The Celtics are in a pickle right now.
Boston has lost seven of its last 10 games, including Tuesday night’s heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The C’s now are 15-16 on the season and regularly struggle to close out games.
Clearly, the team is in desperate need of a solution to its various problems. But how does the team go about doing so?
The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn offered his take Wednesday during an appearance on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni & Fauria.”
“Danny’s had the same guys around him working in the organization for years. Maybe it’s time for some fresh blood in the front office, a new voice, a better talent evaluator in terms of the draft,” Washburn said, as transcribed by WEEI. “I like Aaron Nesmith, but when you see a guy like Saddiq Bey, who was taken five picks after Nesmith — he’s hit 14 threes against the Celtics this season. I don’t know that Nesmith has hit 14 threes this season by himself. … They need, I think, some fresh voices in the front office, and who knows if that’s ever going to happen.”
Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck is well-aware of the team’s roster issues. He’s not pleased with the direction isn’t gone since Kyrie Irving’s departure in 2019, either.
But as Washburn noted, the organization has “refused” to own up to some of the mistakes it’s made in recent years, especially with the NBA Draft. Other teams in the league have moved on from iffy picks they made, but the Celtics still are sticking by many theirs.
“You just have to move on from those mistakes,” Washburn said. “You look at the other elite teams around the league, Brooklyn, the Lakers — they make roster moves. The Lakers just released Quinn Cook. Why? To open up a roster spot. Could Quinn Cook play for the Lakers? Of course. But hey, you’re not doing anything right now, and we need to get better.
“Danny’s afraid to make those moves because he doesn’t want to admit he made a mistake in the draft by taking Carsen Edwards or hanging onto Javonte Green or Tremont Waters. There’s some sort of Patriot-like, ‘We know better than you guys. We’re just going to stick to what we do.’ But the Patriots did that and won six Super Bowls. The Celtics haven’t won a title in 13 years. The ‘we know better than all you other guys’ mentality needs to stop.”
Washburn certainly has a point.
If the Celtics want to dig themselves out of a hole, they must stop playing the self-righteous game. Mistakes happen. You get over them. Only the best teams do. Sometimes, it takes time. Patience, after all, is a virtue.
But does Boston’s front office have the capacity to do this? If not, Washburn’s suggestion is only the start of many changes the team needs to make if they actually want to claim that NBA title they covet.
Ultimately, the team has two choices: Own up to its mistakes or clean house. There’s simply no other option at this point.
