Jones: Brad Stevens Needs To Settle On Rotation For Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) - "I've got to figure out how to coach this team better. I'm not doing a very good job. We're not playing well, and we're playing almost — it's not good basketball. We've got to do a better job playing good basketball. I'll figure out the rotations later, once we start playing good basketball and once we all are very focused on playing good basketball. And that's on me. I've got to do a better job."
- Celtics head coach Brad Stevens after a 104-95 loss to Charlotte Monday night
On the surface, the comments don't sound like that big of a deal -- mere "coach speak."
But Adam Jones and Rich Keefe found Brad Stevens' postgame comments interesting, and they explained why following the game on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
"I don't know. You usually hear [Stevens] pretty upbeat after losses, pretty positive," said Jones. "Not that he's okay losing or anything like that, but you certainly don't hear him all that dejected..."
"This is the worst he's sounded after a loss," Rich Keefe interrupted. "For sure."
"What was that from Brad Stevens?" Jones asked.
"He's upset with himself, but you can tell he's also upset with the team. Now, he's not going to throw any individual player under the bus, but he is not thrilled with how they're playing."
With the loss to Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets Monday night, the C's fell to 10 games under-.500 at 11-21, and it was also the team's seventh loss in eight games.
Last night's loss was particularly frustrating because Charlotte was without their two best players in Al Jefferson and Lance Stephenson, and seeing how the game was at TD Garden you expected to see a better effort from the young Celtics.
That was not the case.
"You come out [with no effort] like that? James Young tried to get them back in it, but for the most part that was not good. That first half was brutal," Keefe said of the loss.
Furthermore, Adam Jones also touched on a disturbing trend he wishes Brad Stevens would buck. That is, this lack of a set rotation or starting lineup.
Stevens said last night he'll figure out the rotations after we start playing better basketball, but Jones disagrees with that notion wholeheartedly.
"You know what's a little frustrating with Brad Stevens right now? He can't settle on a rotation. You have to figure out your rotations so you can play better basketball," said an irritated Adam Jones.
"Why is James Young not playing? We've been saying this all year, by the way. James Young should be here, especially after the Rondo trade. Get him here and have him playing. Once Rondo was gone, he should not be sitting behind the likes of Jameer Nelson, Marcus Thornton and guys like that."
James Young, drafted in the first round (17th overall) by the Celtics in the 2014 draft, contributed 13 points off the bench (including three triples), and he also drew his first charge. Before Monday night, Young only appeared in five games for the Celtics, versus eight games for the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League.
Listen below for the full discussion:
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