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Bobby Manning on Celtics’ untouchables: Everybody else beyond Brown and Tatum is under discussion at this point Cyro Asseo: If you had to say somebody that if people were buying a jersey, whose jersey would you be fine buying knowing that they're going to be around for the next foreseeable future? Bobby Manning: I feel pretty good about Jaylen Brown after the season that he's had here where he's shown signs of being one of the best players in the league. And so with his contract situation, with he and Jayson Tatum having the amicable relationship that they do here, being willing to make it work with each other for the sake of winning and their commitment to him ultimately, they've had a lot of opportunities to break that duo up in more dire circumstances than this and they've held firm. And I know Brad Stevens obviously in a different cap environment, but throughout his tenure and even his coaching days leading both of those guys into the players that they become here, his vision for this team has been that if we have those two guys, we can figure it out around them and make this roster work. And that's why they signed them to the contracts that they did. It's why that they've accepted that they're going to have a balance when it comes to the top of this roster and this two stars. And then beyond that, like they're going to try to compliment them as best as they can. And Derrick White's been a big part of that. I don't think White's untouchable into the future. I think he's a guy that you do have discussions about given how valuable he is and where he's at in his career pushing 30. Same deal with Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser and others down the line. I think everybody else beyond Jaylen and Jayson is under discussion at this point as you try to reshape this core into the future here.
Bobby Manning: From everything I've heard, given where they're at in the standings, given the ownership's commitment, the new ownership's commitment to this team, they are not going to be under pressure to dodge the tax unless it makes sense from a basketball standpoint to do that. And that obviously could be beneficial to them in the long term. You have to dodge the tax two straight years to get out of the repeater tax territory, which is of course the stressor more than any I feel like that caused some of their offseason trades to just dump salaries. But they can probably eat 30 million in tax to keep this team together as much as they can.
"What's this year been like for you? I know you and Kristaps had a sense that you might get traded over the offseason. What was your reaction to that, and how's the year that's followed gone since?" Jrue Holiday: "I think I've said this a few times, but I knew I was getting traded. Brad had told me that there was a possibility, and then whenever it happened, he was upfront and told me what happened. So it felt like it was a great transition. Me and my family were doing well in Portland. A lot of people that we actually know love the organization — even before they traded me here. But to circle back and get me means a lot to me. So, I've been doing well."
“We will not put a ceiling on this group,” Stevens said after practice Wednesday. “If it makes sense for us to look for things that can help us, we certainly will. But it all has to be within good deals, and it all has to be within the ultimate goal, which is the North Star of retooling so we’re in a position to compete for what we want to compete for (a championship).”
As great as Tatum has looked in workouts, it would be reckless for the Celtics to rush their superstar back into the lineup when he isn't 100 percent recovered from the Achilles tear he suffered in May. But what exactly does "100 percent" look like? C's president of basketball operations Brad Stevens shared some insight while speaking to reporters on Wednesday. "There's strength thresholds he has to meet. And then after that, several weeks of progressions from the standpoints of scripted against small groups, scripted against bigger groups, scripted in 5-on-5, unscripted random, all the way up through those," Stevens said "But it's a long progression, and it's almost like once you hit the strength, then you do your thresholds of a progression of play. And then you're also re-conditioning to play real minutes, whatever that looks like. He's obviously made great strides. Right now, we're still focused on the full strength gain."
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"We're not putting a timeline on it as we haven't the whole time," Stevens said of Tatum's potential return. "One of the things that everybody can see is we didn't apply for a DPE (Disabled Player Exception) this year, which was a conscious decision for a lot of reasons. But the reality is, he's not gonna be back until he's 110 percent healthy and he feels good about it. "Obviously, he's itching to play. Obviously, he hates watching. But he's also -- I don't wanna speak for him -- but very cognizant of the need to meet every threshold, and why there are those things that are put in place."
Keith Smith: I've gotten a lot of questions about Brad Stevens comments about the Celtics not applying for a Disabled Player Exception for Jayson Tatum. For a DPE to be approved, it has to be significantly more likely than not that the player will miss the remainder of/entire season. There's been talk about Tatum playing this year since the summer. A DPE may not have been approved for him, because that possibility has been talked about so heavily. And, no, not just by fans and media. Beyond that, using a DPE is very restrictive. And using any sizable portion of it would have pushed Boston back over the second apron. Add it all up, and there wasn't really a need for the Celtics to bother with the DPE process.
It doesn’t sound like the front office has ruled out making a move that would improve the Celtics in the short-term, while keeping the long-term goal of sustainable championship contention at the forefront. “I think that we’re all still trying to figure out who we are and what we can be,” Brad Stevens said. “We will not put a ceiling on this group. If it makes sense for us to look for things that can help us, we certainly will. But it all has to be within good deals. And it all has to be within the ultimate goal, which is the North Star of retooling so we’re in position to compete.”
Since the first time Stevens addressed Jayson Tatum’s potential return last Spring, he made clear that there was no recovery timeline, but also that Tatum wouldn’t return unless he was perfectly healthy. That outlook didn’t change on Wednesday. “We’re not putting a timeline on it — as we haven’t the whole time,” Stevens said.
“There’s a strength threshold he has to meet, and then after that, several weeks of progressions, right from the standpoints of scripted against small groups, scripted against bigger groups, scripted in five-on-five, unscripted, random, all the way up through those,” Stevens said. “But it’s a long progression, and it’s almost like, once you hit the strength, then you do your thresholds of a progression of play, and then you’re also reconditioning to play real minutes, whatever that looks like. He’s obviously made great strides. Right now, we’re still focused on the full-strength game.”
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“They have always done a good job with building their team,” said one voter who gave Boston high marks. “They made a difficult decision this offseason, but because of the rules, it was one they had to make. The timing was right with the Tatum injury. I would expect them to be able to turn it around pretty quickly. This year is just a reset for them. I would not expect it to be a long-term thing.” Boston still has to make a tough call on Anfernee Simons, who came from Portland in the Holiday trade. Moving the 26-year-old’s expiring deal could get the Celtics under the first apron by the summer, and turn off the repeater clock. But with all their moves in the offseason, the Celtics are no longer in second-apron hell. “Brad Steven’s integrity and competence carry a heavy load for them,” another voter said of Boston’s front office. — David Aldridge
“We know what we’re moving from a contract standpoint, but bigger than that, from a level of player and even bigger than that, a level of person,” Brad Stevens said. “And that became even more obvious when (Horford and Kornet left). That became the priority. It was not only that, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta reset and retool,’ but the people we bring into this place — whether through the draft or a trade or a signing — yes, we’re looking for maybe some young, proven, cost-effective people, but at the same time, they have to be high character and they have to be high competitive character. Because if they’re not, we’re just losing too much in that area to sustain it.”
“If you’re going to have to reset and retool, what you’re trying to do is you’re just trying to give yourself a chance to be opportunistic if that presents itself,” Stevens said. “We lived it. We knew it was coming. And, you know, it wasn’t the most fun summer for a GM or a front office person but we knew that that was part of the pain of A) going all-in in the last couple of years and then B) making sure we give ourselves a chance to continue to be opportunistic around our young core — and our core is still young and still very, very good.”