The Boston Celtics introduced Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari on Tuesday afternoon. They, along with Brad Stevens, spoke to the media for about half an hour, touching on a few different topics. Here’s a bit of what they said, along with some reaction.
On watching the Celtics make their run to the Finals
Brogdon: “I think watching that team, you sort of watch them get better and better over the season. They started off a really talented young team that was good but not great. I think they had a rough month maybe in January, didn’t play as well as they wanted to, and then you saw them really come together. I think you saw Al Horford, you saw their vets really pull those guys together and turn themselves into a great team and rally. So that’s something you look at as an opponent and you admire, because it’s extremely hard to bring really talented young guys together on one page and have them compete and beat the best in the NBA. Handle the Milwaukee Bucks, handle the Brooklyn Nets, make a run like they did. So for me, I want to come in here and I want to add. I want to add. My skill set and my play making, my ability to play off the ball when guys like Brown and Tatum have the ball, and my ability to read the game, to be able to close games, make good decisions and defend really 1-4 I think can be an asset for this team.”
John’s Take: This was a running theme throughout the conversation. Brogdon repeatedly said he’s here to add, not take away. He said all the right things when it comes to that. He saw what the Celtics did last season, he knows what they need, and he’ll try to provide it.
Brogdon is a pro. He clearly believes in respecting the game, doing the work, and playing whatever role necessary to win games. He really comes off as a guy who will be happy doing whatever he’s doing as long as the team is winning.
To that end, I asked him and Stevens about whether they had a conversation with Marcus Smart about the trade, especially since Brogdon is a pretty high-end point guard. Brogdon has been clear he’s here to be a sixth man, but it’s also possible that the early perception of the deal might not have been so clear.
Stevens: “Everybody knows what the goal is and everybody knows in order to achieve that we have to become deep, flexible, be able to play a lot of different ways. And every single guy that I talked to – and I talked to all of those guys, Marcus included, within an hour of the trade – they’re all jacked. They’re all excited. They’re ready to roll. I know Malcolm and Marcus go back a little bit or have a connection somehow, but this is about winning. And I think that one of the things about Marcus’s tenure as a Celtic: It’s been defined by winning in the playoffs every year. We all know that to stay the same – as Malcolm said, everybody else in the league is trying to get better. And everybody else in the league as you’re making your run is reading about you making your run. So you’ve gotta meet the challenge by improving. We’ve gotta do that individually with our own work and our own development. And we had to do that by addressing roster needs. And we’re really excited because you’ve heard these guys. As I said earlier, these two really get it and they really know what it’s about. And the guys that we have in that locker room that are back know that too.”
Brogdon: “I think Marcus is one of the biggest winners that we’ve seen in this league. And I think that’s why Boston loves him. I think that’s why this organization loves him. And it’s hard to really put your finger on what it is about him, but he’s a winner. He knows how to win games. He’s going to help you no matter what. This move, I think bringing me here actually helps him. I’m going to push Marcus. I’m going to embrace him. He’s going to embrace me. We’re going to push each other. I really think we’re actually going to play really well together. I think we have different skill sets, but I think we both want to win so bad it doesn’t matter – all the other stuff is distraction and noise, I think we’re going to come together and really make this thing work.”
John’s Take: Smart tweeted out his strong approval of the deal shortly after it was announced. I think Smart has been a little sensitive to the team’s makeup over the course of time and he’s been excited to be this team’s full-time point guard. I can’t say for sure, but I’m betting some reassurance from Stevens and Brogodon’s stance clarifies what everyone's roles are.
There is no doubt that everyone will have to sacrifice some, but keeping Smart in his role as the starter is important, at least to start the season. If Smart is beaten out for the starting role, and Ime Udoka can put together the case to flip roles, then Smart will be able to accept things. If the evidence is clear that the team is better with certain guys in different roles, then everyone will have to be on board and accepting of what the evidence shows.
For now, it’s pretty clear to me that Smart as the starter works, and that's how they’ll start the season.
On the roster construction, and going into the season with Luke Kornet as the third center
Stevens: “We'll continue to look at, again, what adds to our team. I think, ultimately, though we started big most of last year with Al and (Robert Williams), we often times would play one of them. I think, like I said earlier, we're better set up to play 'smaller' than we were just because of the size of these two guys sitting next to us and got a lot of different options there. But we're really high on Luke. We've been really high on Luke. We thought he had a terrific G League season and we think that he can step right in and be a passer and a ball handler and a mover and a screener and a roller when need be and we'll probably add one more person that can play in that area. But we're really believing in Luke as not only depth — he can obviously fill out the roster — but also be ready to help us and help us win and I think he's at that stage where he can do that. But we're still looking and we'll still add at least one more body at that, whatever we call the five position nowadays.”
John’s Take: ‘We believe in Luke but we’re going to get another guy who plays that position’ is not exactly the most ringing endorsement of Kornet’s abilities. The Celtics are clearly looking for someone else who can help out ahead of Kornet, and then rely on Kornet if someone goes down as the third big.
Of course, now the question will be “who can Boston add?” I’ve been thinking it will be a minimum guy to minimize the tax bill, but I asked Stevens about whether the growing tax bill will be a hindrance.
Stevens: “No, I think the bottom line is, and obviously we have not only a trade exception now, but trade exceptions that we can use again towards the trade deadline. And that's all about just finding the right deal. If it's the right trade to be made, we have the green light to do that. So no.”
John’s Take: Alright then. Let’s put that to the test. I’m not sure who will be out there as far as a trade goes, but if the ownership is giving Stevens the green light to use one of the TPEs to add a player right now, then maybe that's how they go about doing it.
On joining the Celtics
Gallinari: “When you think about the Celtics, I grew up with my dad since I was a little kid being a Celtics fan, being a Larry Bird fan, so when the Celtics came on the table it was almost like a no-brainer. You walk even in this facility, you look around and see what’s going on around the banners and the history and everything the Celtics were about, it was an easy choice.”
… “The first meeting – when I got drafted by the Knicks, Donnie Walsh was the GM – the first meeting that I had with him over the summer, he gives me this CD, and it’s a Larry Bird CD, and he says, ‘Look at these videos every day and see what you can do.’ Of course, Larry Bird is a legend and so it’s not easy to do the stuff that he was doing. But I looked at those tapes every day. And so, like I said, it’s great to be here and I can’t wait to wear those colors.
John’s Take: Gallo has already scored his first points as a Celtic. Of course, somehow, the Celtics ended up being his childhood favorite team. Isn’t it funny how that works out?
Brogdon: “I’m in my prime, I’m 29 years old. I experienced winning at a high level in Milwaukee my first three years, went to Indiana, had a solid season and then two rough seasons. So this is everything I’ve wanted: to be able to get back to this level, to be able to compete with guys that want to win a championship and that are all in, that want to sacrifice to win. So it’s very fortuitous for me to be here and I think it’s the perfect time for me.”
John’s Take: Fit is important. I do think Brogdon fits in well because he can do a few different things. I don’t think some of the initial reactions to him just being a point guard were accurate. He’ll be here to do a few different things off the bench.
That's that. Brogdon will wear number 13 for Boston while Gallinari wears number 8. We’ll see what else Stevens has up his sleeve.