CANTON -- Basketball will be played Tuesday at the Auerbach Center. Each day that passes will dull at least some of the sting of the past few days, eventually allowing the Celtics to simply focus on the on-court product and the business of playing basketball.
The cloud of the Ime Udoka saga will still hang over the gym for a while, and it was the dominant topic of media day, but it was not the only thing anyone talked about. Each player spent at least some time talking about other topics. Here's a bit from all of their availabilities.
ROBERT WILLIAMS
If the Udoka mess hadn’t happened, Williams’ 8-12 week absence to clean up, as he put it, “recurring problems” in his left knee would have been the dominant topic.
Williams came back quickly from his meniscus surgery to rejoin the team for the playoffs. He didn’t say the comeback was the reason why he needed a second surgery, but even if it was, he wouldn’t change what he did.
“I made a decision as a man to keep playing. That’s my decision,” he said “Regardless of the recurring injuries, whenever they did happen, I bought into that decision. I feel like that’s the biggest thing to just me being there mentally, get myself ready, get myself back and put my 100 percent rehab in is all I can focus on, all I can talk about.”
Williams said the shorter summer also played a role, and that rest never got the knee back to 100%. He never got into what the recurring problems were in his knee, but he believes this surgery will fix the issue.
“Nobody knows if they're going to get hurt again,” he said. “I’m pretty confident, man. I made a decision to come back in a timely fashion last year … I’m gonna get right this time.”
JOE MAZZULLA
Mazzulla is taking over for Udoka after the suspended coach’s scandal, but Mazzulla has had his issues in the past.
In 2009, when he was in college, Mazzulla was arrested on a domestic battery charge for grabbing a woman’s neck at a bar. During his press conference on Friday, Brad Stevens said “I vetted that and the incidents when he was in college really thoroughly. And I will tell you this: I believe strongly in Joe’s substantiveness as a person.”
Mazzulla addressed those accusations Monday afternoon.
“I'm not the same person that I was,” he said. “I think as you grow as a person, you're constantly having to build an identity, and I didn't have an identity at a certain point in my life, for whatever reason. I think it's, How can I develop an identity? How can I find a foundation, which for me is my faith and then how can I impact people positively around me. That's something I really learned throughout my life.”
Mazzulla’s growth took him into coaching, scoring a job as an assistant coach at Division II Glenville State in 2011. He says the journey helped him grow.
“I know who I am. I know why I got into coaching. I think I know my why,” he said. “If you don't have a compass, it's very hard to direct yourself, so you have to learn that on your own sometimes. For me, my identity has come from my faith and it's come from my purpose. I got into coaching because I've had people pour into me, I've had people sacrifice for me, and I want to reciprocate that to my players and the people around me.”
Along the way, Mazzulla spent two years as the head coach at Fairmont State University where he amassed a 43-17 record and an NCAA Division II tournament berth.
“What I learned from year 1 to year 2 from that standpoint was, I wasn’t ready. It’s not because I didn’t work at it. It’s not because I didn’t prepare, because there are certain things you have to learn on the job,” he said. “So, year 2 was much different than year 1 from me. I’m really able to pull from those experiences. So I think it’s more about pulling from those experiences. Listen, I worked for a lot of great head coaches and played for great head coaches, and I think it’s about taking a formula of what worked for those guys and how I can make these players better.”
JAYLEN BROWN
Hey, remember when the biggest story in Boston was whether Brown was going to be traded for Kevin Durant?
Brown does.
“I’ve talked to my teammates, I’ve talked to ownership, organization, etc. I keep those conversations between us,” he said. “All I can say is that now that I’m here, I’m ready to play basketball. I’m in great shape, probably the best shape of my life, so I’m excited to start the journey.”
That journey continues in Boston, and Brown says he didn’t have the reaction to the rumors that some speculated he might.
“It’s been the same since I’ve been here, so it wasn’t surprising or it wasn’t not surprising,” he said. “It didn’t make me feel some type of way or whatever. It is what it is. I talked to my teammates, organization about it and now I’m just ready to play basketball.”
MALCOLM BROGDON
The new guy in Boston might not have been the new guy in Boston if last season hadn’t gone so well.
“The Pacers did me really well. They gave me the option of picking between a few teams, and I picked Boston because I want to win,” Brogdon said. “This team has a great unit, great chemistry. They were on the verge of winning a championship as we saw and they needed a little bit more. So I'm going to come and add-on to what's already going on."
There was some question early on if Brogdon’s arrival created some redundancy, but he says he’s here to play whatever role the Celtics ask of him. He also says he’s not here gunning for Marcus Smart’s job.
“I think people build up a feud between us about ‘They’re bringing in a point guard,’ yada yada, at the end of the day, me and Marcus are going to be on the floor a lot together, playing together,” Brogdon said. “Me and Marcus have different strengths, work really well together. And we’re both really competitive and are going to push each other and help each other.”
Toss Derrick White into the mix and Brogdon thinks Boston’s guards can be special.
"I think we can be the best defensive backcourt in the league,” Brogdon said. “Jaylen and Jayson make the game easier for us and take the pressure off of us on both sides of the ball, but those guys' roles are to lead this team on offense and to score the ball and to be the monsters they are. Our job as a backcourt is to make it easier for them to defend when they need to focus on offense and be great defensively and support them offensively."
DERRICK WHITE
One of Udoka’s messages to White last season was to be more physical. Even though Udoka is gone, Boston’s defense will still aim to be tough and bruising, so White felt the need to keep up.
“Just try to get a little stronger, a little more explosive on the weight room side of it,” he said. “I had a personal strength coach this summer that I haven't had in the past.”
White looks a little bigger than before, but that was just part of his offseason focus. White said he’s trying to hone his jump shot, which is still one of the weaker aspects of his game.
“Just trying to be more consistent, make shots, consistent with my form,” he said.
These weren’t the only new wrinkles to White’s summer. He also has a four month old son.
“Just been spending time with him, watching him grow,” White said. “A little more smiling, active, playing with toys, stuff like that. It's been cool to see his growth and his development, it's been amazing and it's made the summer a lot of fun.”
AL HORFORD
Horford is Boston’s 36-year-old center, now playing for 34-year-old Mazzulla.
“It's actually pretty cool because I've been in the league that long and still in the league and I feel like going strong,” Horford said with a laugh. It’s hard not to wonder how much Horford really has left in those legs, but he’s coming into camp feeling good.
“After the long playoff run, took some time off, but then once we started to work, got after it pretty good,” he said. “Really make sure that I prepared myself to have a full season. I feel great physically, really put in a lot of time this summer and just working on my game in the gym and staying after it in that regard.”
Horford says there isn’t a plan to sit him in back-to-backs, and that he’s coming into this season preparing to play a lot of basketball. His first ever taste of the Finals was enough to keep him motivated to get back to that level, and finally win a ring.
“I see how hard it is to get to that point and to understand that we have to start back up and build that up,” he said. “Just learned a lot about our group and I feel like we were thrown in very many different situations, so as a group, I feel like we grew a lot, and as a player, I feel like I learned a lot as well.”
GRANT WILLIAMS
Williams is now on his third coach in four years, and the previous two used him in very different ways.
Now with Mazzulla at the helm, and with injuries to both Robert Williams and Danilo Gallinari, there exists a possibility that Williams will be asked to do something different … again.
“Whatever he needs me to do, it will get done.” Grant Williams said. “That's how I approach every single season … no matter what I'm asked to do, I'm prepared. Preparation won't be an issue.”
There's an added motivation for the healthy Williams to be accomodating and excel at every task. He’s up for an extension, but it needs to be done before the season starts. If it’s not, then he will head into next summer as a restricted free agent..
“I love being in Boston … love the guys here. I love the city,” he said. “But when it comes to that, I just let my agents and everybody handle it, because if you become too overwhelmed or concerned with it, that's when you start focusing on your play, or you start doing things that aren't necessarily characteristic of yourself. But for me, my number one focus and goal is allowing and helping this team to win a championship. Everything else takes care of itself.”
JAYSON TATUM
The last image we had of Tatum last season was his devastated postgame press conference after a turnover and mistake-filled Finals. Regardless of how it went, Boston was still a Finals team, and a team that many have been penciling in to get back. Tatum, though, understands how close Boston was to never making it in the first place.
"We had two seven-game series that easily could've gone the other way. We could have not been in the championship,” he said. “Never want to take anything for granted. And I think coming into this season, realizing it's not as easy as we're saying it's going to be and we gotta play better. We gotta start from Day 1 tomorrow like everybody else. It's a process and we can't skip any steps."
Until last week, those steps were being charted by Udoka. Without the coach that helped guide them to that run, there have been whispers that Boston can’t make it all the way back.
"Can we? Do I believe that? Absolutely,” Tatum said. “Absolutely I believe that, and I think everybody else does in that locker room as well."
LUKE KORNET
The Celtics purposely chose to start the season with Kornet as their primary third big, but now that Robert Williams is out, presumably, until about December, Kornet is going to be asked to fill an even bigger role.
“I definitely realize there's definitely a great chance of being a more evolved member as far as being on the court,” he said. “I just think I'm better prepared for that just in terms of being able to be around the guys so much more. Also, I'd say, being in the playoffs has definitely been a great learning experience and seeing kind of what it takes to play on that level as well.”
That extends to off the court, where preparation for an extended role intensifies.
“There definitely is a shift because what you have to do to stay prepared definitely just varies,” he said. “You might have to start taking into consideration how much you're doing off the court … film will be a whole lot more like applicable to you because you'll actually know the situations you're going to be in, so there's definitely just more information that you get that allows you better formulate your plan on how you can best help the team.”
Getting the vote of confidence from the front office would seem like a boost to Kornet’s confidence in playing whatever increased role this season, but he says one lesson he’s learned over his career is to not be swayed by something like that.
“Frankly, earlier in my career I would have thought about that a lot more,” he said. “It definitely can be reassuring, but should never be like the primary crux of your confidence. So I would say that's sort of the situation. It's good to know, but at the same time, my confidence as a basketball player shouldn't be wavered.”
SAM HAUSER
A shooting specialist on a team desperately looking for consistent shooting seems like a nice match for someone like Hauser. With Gallinari out, there is a role to be seized by someone with at least some size who can spread the floor. The 6’7” Hauser can do that.
“You just have to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented, and I’m just excited to do that,” he said. “Nothing is really given, everything is earned. So see how training camp goes and see how it’s looking, but I hope I’m in the rotation obviously, but I think I can bring a good aspect to the floor in my shooting ability and spacing the floor, and just being a good team defender and playing off these guys.”
Everyone on the team is aware of his shooting prowess, but that alone won’t keep Hauser on the floor. When more is necessary, Hauser has a simple request of his coaches and teammates.
“Just tell me how it is, and don’t beat around the bush,” he said. “Tell me what I need to do and how I can help and earn a spot in the rotation, and I’m going to try to do that the best I can. Hopefully it helps and impacts winning.”
PAYTON PRITCHARD
He’s a pretty good shooter too, but the size part is what’s holding him back. Watching Boston bring in another guard in Brogdon seems to be a bad sign for Pritchard.
“People compete for spots. Obviously we have a lot of tremendous players, but I don’t go through all summer and all year working on my game to just ride the bench,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to an opportunity to go out there, compete and earn minutes, and see where that lays. Ultimately, we just want the team success though, so just win games.”
If there's one advantage to the short offseason, it exists for players like Pritchard who carried a lot less of the workload.
“I was feeling pretty healthy, so I didn’t have to recover that much, I was good to go,” he said of his offseason. “I think with having some guards on our team, a way I can contribute is by my shooting, but off ball movement. You see guys like Patty Mills, not trying to compare here, but Stephen Curry - how he moves without the ball to get shots. The Warriors team in general. I think that’s a big area that I tried to grow in, knowing that’s something I can really help this team with, but I’m always trying to improve.”
MARCUS SMART
All of Smart’s availability focused on Udoka, except for when he spoke about Bill Russell, and Russell’s number being retired across the league:
“I love that idea. We heard things like pioneer, trailblazer. To mention Bill Russell and the impact he brings to this game is undeniable, that he brought. I think for us as fans and competitors we just wish we could still get that to witness. I definitely love the idea of what the league is doing retiring it all the way. I think it shows the impact he has actually made on us on and off the court, especially for me being a man of color, to pave the way for me the way that he did, allowing us and my generation to keep going and do the same for others.”