LAS VEGAS — Sam Cassell stood alongside the baseline all smiles ready for Victor Wembanyama to debut together with an enviornment stuffed with NBA followers, gamers, media and personnel. He laughed when requested if his return to the Celtics means extra appearances by Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett — his former Boston teammates. For positive, he stated.
Certain sufficient, when the Celtics arrived on the enviornment to face the Wizards on Sunday, Pierce strolled to his seat alongside the sideline for a July recreation that includes gamers who’ll seemingly reside in Maine this season.
“That’s the one aim,” Cassell stated. “It ain’t about making convention finals as a member of the Celtics, the teaching workers and the gamers. It’s all about profitable the championship. That’s the custom in Boston — win the championship. Taking part in for guys who received beforehand for us, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Russell, Cousy, Maxwell, the historical past goes on. It’s about them. That’s the factor that our guys have to know. It’s a pleasure factor.”
Cassell, like different members of the 2008 crew, can’t cease speaking about it. It made him a Celtic for all times, and he remembers it because the spotlight of his profession. They turned a household, pushed one another and demanded one another’s greatest. Then, the banner made their legacies untouchable. Now, he’ll attempt to describe that feeling to the younger Celts.
Charles Lee, Phil Pressey, Amile Jefferson and Cassell did the identical, attending Summer time League as they started assembly Joe Mazzulla and Boston’s gamers. Boston employed Cassell away from the 76ers after Philadelphia fired Doc Rivers, who Cassell coached alongside over the past 9 seasons. He appeared ahead to the brand new alternative as he continues to strive climbing the NBA teaching ladder to go coach after quite a few interviews in recent times.
“Proper after the playoffs was over, (Mazzulla and I) obtained collectively, had a few telephone conversations and he requested me, to begin with, if was I desirous about coming, becoming a member of the workers. I simply informed him it could be an honor, , I even heard from anyone else. It was a possibility that I used to be trying ahead to and I believe Joe is an incredible coach. I’m right here to only assist them simply, , to take pleasure in that. We’ve a terrific crew and I received’t change his mentality, that’s who he’s, however I’m gonna assist him take pleasure in it a bit extra. That’s all.”
Cassell emphasised his three a long time of steady expertise within the league offering him information of almost each scenario and position. His veteran position on the 2008 Celtics championship crew ought to serve him greatest main this group, arguably essentially the most proficient within the league and on the verge of a championship.
That’ll require connecting and involving gamers throughout the roster, although Cassell clearly arrived to mentor Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and the crew’s different headline expertise attempting to interrupt by as champions. They turned fairly good gamers throughout their first six seasons collectively, Cassell thought, however that doesn’t suffice to win on the highest degree. Cassell will stress each continued progress on their half and — as a former level guard — passing
“It’s going to be enjoyable,” Cassell informed CLNS Media/CelticsBlog. “It’s going to be difficult, however being an expert coach on this recreation is difficult, so I’m trying ahead to it. It’s gonna be enjoyable. We obtained a terrific group of men and we’ve got a mission to perform. As a participant, my final 12 months enjoying basketball, I used to be a member of the Celtics … I do know what it takes to win a championship. The entire make-up of it.”
“This can be a golden alternative for us,” he continued. “It ain’t straightforward. I do know what it feels prefer to win a championship in Boston … it’s life-changing. I’ve been retired from the sport of basketball for 15-16 years, and it’s nonetheless life-changing … understanding what profitable a championship in Boston is about. That’s our motivation to go far, however it’s not simply gonna be (Brown and Tatum). This can be a crew recreation. This can be a crew sport. Even from the highest guys right down to the fifteenth man on the crew, we’ve all gotta be collectively collectively. That’s the place I do know I’m nice at, ‘keep within the second,’ … which implies in the event you’re enjoying 5 minutes, play the most effective 5 minutes you’ve performed in your life.”
Cassell additionally turned Mazzulla’s first rent after Will Hardy, Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan and a number of other growth coaches left the group alongside Ime Udoka. Mazzulla wanted to formulate his system, philosophy and ideas in a matter of days and within the months after watched it waver in ways in which turned troublesome to regulate.
Mazzulla relied on Stoudamire as a former participant in the same position earlier than Georgia State employed him in April, one other gap on the workers the Celtics tried and failed to interchange earlier than a playoff letdown. Sullivan and others in Boston acknowledged how troublesome the 12 months turned.
That clears up after a full summer season the place Mazzulla can tweak the system, Cassell and Lee can settle into their roles and meet the gamers, whereas those that needed to go away the group might. Celtics Summer time League coach and long-time assistant Tony Dobbins in contrast the modifications alongside the sideline to roster churn, which Boston additionally skilled this summer season.
“Figuring out (Cassell) from afar and competing towards him, it’s totally different clearly,” Dobbins stated. “I’m trying ahead to having the ability to work carefully with him, however simply expertise. A ton of expertise that (Lee and Cassell) deliver to the desk. They’ve seen plenty of conditions, so trying ahead to them. For me personally, to be taught from them. These are guys who’re extra skilled and have extra years of service than I do, so I’m trying ahead to choosing their brains and in the end, the aim is to assist Joe as a lot as attainable. Make Joe’s job simpler. That’s what the entire workers will attempt to do.”
Cassell hopes to heart the crew’s concentrate on profitable a championship no matter outdoors distractions, commitments and ventures on the roster. You may’t maintain your self accountable for altering the world, he stated. Profitable is all that issues to him upon arrival, and he’ll make sure that it’s the one factor that issues to the gamers.
In any other case, he desires to supply the calming presence they undoubtedly wanted throughout among the current disaster moments within the playoffs. He desires the gamers to embrace expectations. Some struggled to handle the criticism and a spotlight concerned with enjoying because the crew in Boston and the NBA with the biggest championship expectations. That’s a problem and a blessing, one which he noticed deliver the most effective out of different gamers and will do the identical for this crew.
“Gosh, , to win large on this league, there’s stress,” Cassell stated. “However typically you possibly can have enjoyable with stress as nicely. Stress bursts pipes, however it will possibly additionally make diamonds.”
