The key word for Red, and other great leaders in sports like Vince Lombardi, Bill Parcells and even Bill Belichick is...TEAM. Build a team with leaders who know how to play the game and are not concerned with their own stats. The only stat they looked at was wins and losses. "THAT'S how you build a championship team," said Red. Though it's early in the year it's plain to see Danny made a good choice in Brad Stevens as head coach and has drafted and well and made some good trades.
I was at the draft, sitting with Tommy Heinsohn, Tom (Satch) Sanders) and Togo Palazzi, when Danny picked Jared Sullinger. Some said Sullinger was a little undersized and had a bad back to be the rebounder the Celts needed. All agreed it was a good pick and Tommy went as far as to say, "Wait and see, this kid will wind up being a starter, possibly right from the start." Once again our own "Tommygun" hit the ball over the fence with that one. For you younger fans who don't really know about him, Tommy Heinsohn is one of the greatest basketball minds of all time. I'll do a story on him soon with all the facts and figures to prove it out.
Sullinger, quickly becoming a team leader and, most definitely, a Celtic type player has been putting up "double doubles" recently averaging 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
"I'm only interested in wins and losses," says the tough power forward. We (I love that term) just want to win and show everybody that they can kiss our butts about that "tanking" stuff," he added.
As I look up and down the roster I can't help but see some of, what I call "telling" stats like free throw percentage and field goal % as well as rebounds. Nobody seems to realize that we have SIX guys over the .800% mark in free throws with Crawford at .904 and rookie Kelly Olynyk at 1.000%??
And he's taken more than just a couple of FT's. Being able to make those freebies is a very important part of the game (just ask Rajon Rondo) and I can't help but think that's one of the things Danny looks for in his players at draft time or in trades. Part of building a winning TEAM.
One of Red's stories was about Bill Russell at his first contract negotiations. Russell said, "I'm not sure I'll be able to give you the scoring that you may want." Red replied, "I'll make a deal with you right now, Bill, at contract time I won't bring up stats if you don't." Left unsaid, but definitely understood by Russ was that the only stat that mattered was winning.
Another telltale sign of what a good team they are becoming is a guy like Marshon Brooks, a shooting guard with proven abilities (he's one of the over .800 FT's %) who averaged over 12 ppg with the Nets, but hasn't gotten much playing time of late. "I'm not so concerned about that, I know my time will come and I'll work to be ready when it does. I have complete faith in the coach and trust his judgement." WOW!! That's right from "Auerbach University of basketball" talk.
There's a lot more to be said on this matter and about the individual players but, hopefully, all the "Tank talkers" will stand down and let the fans enjoy the Celtics play as the team emerges. They are a very enjoyable team to watch, win or lose, and for us old timers provide a look at what the Celts of the past were all about as they rebuilt their dynasties. From Red, to Tommy Heinsohn, to KC Jones, to Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens it was all fun full of hope and, eventually world championships. Sit back and enjoy.....Stay tuned