Since the elimination of the Celtics in the conference final, Joe Mazzulla’s season has gone under the microscope, but Brad Stevens has renewed his confidence in him, recalling the complicated circumstances of his appointment.
Propelled “head coach” a few days before the start of the “training camp” following the suspension of Ime Udoka, while the latter’s first assistant, Will Hardy, had taken over the management of Jazz and Damon Stoudamire, the only former player on the bench, left during the campaign, Joe Mazzulla therefore found himself at the head of a featherless “coaching staff”, with assistants close to Ime Udoka, several of whom went to join him at the Rockets…
Clearly, this was not really the ideal situation for a young manager of 34 years.
Brad Stevens has confirmed that he wants to recruit experienced assistants, and probably also former players, to help Joe Mazzulla next season. The club president also said he tried to do so during the current campaign, but it is not easy to build a staff in an emergency.
From Sunday to Tuesday…
On ESPN, JJ Redick also recalled that Joe Mazzulla had offered to join his team. Except that as he already explained at the microphone of Taylor Rooks in Decembereverything was much too fast.
On Thursday, the Celtics suspended Ime Udoka. On Friday, Brad Stevens was discussing with JJ Redick a position in the staff of Joe Mazzulla. And on Sunday, the retiree, present in Boston to play golf with Austin Ainge (the son of Danny Ainge who still works at the Celtics), found himself discussing it with the new Boston coach.
“I would like to become a coach at one time or another”explained JJ Redick. “But I don’t feel like it’s the right time. Speaking of timing, we’re at the end of the road (with Austin Ainge and Joe Mazzulla, therefore), we’re having lunch and I’m like, ‘Joe, by the way, when do I have to be in Boston?’ For some reason my brain hadn’t yet realized that training camp was starting that week. He said to me: ‘Tuesday, I need you on Tuesday for the first practice’. It was Sunday afternoon. I then said to myself: ‘Okay, I don’t know if I can do this’. »
A good illustration in any case of the complex situation in which Joe Mazzulla was placed during his first season as “head coach”. And that allows you to put your difficulties into perspective.
