Wyc Grousbeck's Interview From Yesterday Is A Must Listen

Given the time of year, we’re seeing more and more people associated with the Celts go on Boston radio and talk about the upcoming season. While I’ve enjoyed the radio spots of Marcus, Kyrie, and Brad, none of them compare to my interest in hearing from Wyc. The one thing we know throughout years of watching terrible ownership in this league is that if you want to be good, and ultimately become a destination for the best players in the world, it starts at the top. You don’t think James Dolan is hurting the Knicks chances of bringing in a FA? Or Donald Sterling back in the day? Now there are many reasons to be a fan of Wyc, for me part of it is he’s also Worcester born (shouts  508), but since he bought the team in 2002 I’d say he’s been one of the better owners in the entire league.

Here’s why. The first thing that matters to me, is for the most part Wyc stays out of the basketball decisions. He may have final say, but he gives Trader Danny all the power in the world to build the best basketball team possible. This isn’t to say his approach is the only one that works, for example I’d say Mark Cuban has been pretty successful and he’s very much involved in the basketball side of the Mavs. But from Day 1 Wyc has made it clear he was committed to bringing more banners to Boston, and his track record backs up that claim. What I mean by that is this guy is not afraid to open up his checkbook and pay the price it takes to content. He did it in 2008 with the Big 3, and he’s going to do it again with this era of Celtics talent. Having an owner that knows not to step over his boundaries while also being willing to write a big time tax bill check is exactly what I want from my owner.

Now in terms of this interview, here’s what stood out to me

– He considers this Celtics team a contender. You may say to yourself no shit, but remember he was singing a very different tune last year. My guess is he had the same feelings as he does now, but wanted to temper expectations. Why is this important? Because Wyc has been on record numerous times that if he feels this team is a legit contender, he’ll pay whatever. Seeing as how the Celts are going to have big financial decisions in their future, this is important.

– Like myself, he is still sick over Game 7. This was refreshing to hear. He could have said “well, we went further than we thought given the injuries” but he didn’t. He talked about how pissed he was that they didn’t go further and he thought when Tatum dunked on LeBron that was it. Me too Wyc, me too.

– He knows the truth about Kyrie and his intentions. Now he wouldn’t talk about it publicly, but he also didn’t sound worried which gives me confidence and that whatever Kyrie told him is exactly what Celtics fans are hoping for.

– When asked about how this team is going to share the ball/minutes, I really liked his perspective. He didn’t want to step on Brad’s toes, but also let it be known that he expects everyone to figure it out.

– Wyc wanted Boogie. He didn’t say it, but he totally said it.

So yeah, I’m pretty jazzed right now after re-listening to that interview. Maybe that makes me weird because it’s just the owner so who cares, but I’m a firm believer in it all starts with Wyc. He sets the tone for the entire franchise, and everything we heard in that quick radio spot is exactly what I was hoping for. Perhaps that was on purpose because at the end of the day it’s on him to get people into the building and drum up interest, but this was a great combination of perspective and honesty.

Between Kyrie talking about how he wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, and Wyc being open about writing whatever checks he has to, there is a lot to be excited about right now.

Please let it just be Friday already.