Brad Stevens forced back to (almost) where he started

As the saying goes - The most stress is caused by things over which we have no control. Well, that is what Celtics GM, Brad Stevens is experiencing, after being forced by ownership to cut monetary costs by stripping the once-Championship roster considerably.

Stevens came to Boston as Celtics coach prior to the 2013-14 season. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, all members of the 2008 Title team, had been traded, and the roster had youngsters such as Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford vying for playing time.

The Green ended the 2013-14 regular season with a 25-57 record, obviously missing the playoffs. In the following years, GM Danny Ainge left for Utah and Brad Stevens took his place as Head Honcho, eventually winning the 2024 NBA Championship with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the way.

Back to the present. The ravaged roster, now minus Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Luke Kornet (all lost to trades or free agency) and Jayson Tatum, lost to injury - all of whom were part of the Celtics last Title - sit with a 6-7 record after 13 games.

So, in a way, Brad Stevens is somewhat back to "square one", with the likes of Jordan Walsh, Hugo Gonzalez, and Baylor Sheierman earning floor time. And it is not his fault. NBA players have been accustomed to enormous salaries, but Boston's new ownership apparently doesn't plan to join in - and as a 65-year fan of the League, I somewhat understand their position.

Boston is exceptionally fortunate to have Brad Stevens in place figuring all of this out. He had minimal control over the loss of so much talent, but he is the right guy to figure it all out.

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