Joe Mazzulla

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Maxey, Ujiri, Mazzulla

June 1st, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

With general manager Scott Perry set to leave the Knicks later this summer, his replacement will likely come from within the organization if the position is filled at all, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper states that the team already has the structure in place to handle Perry’s job duties, and his role has been diminishing for more than a year.

Senior basketball consultant Gersson Rosas could be named the new GM if ownership wants to appoint someone, Popper adds. Rosas spent 16 years in the Rockets’ front office, followed by shorter stays as general manager of the Mavericks and president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves. He served as the primary contact as the Knicks negotiated a Donovan Mitchell trade with the Jazz last summer, according to Popper.

Perry’s contract is believed to run through August, but sources tell Popper that he’s already being left out of pre-draft workouts. Perry’s duties are being handled by assistant GMs Frank Zanin, who’s in charge of pro scouting, and Walt Perrin, who handles college scouting. Rosas is performing most of the GM work, so Popper believes giving him the title would just be “a formality.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks are in position to benefit from not paying a premium price to acquire Mitchell, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst states on his Hoop Collective podcast (video link). Windhorst notes that New York has the trade assets to pursue any star who becomes available this offseason, with a parcel of future draft picks and Evan Fournier‘s contract for salary-matching purposes.
Reaching an extension with Tyrese Maxey should be a priority for the Sixers this summer, contends Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He notes that Maxey has been a bargain after being selected with the 21st pick and states that the Sixers shouldn’t gamble by letting him reach restricted free agency in 2024. Maxey is eligible for a five-year deal worth up to a projected $213MM.
Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic is still in the mix to be the Raptors‘ next head coach, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Rajakovic has been an assistant since 2014 and spent time with the Thunder and Suns as well.
Raptors executive Masai Ujiri remains passionate about winning 10 years after joining the organization, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Smith also looks at Ujiri’s five best and worst moves over the past decade.
Joe Mazzulla appears likely to return for another season as the Celtics‘ head coach, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

Celtics Notes: Mazzulla, Brown, Brogdon, G. Williams

June 1st, 2023 at 9:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Joe Mazzulla‘s ascension to head coach after Ime Udoka’s suspension led to disagreements between the coaching staff and several of the Celtics‘ stars over the team’s style of play, according to Jay King and Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Boston was coming off an NBA Finals run under Udoka built around a suffocating defense, and many players wanted to continue that philosophy. Mazzulla placed more emphasis on the offense and frequently relied on smaller lineups, using Derrick White as a starter even when Robert Williams was healthy.

Although Mazzulla generally had the support of his players, who recognized that he was in a difficult situation, one source tells the authors that the team “just lost focus” after the All-Star Game, going 7-6 in its first 13 games following the break. Some veterans wondered why Mazzulla went away from Grant Williams, whose playing time was cut in March. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown met with Mazzulla to implore him to put Grant Williams back in the rotation, sources tell King and Weiss.

Complaints about Mazzulla’s emphasis on offense continued into the playoffs, the authors add. Some players said they left timeouts unsure of the defensive coverages, and that Blake Griffin, Marcus Smart, Grant Williams and others would work things out at the last minute.

Even amid the chaos, players publicly remained supportive of Mazzulla after the Game 7 loss to Miami.

“I don’t think people give (Mazzulla) or us enough credit that, two days before (the) season starts, we find out we’re going to have a new coach,” Tatum said. “We didn’t have Rob the first 25, 30 games of the season, we never got a chance to have (Danilo Gallinari), and we got a new coach one day before media day. You know, that was an adjustment. We all figured it out. Obviously, we wanted to win the championship. Didn’t happen. But I think Joe did a great job. We won 50-some-odd games. We got to (Game 7 of the) conference finals. Obviously, everybody can be better, learn from this. But I think Joe did a great job this year.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Among the reasons Mazzulla is likely to return as head coach next season is his contract, which still has $14MM remaining in guaranteed money, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania expects Mazzulla to be given the chance to build his coaching staff this summer.
Brown didn’t talk much about his future after Game 7, but Tatum said it’s “extremely important” that he remains on the team, per Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston. There has been speculation that the Celtics may explore trade options after Brown qualified for a super-max contract by earning All-NBA honors. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast that he would be “stunned” if Boston doesn’t reach a new agreement with Brown (hat tip to Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report).
Either White, Smart or Malcolm Brogdon is likely to be moved this offseason to ease the financial crunch, writes Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, who believes Brogdon could be the top trade asset despite his large salary. That savings could be used to keep Grant Williams, a restricted free agent, Forsberg adds.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Tatum, Game 3 Reaction, Brogdon

May 27th, 2023 at 6:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jaylen Brown wore an ice pack on his left wrist during an interview with Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston (video link), but he said he doesn’t want to focus on injuries with the Celtics‘ season on the line.

Brown hasn’t commented on the status of his wrist, but it’s believed that he hurt it on a hard fall during the second-round series against Philadelphia. He has also dealt with a facial fracture and a tweaked knee this season, and the combination of all that damage may be affecting his play in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“At this point in the year, everybody got injuries,” Brown said. “I got injuries all over, compiled. But I’ll never let that be an excuse. You’ll never hear reports about me coming out, saying if anything is bothering me. You come out, you play basketball, you leave it all out there on the floor.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

Pre-game nerves may be an issue for many players tonight with so much at stake, but it’s a constant condition for Jayson Tatum, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Tatum admits that he’s always edgy heading into tip-off, regardless of the setting or the opponent. “I get nervous before every game,” he said. “Not like scared but a healthy level of anxiousness. First game of the season against Philly to now, I get nerves before every game.”
The Celtics appear to have been galvanized by the reaction to their embarrassing loss in Game 3, according to Tara Sullivan of The Boston Globe. That 26-point defeat on Sunday led several national media members to proclaim that the team quit and resulted in speculation that coach Joe Mazzulla might be dismissed after the series. “That locker room after Game 3 was the lowest you could be, and I think everyone just relaxed, honestly,” Tatum said. After two wins, Celtics players now believe the pressure has shifted to the Heat, who face the specter of being the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 lead, Sullivan adds.
Malcolm Brogdon, who’s listed as questionable for Game 6 with a right forearm strain, will go through pre-game warm-ups to see if he is able to play, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “He’s gonna warm up, do his shooting time and see how he feels from there,” Mazzulla told reporters.

Coaching Rumors: Williams, Pistons, Young, Bucks, Griffin, Mazzulla

May 24th, 2023 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After reporting last week that the Pistons had planned to pursue Monty Williams for their head coaching job if they’d won the draft lottery, Marc Stein writes at Substack that Detroit apparently went ahead with that plan even after slipping to No. 5 on lottery night.

League sources tell Stein that the Pistons made Williams a “big-money” offer to become the team’s new head coach. However, it appears that effort was unsuccessful. As we noted on Tuesday in response to a report that Williams might take the 2023/24 season off, he’s still reportedly owed about $21MM from Phoenix, so it’s not as if he needs another job anytime soon for financial reasons.

With Williams apparently not in play, the Pistons continue to decide between Kevin Ollie, Charles Lee, and Jarron Collins, who are reportedly meeting with team owner Tom Gores for a second time. As Stein writes, the “consistent buzz” in coaching circles is that general manager Troy Weaver prefers Ollie for the position.

Here’s more from Stein on the head coaching vacancies around the NBA:

While he lacks the head coaching experience that some of the Suns‘ other finalists possess, assistant coach Kevin Young has a legitimate chance to be promoted to succeed Williams, according to Stein, who hears that Young has received a “strong endorsement” from All-Star guard Devin Booker.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is expected to talk to the team’s head coaching finalists, is said to be “intrigued” by Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, Stein writes. Griffin is one of three candidates believed to be in the running for the job.
Even before the Celtics won Game 4 of their series vs. Miami on Tuesday, there was push-back against the idea that Joe Mazzulla‘s job as head coach was in real jeopardy, says Stein. While Stein isn’t entirely ruling out the idea that Mazzulla could be replaced this spring, he suggests it would conflict with what we know about president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and how he operates.

Celtics Notes: Udoka, Mazzulla, Offseason, Gallinari

May 23rd, 2023 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ locker room never really got over Ime Udoka‘s sudden departure as the team’s head coach, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Monday during an appearance on NBA Countdown (YouTube link). Udoka was suspended and then dismissed after he engaged in what was described as an improper relationship with a female staffer, and Celtics players never got the full story about what happened, according to Wojnarowski.

“These players did not accept the organization’s reasoning for doing it. They thought it was a wild overreaction. There were a lot of the people on the outside who thought it was an overreaction, (that) it was an HR matter,” Wojnarowski said (hat tip to RealGM). “I think for this team, and talking with management, they never got any more answers than the public was getting on this. That doesn’t mean they haven’t accepted Joe Mazzulla as head coach, but this is a team that really believed in Ime Udoka (and) had a strong connection with him.”

As Wojnarowski notes, the Celtics lost top assistant Will Hardy last spring to Utah, then promoted Mazzulla in September and saw another assistant, Damon Stoudamire, leave for a college job in March. The lack of veteran experience on the staff to support Mazzulla, a first-time head coach, may have been an issue during this postseason, according to Wojnarowski, who suggests Boston perhaps should’ve made it a priority to add a seasoned assistant.

The Celtics are reportedly looking at candidates such as Frank Vogel and Stephen Silas for possible roles on their staff for next season.

As Boston prepares for Game 4 and aims to begin climbing out of a 3-0 hole in the Eastern Conference Finals, let’s round up a few more Celtics notes…

A veteran scout who spoke to Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com believes that Mazzulla is taking too much of the blame for the Celtics’ disappointing showing vs. Miami, arguing that many of the team’s current issues were problems under Udoka and Brad Stevens too. “Sharing the ball, ball movement, just dribbling out the clock, lot of isolation basketball, defensive lapses,” the scout said. “All these things have existed for years.” A coach who spoke to Heavy agreed that Boston’s struggles aren’t Mazzulla’s fault: “At this stage of the playoffs, your weaknesses are exposed. They were exposed last year in the Finals.”
With the Celtics facing elimination on Tuesday, David Aldridge of The Athletic takes a look at two paths available to the franchise this summer, arguing that Boston would be better off staying the course than blowing up its roster.
Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari tore his ACL last August in international play before he appeared in a single game for Boston. Could Gallinari – who missed the entire 2022/23 season and will likely exercise a ’23/24 player option to remain with the C’s – return from that injury for Italy at this year’s World Cup? He spoke to Joe Vardon of The Athletic about that possibility, pointing out that he’s still not taking “game-type” contact and would need the Celtics’ blessing to suit up for the Italian national team.

Coaching Rumors: Mazzulla, Bucks, Williams, Suns, Raptors, Nash

May 23rd, 2023 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics staffers, including president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, have shown “unwavering support” this season for head coach Joe Mazzulla, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who says the sentiment as recently as last week was that Mazzulla would get plenty of runway to continue growing into the role he was thrust into following Ime Udoka‘s suspension last fall.

While it’s possible the Celtics could have a change of heart and decide to make a coaching change if the team is eliminated from the postseason in embarrassing fashion on Tuesday – or in the coming days – it would be a “stark change of direction” from the team’s original plan, Fischer writes.

While Fischer considers it unlikely that Mazzulla is replaced this offseason, he suggests that the Celtics’ coaching staff could undergo some significant changes, with multiple current assistants considered candidates to join Udoka with the Rockets. Frank Vogel and Stephen Silas are among the former head coaches who have been linked to the Celtics as possible assistant coach targets, Fischer notes.

Here’s more on the NBA’s coaching carousel from Fischer:

With the Bucks still focused on contending for championships with rosters built around Giannis Antetokounmpo, there’s some skepticism that Adrian Griffin – the only one of their three finalists without previous head coaching experience – will ultimately claim that job. However, Fischer acknowledges that Griffin has “certainly impressed” Bucks management during the interview process. Milwaukee’s search is expected to conclude this week, Fischer reports.
Many people around the league thought Monty Williams would be a serious candidate for the Bucks‘ coaching job and were surprised that he wasn’t a finalist in that process, per Fischer. The Pistons registered some interest in Williams, but he doesn’t appear to be in the mix for that job either and seems likely to take next season off, Fischer adds. James L. Edwards III of The Athletic also said Williams may not coach anywhere in 2023/24, which shouldn’t come as a surprise — he’s still owed $21MM by Phoenix, so it’s not as if he needs to rush into another position.
Former Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers is expected to receive consideration from the Suns, but Mike Budenholzer isn’t viewed as a likely candidate for Phoenix, Fischer writes.
The Raptors continue to take their time with their head coaching search, bringing back several candidates – including Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic – for second interviews, says Fischer. Many of the team’s initial meetings took place on Zoom, according to Fischer, who identifies Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson as a name to watch in Toronto’s search.
Steve Nash, who interviewed for the Raptors’ vacancy, is “determined to learn from his shortcomings” following his first coaching stint in Brooklyn and has a strong desire to earn another head coaching job at some point, Fischer writes.

Joe Mazzulla In Jeopardy After Game 3 Loss?

May 22nd, 2023 at 7:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics‘ embarrassing Game 3 loss to Miami could lead to significant changes this offseason, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Boston entered the conference finals as the odds-on favorite to win the NBA title, but the team didn’t look anything like a champion in Sunday’s 128-102 defeat. The Heat seized control of the game late in the first quarter and led by as many as 33 points before the night was over.

The most obvious questions center on the future of head coach Joe Mazzulla, who has been overmatched by Heat mentor Erik Spoelstra in the series. Windhorst states that Mazzulla seemed well-positioned to return for another season before Game 3, but the Celtics’ lifeless performance makes his job much less safe.

Mazzulla accepted blame for the loss, repeatedly telling reporters, “I just didn’t have them ready to play,” and adding, “I have to get them in a better place ready to play, and that’s on me.”

Windhorst believes Mazzulla went too far in trying to protect his players with his post-game comments, stating that they were so “over-the-top” that they came off as “transparent.”

President of basketball operations Brad Stevens remains a strong supporter of Mazzulla, Windhorst adds. Stevens selected Mazzulla to run the team after Ime Udoka was suspended last fall and then appointed him as permanent head coach in midseason.

However, Windhorst cites a “rising expectation” that Mazzulla will become the fall guy for the disastrous playoff ending it appears the Celtics are headed toward. He was given an undisclosed contract extension when the “interim” was removed from his title in February, but the organization may decide that a 34-year-old with no prior head coaching experience isn’t the right person to run a team with championship aspirations.

The recent firings of high-profile coaches such as Mike Budenholzer, Nick Nurse and Doc Rivers, who have all led teams to titles, may make Mazzulla’s future even more tenuous.

Boston also has to determine this summer whether to give Jaylen Brown an extension worth more than $280MM that he qualified for by earning All-NBA honors. Brown has been particularly bad against Miami, shooting 2-of-20 from three-point range, including an 0-of-7 performance Sunday night.

Windhorst states that questions are re-emerging about whether Brown and Jayson Tatum should be the foundation of the team. It will eventually cost the Celtics more than $50MM apiece annually to keep them together, and the front office has to determine whether that’s the best pairing for the future.

Barring an unprecedented turnaround, the Celtics will enter the offseason haunted by the feeling that the team wasn’t prepared for the Game 3 challenge and quit when things got tough. Another loss Tuesday night could set the direction for a summer upheaval.

Celtics Notes: Horford, R. Williams, Smart, Mazzulla, G. Williams

May 18th, 2023 at 4:36pm CST by Rory Maher

After trailing the series 3-2, the Celtics came back to win their second-round series against the Sixers in seven games. Veteran big man Al Horford is stressing the importance of playing with a sense of urgency to his younger teammates, he tells Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com.

“If you look at it, the reality is that even though a lot of younger guys think they have opportunities and will have more of them, these doors close,” Horford said, drawing out those last three words before adding, “You know what I’m saying?

“So when we’re in these positions, I think everybody is starting to understand that, you know, even though, ‘Oh, I’m young. I have time,’ and this and that, it’s not guaranteed that you’re going to be in these positions. That’s something that I feel like we understand, and that’s why we’re trying to make the most of it.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Along those same lines, fellow big man Robert Williams says the Celtics can’t keep digging themselves out of holes after dropping Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll come out ready to play in Game 2,” Williams said, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “But the problem is we can’t keep relying on that. We can’t rely on our backs being against the wall. There’s no time for it. We have to fix it.”
Both Horford and Marcus Smart cited poor spacing as a deciding factor in Game 1, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “We get tired of doing the little things sometimes. I think that showed exactly what we was talking about earlier, our spacing,” Smart said. “We have a lot of great players, but when we’re all on top of each other, nobody can be great. You’ve got a good defensive team like Miami, they’ll make you pay for that.”
Joe Mazzulla‘s reactive coaching style could cost the Celtics the series if he remains passive when the Heat are making big runs, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe opines (subscriber link). Washburn notes the key difference in the game was the third quarter, which Miami won by 20 points, and Mazzulla didn’t switch anything up despite Boston getting thoroughly outplayed.
Mazzulla chose to give guard Payton Pritchard minutes in Game 1 over forward Grant Williams, an impending restricted free agent. He explained the decision Thursday, tweets Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston. “We have a plan to use the depth that we need in order to give us the lineups that we think can really help us,” Mazzulla said. “…I thought Payton gave us an opportunity with his shooting, with his playmaking, his pick and roll defense. …Grant is always going to be ready. And we’ve built a lot of versatility and depth in our lineup where we can go a lot of different ways. We trust that anybody that we call in will be ready.”

Celtics Notes: Tatum, Mazzulla, Brown

May 15th, 2023 at 5:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jayson Tatum, who shot 5-for-21 from the field in the Celtics’ Game 6 win over the Sixers, bounced back with a 51-point eruption in Game 7 and said the key was being more relaxed, ESPN’s Jamal Collier writes.

“Going into Game 6 — it sounds crazy, I was too locked in,” Tatum said. “I was too tight. I was too in my own head thinking about what I need to do. How many points I need to score. It’s a big moment. And (Sunday) I was more myself. Pregame, I was relaxed, laughing, joking. That’s when I play my best, when I’m having fun. I just tried not to think about the pressure, what everybody is going to say. Just focus on the game and having fun.”

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First-year coach Joe Mazzulla believes Tatum’s understanding of the game and the coverages thrown at him led to his huge performance, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “I mean, that’s the word, he’s learned how to problem solve,” Mazzulla said. “So he can recognize matchups, coverages, he can anticipate the next coverage, he can see the spacing. He can put guys where they are and make the right play, so that to me is the evolution of players is can they problem solve over and over again, and he’s done that.”
Mazzulla was taking heavy criticism after the Celtics trailed 3-2 in the series but he showed his poise and coaching acumen during the last two games, Jay King of The Athletic notes. Marcus Smart was impressed how Mazzulla handled the situation. “I think it’s fair to say that if Joe freaked out, nobody would have blamed him,” Smart said. “He’s a first-year coach put into this situation, he’s put into the hot seat and then you have a team that’s not playing up to its standards, then you’re getting the criticism and then you come back and win two games. I think nobody would have been surprised if he blew up, but he kept his composure, he kept his poise.”
Jaylen Brown‘s technical foul from Game 7 has been rescinded by the league, NBA Official tweets. Brown reacted when Sixers forward Georges Niang grabbed his leg near the Sixers’ bench.

Sixers Notes: Game 7 Loss, Embiid, Harden, Rivers

May 15th, 2023 at 8:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers knew they let an opportunity get away after squandering a lead in Game 6 and then collapsing in the second half of Game 7, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. A series with multiple momentum shifts ended in a familiar way for Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, with a disappointing loss that leads to an offseason filled with questions about the future.

The Sixers seemed to seize control of the series a couple of times — first by taking Game 1 in Boston without Joel Embiid, then rallying for a Game 4 victory that was followed by a dominant road win in Game 5. A spot in the Eastern Conference Finals — which would have been the first time the franchise has advanced that far since 2001 — appeared within reach, but they couldn’t find a way to finish the series.

“Up 3-2 against the defending Eastern Conference champs,” Tyrese Maxey said. “We knew after we won Game 5 that it wasn’t going to be easy going home, that it was going to everything we had. We let that opportunity slip between our hands. … It’s really difficult to close out a series, especially when you’re playing a good team like that. A team that’s battle-tested. A team that’s been through it. A team that’s been there before. We had two opportunities to close them out. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

Embiid wouldn’t confirm coach Doc Rivers‘ speculation that he tweaked his injured knee again, but he acknowledged that he was “limited” by the LCL sprain that he suffered at the end of the first-round series, Mizell adds. Doctors said the injury would typically sideline a player for four to six weeks, but Embiid came back early to try to add an NBA title to his MVP award. “It’s tough losing, especially this way,” he said. ” … You can be sad about it all you want, but you’ve always got to find ways to be better and keep improving. And that’s what I’m going to do, win or lose.”
Speculation about the Sixers’ future started immediately, particularly regarding James Harden, who has been rumored for several months to be considering a return to Houston. Harden didn’t mention the Rockets in his post-game session with reporters, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, but he said, “I just want to have a chance to compete.” Harden has a $35.6MM player option for next season that he’s expected to decline.
Rivers, whose future in Philadelphia is also under speculation, talked about the playoff series and the tenuous nature of coaches during an interview with Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. He defended Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who was under fire each time Boston lost. “When we were making shots and playing well, that wasn’t on Joe. It was never Joe,” Rivers said. “It’s always that you’ve got to execute and you’ve got to play well, and it’s a make-miss league. I don’t think there was an issue on either side. One team beat the other team. That’s what happens.”

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