Pre-Game Notes That Aren't Actually About the Game
Hello, been a minute. June is the most deceptive month. May is always the busiest month in New England, because we are all finally able to be fully out and about in the world again, and it feels like by June we should have all settled in and things get a little less crazy. But that is never the case. At least not until school ends.
Speaking of things that are crazier than they seem, the NBA's new labor deal took an already complicated system and made it more complicated. Ryan Bernardoni expertly broke down the situation the Celtics face in the coming years, and it will certainly be challenging. He also broke down some of the rules about the NBA's salary caps here as well.
The biggest takeaway for me here is that the Celtics' recent attempts to do the right thing may ultimately cost them a chance to win the NBA title. Specifically, firing Ime Udoka made this season feel like playing with one hand tied behind your back. They have also tried to lock in their players to long-term deals, and in the new CBA, as Ryan explains, that is almost a detriment given how large of a percentage of the salary cap that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will now occupy.
Does that mean they shouldn't have done the right thing? Of course not. It just means that when they do win it all, it will be that much sweeter. But there are two paths for this team right now – 1) settle into the grim reality of future salary cap math and either trade or don't re-sign multiple core players, or 2) this could be a Last Dance-type season that the league is foisting upon them with these new, onerous salary cap restrictions.
I obviously will vote for the latter, and I hope to present how I would proceed this offseason before the drama all actually unfolds. I think Brad Stevens and the C's front office team is on my wavelength.
By signing Charles Lee and Sam Cassell to be assistant coaches, they seem to be locking in to a Last Dance-esque timetable. Lee has interviewed for head coaching vacancies three years running now, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him land a head coaching job next summer. And while Cassell certainly seems to not be in the mix for head coaching jobs he should deservedly be up for, he's certainly is someone who has earned the right to do whatever he wants, and doesn't need the daily grind of NBA life if he doesn't want it. Those guys are here to win a ring just as much as the players are.
How Difficult Was This Season for Joe Mazzulla?
One thing that we are not able to see is how things play out behind the scenes. But we are able to see official actions. Joe Mazzulla took over his team with zero notice, and with guys who at the end of the season seem to have not been "his guys." We saw it in February, when Damon Stoudamire left to coach Georgia Tech – a move that in my opinion was a dramatic step down. And then right after the season ended, three Celtics assistant coaches immediately left to join Ime Udoka in Houston.
While I'm not suggesting that Mazzulla was coaching all by himself last season, it's entirely possible he was walking on eggshells every day trying to lead a staff of coaches who were – if not pissed at Mazzulla, certainly pissed at the situation they found themselves in. It's possible I'm making too much of that, but I'm certainly open to the possibility that the team will look much different next season, even if the personnel doesn't change much.
The NCAA's Continued Drift Into Irrelevance
March Madness was especially mad this year, because lower seeds kept winning. The reason for that is with top recruits continuing to eschew the NCAA in favor of the G League, there is far less separation between the top teams and the Cinderella's these days. That will continue next season, as the No. 2 recruit in the nation, Ron Holland, will join the G League Ignite.
A random March Madness where different teams win every year from all over the country could be fun, if that's how the NCAA sells it. But that's not typically what gets people to tune in. People want to see the titans that they grew up with doing battle, and that's just not going to happen with the regularity that it used to. And as these top recruits keep abandoning the NCAA, it will eventually start to snow ball, and the NCAA will drift closer and closer to second-class status. And I for one, can't wait to watch.
The Pistons Go The Full Monty
I still believe in this Pistons team, and I definitely still believe in Monty Williams. Just because Kevin Durant wanted to hire a new coach doesn't mean Williams was the problem in Phoenix. I had Detroit as my sleeper team this past season before Cade Cunningham got hurt (or the extent of his injury was known), and at this moment, they'll be my sleeper next season, too.
The Guys I Wanted
Watching Game 4 of the NBA Finals was hard. Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown are guys I wanted the Celtics to get, and while I certainly am not complaining about getting Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon, I definitely do wonder what would have happened if the C's got Gordon and Brown, instead. Brown, especially, since he's a Boston native, and just signing him would have allowed the team to keep Aaron Nesmith, who had a pretty good season and who I still really like. Ah well.