation would be about which of Jaylen and Jayson rank higher in the league's top 10. I'm surprised how much people seem to underrate the value of efficient three-level volume scoring when discussing JB.

Is he helped by the supporting cast covering some of his deficiencies? Of course—luckily most of them are here for the long haul. He's not perfect but if you move him for some kind of unicorn fit without really replacing the scoring, you've created a hole much bigger than the one that caused you to move Jaylen in the first place. His slashing, ability to break down defenders 1-on-1 with an explosive first step, get to the rim for easy buckets, and drain threes off the dribble is essential to the offense.

You can find a better ball mover and maybe someone who can catch-and-shoot threes within the offense but good luck coming even close to replacing that role. The 2-3 dimes you get for the quarter would have to be PERFECT fits. I have much more trust in POBOBS continuing to pull in the right kind of vets to fill out the roster they have. If all they did this offseason was run it back but add like one scrappy defender who can shoot threes it would be a good offseason.
 
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Ed Hillel

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This Jaylenstan isn't taking the bait. I've called out Ed's bias against JB before. Not sinking more effort into a lost argument.
lol I don't have a bias, I just think the team might be better if they had someone with a lower scoring ceiling but who could score and distribute a bit more, if there's a swap that makes sense. I also think his defense is a bit overrated. He's a very good on-ball defender against wings, but the notion he's good defending 5s or fighting through screens to defend outside shooters...agree to disagree. I'd say he's probably the 5th or 6th best defender on the best defensive team in the league. Doesn't mean it's easily replaceable, but I think the team could survive just fine with a role player with similar defense and a lower offensive ceiling, if you're getting another player to can facilitate the offense better.

I mean at this point, we're dealing with first world problems. The Celtics are very good, young, in great cap shape, etc. I am not desperate to trade Jaylen Brown. But I do think if there's someone to explore moving to reconstitute to the team a bit, it'd be him.
40pt playoff games don't grow on trees when teams are struggling to put up a 100

Jaylen catches more Cellar criticism than he deserves, probably due to expectations and game thread frustration.

Tatum pretty much single-handedly lost the Celtics Game 3. Heaven help JB if he did that.
Jaylen has definitely had a few stinkers as well (Game 1 against the Bucks was Tatum Game 3 level bad, last night was brutal), but Tatum justifiably has higher expectations and when he's off, the team is less likely to cover for them, the way he does if someone else is off. But everyone has stinkers, it happens. It's more of a philosophical question if the right piece became available.

Regarding the 40 point night...I guess the question is what do you want if you had to play the scenario playing out 100 times? Would it be Jaylen Brown taking over the game (he also had 7 turnovers and ONE assist), or someone with a lower point ceiling that gets the rest of the offense going and doesn't turn it over?

Note, I view this as more of an interesting roster construction exercise than an "I hate Jaylen Brown" excercise.
The topic or conversation of trading Jaylen is really fucking dumb and pointless.

For starters, theres maybe 5-10 players who Brad would trade him for. I’d venture a guess that those teams wouldn’t want to trade those players anyway.

The Jays enjoy playing together, are under contract, and have taken steps forward with their leadership. Why in the name of God would Brad be exploring breaking up two 2 way wings both 25 and under?
It's a message board and the subject is whether to stand pat and run it back or try to switch things up. I have a feeling this thread will sway quite a bit over the next few weeks depending on how the rest of these playoffs play out, but I would say it's a perfectly natural thing to discuss.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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lol I don't have a bias, I just think the team might be better if they had someone with a lower scoring ceiling but who could score and distribute a bit more, if there's a swap that makes sense. I also think his defense is a bit overrated. He's a very good on-ball defender against wings, but the notion he's good defending 5s or fighting through screens to defend outside shooters...agree to disagree. I'd say he's probably the 5th or 6th best defender on the best defensive team in the league. Doesn't mean it's easily replaceable, but I think the team could survive just fine with a role player with similar defense and a lower offensive ceiling, if you're getting another player to can facilitate the offense better.

I mean at this point, we're dealing with first world problems. The Celtics are very good, young, in great cap shape, etc. I am not desperate to trade Jaylen Brown. But I do think if there's someone to explore moving to reconstitute to the team a bit, it'd be him.

Jaylen has definitely had a few stinkers as well (Game 1 against the Bucks was Tatum Game 3 level bad, last night was brutal), but Tatum justifiably has higher expectations and when he's off, the team is less likely to cover for them, the way he does if someone else is off. But everyone has stinkers, it happens. It's more of a philosophical question if the right piece became available.

Regarding the 40 point night...I guess the question is what do you want if you had to play the scenario playing out 100 times? Would it be Jaylen Brown taking over the game (he also had 7 turnovers and ONE assist), or someone with a lower point ceiling that gets the rest of the offense going and doesn't turn it over?

Note, I view this as more of an interesting roster construction exercise than an "I hate Jaylen Brown" excercise.
It's a message board and the subject is whether to stand pat and run it back or try to switch things up. I have a feeling this thread will sway quite a bit over the next few weeks depending on how the rest of these playoffs play out, but I would say it's a perfectly natural thing to discuss.
Who is this player getting going? More shots for Smart/White/etc?

Tatum doesn't need better distribution and his future is as the lead facilitator/pseudo-point forward anyway, so all you are really doing in this scenario is creating more shots for worse scorers.

I think the better fit you are discussing would only make sense if it were a Klay/Ray Allen-type of ELITE shooter who can credibly D up wings, doesn't need the ball in his hands all the time and can fit in any permutation of an offense you might need to run.
 
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jmcc5400

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Whatever happens in the next 2-10 games, I think anything other than running it back with this core built around Tatum and Brown is foolhardy. They have chemistry, continuity, and unquestionably high work ethic. Both have room for growth, but there isn't much doubt, in my mind at least, that they are still improving. Another year in Ime's system, with a full training camp for White should make them that much better. Paint on the edges, sure. Plan for life after Al/get some Rob insurance. Maybe a bench shooter. But this team is poised for a run, man.

Incidentally, for team-planning exercises, note that Al's 14.5/26.5 guarantee goes to 19.5/26.5 if they make the finals and is fully guaranteed if they win. Which would be a really nice problem to have.
 

DGreenwood

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Regardless of whether or not the Celtics make the finals, can anyone envision a scenario (outside of a Horford injury) where the Celtics don't exercise the option and just let Al walk mid-year? They'll either extend him, pick up the option, or trade him.
 

Cesar Crespo

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The topic or conversation of trading Jaylen is really fucking dumb and pointless.

For starters, theres maybe 5-10 players who Brad would trade him for. I’d venture a guess that those teams wouldn’t want to trade those players anyway.

The Jays enjoy playing together, are under contract, and have taken steps forward with their leadership. Why in the name of God would Brad be exploring breaking up two 2 way wings both 25 and under?
It's pointless but it's a message board.

Why would Brad explore breaking them up? Because he should be exploring every single possibility to improve the team. I'm not suggesting he waste a lot of time and resources shopping Jaylen Brown around, but if the right deal presents itself, he wouldn't be doing his job as POBO to not explore it even if he ends up deciding not to pull the trigger.

99.9% chance the right deal isn't going to present itself so it's just message board fodder. I think it's more likely Brown leaves via FA than trade. I don't think either is particularly likely.
 

Rustjive

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Before this season, one of the far-fetched but possible scenarios wrt a Jaylen trade I proposed was Jaylen for KAT and then Horford's salary (along with JRich, but Horford's salary is different now) out in a S&T for either of the All-Star SGs hitting FA this off-season - LaVine or Beal. That would still be a possible 'fit' for trade if you want to remake the team, but it's less possible than ever with the season that just happened, from both Minnesota's perspective and from how the Celtics have chosen to play.

Anyways, I'm more of the mind now that no matter what the Celtics should just run it back.
 

HomeRunBaker

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The topic or conversation of trading Jaylen is really fucking dumb and pointless.

For starters, theres maybe 5-10 players who Brad would trade him for. I’d venture a guess that those teams wouldn’t want to trade those players anyway.

The Jays enjoy playing together, are under contract, and have taken steps forward with their leadership. Why in the name of God would Brad be exploring breaking up two 2 way wings both 25 and under?
C’mon man it’s a travel day! It’s either Jaylen trade talk or pick swap talk. Pick your poison ;)


Of course, Isaac is not vaccinated.
Def a deal breaker :rolleyes:
 

Rustjive

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Def a deal breaker :rolleyes:
We jest, and not to get too V&N into it, but I think Isaac speaking at Michael Flynn's tour might actually be a tough fit with someone like Jaylen, who spent a lot of time leading BLM protests in the Summer of 2020. It seems like a lot of Isaac's current teammates don't love him anyways (stories about no one showing up to his sermon, him not kneeling with them, etc.)
 

Cesar Crespo

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You really expect this to last forever? At this point it’s barely the flu.
I don't know but right now it's currently a thing and it should be considered. And it doesn't have to last forever. It only has to last until the 2023 playoffs.

It's all moot anyway. I doubt he's 100%.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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It's pointless but it's a message board.

Why would Brad explore breaking them up? Because he should be exploring every single possibility to improve the team. I'm not suggesting he waste a lot of time and resources shopping Jaylen Brown around, but if the right deal presents itself, he wouldn't be doing his job as POBO to not explore it even if he ends up deciding not to pull the trigger.

99.9% chance the right deal isn't going to present itself so it's just message board fodder. I think it's more likely Brown leaves via FA than trade. I don't think either is particularly likely.
Part of the GM's job is to talk to other GMs to find out whether players are untouchable, available, or some where in between. I would guess that DA before him and POBOBS has a pretty decent handle on who is available, a ballpark range of what teams are asking for available players, and who might have a chance of being available. Obviously that list is always in flux and POBOBS will always be behind by definition but he is constantly trying to catch up I'm sure.

I agree that there's almost no chance of JB being dealt - there just aren't a lot of players that are movable who would fit in with what BOS is trying to do and would either be of equal value or an upgrade.
 

bakahump

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The ONLY thing that makes me just a bit more anxious to shop Jaylen is his injury history. Nothing terrible and nothing long term....yet. But Hammys on a guy who relies on Athleticism is bad juju.

Even with that said the deal would have to be perfect. And a win....at least from the aspect of keep the team the "same" competitively. And I dont see who that is.
 

mcpickl

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I just copied the list from HoopsHype that Ben Hogan linked to but great point. I also don't know how Issac's salary would be counted in terms of using the trade exception.

But if they could get Issac to fit and he was available and his medicals check out, he would be a great fit for what Ime is trying to do.
Isaac doesn't fit into the Fournier TPE
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Isaac doesn't fit into the Fournier TPE
Wasn't sure whether Issac's salary cap # ($17.4M) or guaranteed salary ($16M) would be used for the purposes of the trade exception. Are you saying it's the guaranteed number?

This website - https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2021/03/hoops-rumors-glossary-traded-player-exception-3.html - says that for purposes of matching salaries, the guaranteed number is used but I have no idea whether that applies to using a trade exception or if there's some other rule that would apply to Issac.
 

mcpickl

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Wasn't sure whether Issac's salary cap # ($17.4M) or guaranteed salary ($16M) would be used for the purposes of the trade exception. Are you saying it's the guaranteed number?

This website - https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2021/03/hoops-rumors-glossary-traded-player-exception-3.html - says that for purposes of matching salaries, the guaranteed number is used but I have no idea whether that applies to using a trade exception or if there's some other rule that would apply to Issac.
The outgoing salary for Orlando would be the guaranteed 16M.
The incoming salary for Boston would be his cap number of 17.4M

(also, that must've been a really weird negotiation. Hey, we're not going to guarantee your whole 17.4M Jonathan, that's crazy. We're only gonna guarantee 16M)
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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The outgoing salary for Orlando would be the guaranteed 16M.
The incoming salary for Boston would be his cap number of 17.4M

(also, that must've been a really weird negotiation. Hey, we're not going to guarantee your whole 17.4M Jonathan, that's crazy. We're only gonna guarantee 16M)
Txs. Sportrac has a note that the guaranteed money went down because he missed his games played thresholds.

Here's an article on it: https://orlandomagicdaily.com/2022/05/13/making-sense-of-jonathan-isaacs-contract-status-with-the-orlando-magic/
 

RetractableRoof

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Just for understanding, those saying that Isaac (or any player) doesn't fit into this particular exception - is there a small percentage based wiggle room? Or is he past even any wiggle room? Perhaps I am confusing that percentage based wiggle room with some other CBA contract area.
 

lexrageorge

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Just for understanding, those saying that Isaac (or any player) doesn't fit into this particular exception - is there a small percentage based wiggle room? Or is he past even any wiggle room? Perhaps I am confusing that percentage based wiggle room with some other CBA contract area.
The only wiggle room for taking a player into a trade exception is $100K. So Isaac's salary is off by ~$200K. So close....

Simultaneous trades offer a lot more wiggle room (125% to 175% [+$100K] of the outgoing salary can be acquired), but those do not apply in the case of trade exception.

Assuming the Celtics will be paying the tax next season, the best they could do would be to find $13.9M in outgoing salary to acquire Isaac plus some other player. They could use the Fournier TPE for the other player, and use the 125% salary matching rules to fit Isaac. Theis plus some of the Celtic's roster flotsam would work cap wise, but probably not sufficient from a trade value perspective.
 

RetractableRoof

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The only wiggle room for taking a player into a trade exception is $100K. So Isaac's salary is off by ~$200K. So close....

Simultaneous trades offer a lot more wiggle room (125% to 175% [+$100K] of the outgoing salary can be acquired), but those do not apply in the case of trade exception.

Assuming the Celtics will be paying the tax next season, the best they could do would be to find $13.9M in outgoing salary to acquire Isaac plus some other player. They could use the Fournier TPE for the other player, and use the 125% salary matching rules to fit Isaac. Theis plus some of the Celtic's roster flotsam would work cap wise, but probably not sufficient from a trade value perspective.
Thank you, so much of these details are hard to retain across the various sports. I appreciate your answer.
 

Devizier

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Isaac has a ton of baggage, both injury and personal/political, and he may go the Bison Dele route when it's all said and done.

No chance that Minnesota moves him, but a guy like Jarred Vanderbilt would be pretty solid. Good length, defensive instincts, can pass a little. Will never be a starter but the kind of guy that would fit well as a rotational defensive player.

As an aside, I don't think it's particularly realistic to expect a starting-caliber guy to come here if he's potentially looking at the back end of the rotation.
 
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Jed Zeppelin

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This dude had one off-season and one trade deadline and zero cap space and minimal flexibility to fix a team that looked to be on the road to treadmill town in his first season in charge.

With those minimal resources he has already made three master stroke moves and built the exact kind of team to maximize the existing roster, along with a number of other moves to substantially increase flexibility.

Really excited to see what he does with it now that the team is clearly ascendant and will enter the offseason with Finals credibility. Not that much needs to be done, but it’s exciting to watch the laser precision of his thought process in action along with a willingness to get shit done for the right player. I think Ainge for example makes the Al move but doesn’t seal the deal on the White trade.

I mean, at this point I can only assume his Begarin pick will be a gem (genuinely seems to fit what we want) and wouldn’t be surprised to see him bring in more 2nd rd/UDFA types who can make an impact. When you know exactly how you want the team to play, and have the roster needed to do it already, it is a lot simpler to plug in specific skill sets who can step in and fill a role, and learn from the vets to shore up some of the weaknesses that made a guy undervalued. Spurs model, obviously.
 

benhogan

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This dude had one off-season and one trade deadline and zero cap space and minimal flexibility to fix a team that looked to be on the road to treadmill town in his first season in charge.

With those minimal resources he has already made three master stroke moves and built the exact kind of team to maximize the existing roster, along with a number of other moves to substantially increase flexibility.

Really excited to see what he does with it now that the team is clearly ascendant and will enter the offseason with Finals credibility. Not that much needs to be done, but it’s exciting to watch the laser precision of his thought process in action along with a willingness to get shit done for the right player. I think Ainge for example makes the Al move but doesn’t seal the deal on the White trade.

I mean, at this point I can only assume his Begarin pick will be a gem (genuinely seems to fit what we want) and wouldn’t be surprised to see him bring in more 2nd rd/UDFA types who can make an impact. When you know exactly how you want the team to play, and have the roster needed to do it already, it is a lot simpler to plug in specific skill sets who can step in and fill a role, and learn from the vets to shore up some of the weaknesses that made a guy undervalued. Spurs model, obviously.
+1, so many Master Stroke moves in less than a year.

He also needs credit for immediately punting Tristan Thompson and handing the Center keys to TimeLord

It's funny the only thing I can criticize/incredibly small nitpick Brad for is the very end of the bench move last fall by cutting Mathews and keeping a lot of crap at the end of the roster. BUT to be honest that would have had zero impact.

Nice change of direction from the Celtics. The Ky-Hex is over
 

bosockboy

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As much as I love Danny, there’s no way he trades a first for White. He had gotten a bit too protective with draft picks whereas Brad took the risk putting finishing touches on the roster.
 

DGreenwood

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As much as I love Danny, there’s no way he trades a first for White. He had gotten a bit too protective with draft picks whereas Brad took the risk putting finishing touches on the roster.
Also, Danny seemed to need to win every trade in a vacuum. I think that in the White trade Stevens realized that a slight overpay for the right player could still be what is best for the team.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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This dude had one off-season and one trade deadline and zero cap space and minimal flexibility to fix a team that looked to be on the road to treadmill town in his first season in charge.

With those minimal resources he has already made three master stroke moves and built the exact kind of team to maximize the existing roster, along with a number of other moves to substantially increase flexibility.

Really excited to see what he does with it now that the team is clearly ascendant and will enter the offseason with Finals credibility. Not that much needs to be done, but it’s exciting to watch the laser precision of his thought process in action along with a willingness to get shit done for the right player. I think Ainge for example makes the Al move but doesn’t seal the deal on the White trade.

I mean, at this point I can only assume his Begarin pick will be a gem (genuinely seems to fit what we want) and wouldn’t be surprised to see him bring in more 2nd rd/UDFA types who can make an impact. When you know exactly how you want the team to play, and have the roster needed to do it already, it is a lot simpler to plug in specific skill sets who can step in and fill a role, and learn from the vets to shore up some of the weaknesses that made a guy undervalued. Spurs model, obviously.
Its also kind of the Warriors model (obviously there is Spurs DNA within both organizations).

Each off-season they lose a few parts and replace them with new ones to varying degrees of success. However there is never a question of what is expected of a particular player. Each one has a role of sorts and is expected to play it. It really seems to be the ideal dynamic if you are fortunate enough to control a talented core.
 

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
47,088
As much as I love Danny, there’s no way he trades a first for White. He had gotten a bit too protective with draft picks whereas Brad took the risk putting finishing touches on the roster.
Yup. Danny was the architect for all of this but the time was right for a change at the top. Stevens’ management is exactly what this team needed.
 

bosockboy

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Jul 15, 2005
19,862
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Also, Danny seemed to need to win every trade in a vacuum. I think that in the White trade Stevens realized that a slight overpay for the right player could still be what is best for the team.
Also if you believe the chatter, other GM’s didn’t enjoy making deals with DA. He had taken us as far as he could. He built 80% of this and his fingerprints are all over this. But Brad masterfully finished the puzzle.
 

E5 Yaz

Transcends message boarding
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Apr 25, 2002
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Yup. Danny was the architect for all of this but the time was right for a change at the top. Stevens’ management is exactly what this team needed.
I always love reading the first couple of pages of threads such as this
 

Van Everyman

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Apr 30, 2009
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As much as I love Danny, there’s no way he trades a first for White. He had gotten a bit too protective with draft picks whereas Brad took the risk putting finishing touches on the roster.
I love Brad but this team had two recent mid-round firsts mostly rotting on the bench in Nesmith and Langford while Pritchard was getting a teeny bit of run in the first half of the season. They didn't need another one with even less experience.

Put me in the camp that while what Brad did was incredible and may have been slightly more informed by the on-court experience because he had been CBS, I'm not seeing how it was worlds different than what Danny did to build out that 2008 roster with James Posey and Eddie House types (while keeping the Tony Allens around too) to put that team over the top. If you felt that this team had the main pieces to win--specifically, Tatum, Brown, Smart and TL--then the job was to find the complementary pieces they needed to win. Danny did that before a dozen years ago, Brad did that this year.