Listening To Stephen A Smith And Max Kellerman Debate Who Ruined Last Year's Celtics Makes Me Want To Put My Head In An Oven

Now that the Celtics rule and all of the pundits have egg on their faces for how they predicted this Celtics team would look, the next cool thing is arguing who was to blame for last year's disaster. We all know it was a year from hell that was one of the most infuriating seasons in recent memory. All the talent in the world didn't mean dick because everyone hated each other and they couldn't stop being inconsistent. Personally I don't know why we are even talking about this but since it's a topic we may as well discuss this while also using something called: the truth. 

Here's the thing, when you want to assign blame, it's not easy. You can't say "well look Kyrie is gone and they are flourishing, he was clearly the problem" even if we all are enjoying the Kemba Era. It's easy to go there, I get it, and when you factor in what the Nets are currently going through I can understand why you may think that. But the truth is, both of these blowhards are sort of right. For Stephen A to simply dismiss Kyrie's impact on what happened and the fact that him not being around may be beneficial is flat out wrong and sounds like a guy who is just trying to protect a buddy. It's clear that his leadership style, his play style, and the whole choking in the playoffs thing was a huge reason why there were issues. That's part of the puzzle no matter how much Stephen A wants to deny it.

But so was Gordon Hayward. I truly believe a huge part of their slow start was due to the fact that Brad gave Gordon too much too early, just like we all did. He wasn't ready no matter how much we wanted him to be, yet was getting the minutes and the shots that were being taken from two young wings that had just carried the team to the ECF. They resented it and their play/effort suffered, thus causing the team to suffer. That version of Gordon Hayward was a problem, there's no two ways about it so Stephen A is right in that aspect in my opinion.

You also have to factor in guys like Terry/Mook are gone though, two guys that were on short term deals trying to earn their next paycheck. Did either of those guys seem all that thrilled with their roles? Them finding new homes and shown to be additional bu subtraction because while they've been replaced with guys who may not be as talented, they know and accept their roles and its made a huge difference. Then there was Brad Steven's role in the whole thing. Last year was one of the worst of his career, his rotations were all fucked up, he didn't know you could call timeouts, and he's one of the most important pieces to this whole thing. Then there's Ainge for not moving Terry at the deadline, the list goes on and on. 

Fast forward to this season where the Celts look incredible. Part of that is what Kemba is bringing them both on and off the floor, he's giving you Kyrie production with absolutely none of the drama. Part of it are the leaps from both Tatum and Jaylen who have been given bigger roles. I think Jaylen's extension had a huge impact on why he's having this start because there's no need to worry about his pending contract, something that I bet impacted his play last year. Most importantly, the team has the version of Gordon Hayward that we all expected when he first signed. Now guys don't resent Brad giving him those minutes or those shots because he's actually coming through. 

So no, it isn't as clear cut as these two want to make it seem. It's not as simple as replacing Kyrie Irving or having a healthy Gordon Hayward. We still don't know what this team will look like when they hit their first skid, even if the early returns look great. All I ask if that we stop talking about 2018-19. That shit sucked and segments like this only make me angry because it forces my brain to remember that dogshit team.