Jerod Mayo and Joe Mazzulla have at least one thing in common.
Neither were ready to take the reins at the time they were elevated to the pinnacles of their profession.
But unlike Mayo, for now, Mazzulla was able to take his licks, learn from his mistakes and rise above his early-career tumult to become the perfect coach for his team. Mayo, obviously, has a long, long way to go.
In Mazzulla’s story arc, there’s reason for hope for Patriots fans. Mayo too might be able to overcome a rocky start and become the formidable coach many expected him to be.
Of course, a key distinction is the fact that Mazzulla was given the keys to a championship-caliber roster, while Mayo was handed one out of the Rod Rust era (thanks, Bill!). There’s also the reality that Mayo only has seven games under his belt. Mazzulla now has 166.
For Mazzulla, the difference was a combination of seasoning, a solid braintrust around him in former coach-turned-GM Brad Stevens and former Celtics champion and veteran NBA assistant Sam Cassell, and most importantly, buy-in from his star players.
Mayo, at the moment, has none of the three. He’s still green, his primary support staff consists of a mediocre journeyman in Alex Van Pelt and a first-time defensive coordinator in DeMarcus Covington, and it’s never good when the term “mutiny” is rearing its ugly head so soon into his tenure.
A big question is whether or not Mayo be afforded the same organizational commitment that Mazzulla received? The Celtics’ brass never wavered in their belief in Mazzulla, even during his deer-in-the-headlights postseason run in 2023 when many (myself included) called for the team to make a change.
But guess what? They didn’t. They stuck to their guns, and they were right for doing so.
Will Mayo be extended the same luxury? It appears the jury is out on that one. Robert Kraft had an initial post-Belichick plan and stuck to it — for better or worse, as I wrote back in January. We’ll see how firmly the Krafts are willing to stand their ground for their former All-Pro linebacker…
Big Al’s big impact
I’ll admit I was part of the “Average Al” chorus during Al Horford’s inaugural run in Boston.
It wasn’t until Stevens brought Horford back that his value became clear. at least in my eyes. It wasn’t so much about the 13 points and seven rebounds per game. It was more about the veteran savvy, the locker room leadership, and the will to win.
Now in year 19, Horford’s impact is on full display, and not just to fans — and players — in Boston.
“Al’s my vet. That’s the guy who showed me how to be a pro first,” Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns told us after Tuesday’s season opener.
Towns is referring to their time together playing on the Dominican national team.
“Shout out to him,” Towns continued. "A lot of things that I’ve implemented into my game in the NBA is because the workouts and the time Al gave me during that time on the Dominican team with him. Someone I’ve looked up to, someone I’ve cheered on from far away.”
We’ve heard plenty of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown regaling about Horford and his impact on their development, but it’s cool to see other players — and not fringe players, but someone like a two-time All-NBA superstar — who have been so impacted by Horford.
It tells you all you need to know about Al. The former No. 3 overall pick and five-time All-Star had his day in the sun as the centerpiece of his own NBA team. Many players in his position in the twilights of their careers might be fighting to hang onto their top dog status. That was never the case with Al, and frankly, he deserves much more credit for it…
Who’s your daddy now?
Somehow, some way, a World Series title is finally within the Yankees’ grasp.
It only took ‘em 15 years to get there, but hey, who’s counting?
Well, we are. Yes, one might say it’s a bit of a loser mentality to be rooting for the demise of your rival franchise when our team couldn’t even make it to the postseason. I’ll admit, it is.
But we aren’t the only ones being petty. Evidently, the very Yankees who are currently sharing the spotlight on baseball’s biggest stage weren’t willing to play ball on a certain Netflix documentary profiling a certain series — and subsequent World Series — from twenty years ago with their rival.
Wait, sorry. Apparently, the Sox aren’t their rivals…
“We don’t have rivals,” the Yanks reportedly told filmmakers when asked to participate in a proposed series called ‘Superpowers’ about the heart of the teams’ rivalry in 2003 and 2004, per the reporting of the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy.
You know what? They’re right. It really hasn’t been a rivalry.
The Sox have straight up owned the Yankees for the past two decades.
Four World Series titles and three postseason series victories against them in as many meetings. The only things the Yanks have going for them in that span is head-to-head record (even that is a relatively slim margin at 198-174) and nine AL East titles to Boston’s five.
So, sure. You might finally win the World Series again, Yankees. We’d have no choice but to cede you that. You might have 2024, but we’ll always have 2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018. And as much as we (rightfully) whine and complain about our baseball team today, we’re still pretty pleased with that…
Yeah, you’ve got your 27 — maybe 28 — championships. But recent history? It’s no contest.
Monty’s fault?
Jim Montgomery probably deserves better than what might be coming to him. But hey, so did Bruce Cassidy…
Siting high above rink side on press row covering Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars, it was clear to me that whatever immediate impact Montgomery’s coaching had made in his record-breaking first season on the bench were all but gone.
The cohesion with which the Bruins skated and played with in Monty’s first year has dissipated. Never before had I seen a hockey team look so in rhythm during that regular season. They were seamlessly crisp in all three zones. And then, of course, it all came apart in spectacular fashion in April.
On Thursday, the Bruins looked disjointed, slow and old — which is particularly concerning when the average age of their roster is only 28.
It feels fair to say that Monty’s voice has probably been lost on the room. At the very least, it's certainly faded...
Is that entirely on him? No, it isn’t. We’re in a day and age when head coaches across all sports have a shorter shelf life than the average NFL career (about three years). When things are going good, it’s the players who get the credit. When they’re going bad? It’s the coach’s fault, first and foremost.
I’m not advocating that Monty is blameless here. Again, the results haven’t been there despite a roster on paper that should be pretty formidable. It is early, something David Pastrnak alluded to after the Stars loss, but at the same time, the players clearly believe the results should be better than they are right now.
As Pastrnak said, “Can still say it’s early, but definitely we know we’ve got better (talent). I think that’s why you can see frustration too in the team because we expect high standards in wearing the spoked B.” And in Brad Marchand’s words, “when we play the right way, we’re a good team right now. We’re having a harder time understanding that we need to do that all the way through the game.”
And why are they having a harder time understanding that? Sounds like a coaching and messaging problem to me. I have a hard time believing that Marchand isn’t speaking up in the room in his role as captain…
(As I walked out of the building through the back stairway often used by coaches past, I remembered an encounter I had with Cassidy. At the time, the topic surrounding the Bruins was how to properly pronounce “Marchand.”
I asked Butchy, “So what’s the proper pronunciation of Brad’s last name?” Butchy smiled and lovingly said “we just call him pain in the ass.”)
After seeming fairly soft in his coaching in year one, Montgomery to his credit has cracked down harder on his team, at least in terms of public rhetoric. Sometimes, a harder push is needed. Other times, a softer touch is necessary. That’s the delicate balance of coaching in professional sports.
So is it really Monty’s fault? Yes and no. But if the ‘W’s’ don’t start to out stack the ‘L’s’ in the next couple of weeks, he might be going the way of Claude and Cassidy…
(One saving grace? The Toronto Maple Leafs, at least on Saturday night. Death, taxes, and the Bruins beating the Leafs...)