I Found This Wyc Grousbeck Interview Fascinating
So yesterday Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck sat down with Adam Himmelsbach from the Boston Globe to talk about everything going on with this team. It’s a fascinating read that I highly recommend every Celtics fan read, but I wanted to go through and pick out a couple questions and answers that I found pretty interesting and pretty telling. The one thing I’ve always liked about Wyc since he bought the team was he doesn’t bullshit you. He’s about as honest as you could want from an owner, he loves to talk about his 2008 title which always will make me smile, and I think this interview was another example of that. We’ve seen him be open and honest at times when he joins the TV broadcast, and I’ll always respect someone who keeps it real when he doesn’t exactly have to.
They talked about a lot of things, but these were the parts that really stood out to me
Q. Obviously, like you, fans had big expectations this year. What would be your message to the ones that are riding the ups and downs?
A. I’d like to say that I agree. It has been challenging. I wanted to be at the top of the conference, and we’re fifth, and I guess I’d just say we’re going to try hard to make this year still a special season. I still personally believe that there is upside this season with this group and I like us being stocked with a ton of guys who can play.
It probably makes it harder to coach, because everybody wants minutes, but I want to be stocked, because I’ve seen it happen where you get tired or injured and it’s April or May and you don’t have your full strength and you have to go home.
We’ve got a very well-stocked roster for this year, and then we’ll let next year and the year after take care of itself. But we’re still all-in on this year. I’m still very hopeful it’ll be a special year. We’ll see what happens.
We may as well start here. We all know it’s been an up and down year so far, and a couple things stood out to me here. I know Celts fans want Ainge to make moves and get rid of players on this team, but you heard Wyc, he wants to be stocked, likes the group he has at least for this year, and then after that who knows. I read this as, we are keeping everyone for this stretch, but then everyone is on the table once AD becomes available. So if you’re hoping Danny makes some sort of big time move in a few weeks at the deadline, the owner just told you that probably isn’t happening.
Q. You retired Paul Pierce’s number last year. Are there plans for another ceremony?
A. I don’t have anything to specifically announce. I know who you’re talking about. At the moment it hasn’t come up, but I’m confident there will be something to talk about.
KG? He’s talking about KG right? Maybe Ray Allen? I’m ready to rehash that debate as to who else should get their jersey in the rafters. Personally, I’d be fine if KG and Ray didn’t go up to the rafters, this team is running out of numbers and honestly they weren’t in Boston long enough for me. KG probably makes it up though.
Q. You’ve consistently said you’re prepared to pay the luxury tax moving forward. Is that just part of the process when you’re building a championship team?
A. We have a 16-year record of spending and putting the best possible team out on the court, and I’ll just leave it at that. Everybody can see what we’ve done, knows what we’ve done, and knows that we’ve put the Celtics first in every aspect.
THIS is what I cared about most from this entire interview. Why is this important? Well they are going to have expensive decisions to make on both Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris if they are still on the roster this summer. Of the two, obviously I’d be willing to spend more to keep Morris because he’s proved to be a legit weapon, and given some of the contracts on this team, ownership is going to have to pony up and be a luxury tax team. That gets expensive REAL quick, and that’s the one thing Wyc and his ownership group have always been consistent with. If they think they can win, they will spend. We saw it with the Smart deal, and hopefully we see it again this summer. Having an owner down to write those big ass checks is pretty important if you want to compete for a title. Few teams compete for titles while not being luxury tax teams.
Q. You mentioned spending the next month looking at possible moves. What is your role in that?
A. We’ll just leave that in the mystery category. But what happens with trades is that they’re proposed by the basketball side and I’m kept up to date all along as the phone calls develop and as we think about what assets we might include and what the team might look like after a trade. And so I approve them or disapprove them, or try to change them, and that’s gone on for 16 years.
My favorite part of Wyc is when he tells the story about how it was HIM who made Ainge go back and get more from BKN in that trade. He loves talking about that. The Celts haven’t lost too many trades during his tenure, and if he’s as involved as he says then that should give everyone confidence moving forward. This is not a panic owner that will make a trade just to make one.
Overall, it’s hard for me to spot the fluff bullshit you often get from owners. He’s right it hasn’t been a special season yet, he’s right to be disappointed with how they’e performed, to a degree we all are. But we know that Wyc is not afraid to make a big nuts trade, is not afraid to write a big ass check, and honestly that’s all I want from my owner. Do whatever it takes to put a winner on the floor while not overreacting to what the internet says. Successful teams start with good ownership, and I look forward to seeing Wyc following through with what he’s telling us. He wants to win, however the hell that’s possible.