Avery Bradley "Diary" shows what a good person and Celtic he is
Avery Bradley is keeping a diary for ESPNBoston.com this season showing fans a personal side they don't often get to see from the players. Interestingly, he had quite the tumultuous off-season having lost his mother, then, shortly thereafter, having his first child:
Well, before we get to what's happening on the court, I thought I'd share that before the season started I became a father when my son was born. Being a dad is an amazing feeling. I can't ask for anything better than having a son. The hardest part of taking care of a newborn is sometimes I don't know what he wants. Sometimes I can't tell what he wants and then I feel badly. I am on diaper duty and change them all the time.
Right before he was born I lost my mom. It was a very tough time in my life. I went from a very low moment to a very high moment. It's just how life is and all you can do is pray. I've asked God for guidance. Now I'm doing just fine.
Basketball wise Avery considers himself a combo guard but feels much more comfortable at the two position which has been reflected in his game recently. Other, than Brandon Bass, who had a solid game as well (15 and 7), Bradley was the lone highlight in the Celtics loss to the Timberwolves on Saturday finishing with 27 points on 12 - 23 shooting.
He also had 24 last week and shot the ball incredibly well in what was the Celtic's last victory. A win over Orlando at home.
I was always a fan of his playing the point and would like to think that has helped in his offensive development but who knows whether or not his time there truly contributed to these performances. We'll see how the rest of the season goes.
He goes on to talk about how much he likes the guys on this team although he really misses KG and Pierce because they were like big brothers to him.
With the absence of those two stars he considers this team to be a "grind team" which is somewhat telling in that he doesn't ever mention Jeff Green as having superstar potential.
One thing I was really happy to read is that Brad Stevens wants to have an uptempo style.
I am a fan of old school nineties hard nosed Eastern Conference defensive basketball and that was what I consider the Celts to have played under Doc.
However, if Jeff Green doesn't emerge as a star the Celtics are going to have to attract some marquee free agents in order to become elite again. Players love to run, because, for one, it's just a fun way to play.
Running also increases player's stats which helps them monetarily for whenever their contract expires (see the "Run and Fun Suns" and the ridiculous contracts Steve Nash helped a ton of guys from those teams get).
Hopefully, the promise of playing with an elite point guard and for a very smart coach who likes to push the ball will be enough to bring in some guys in the prime of their career willing to sign for a little less. The rationale being, for now, they can make a playoff run with the most storied franchise in basketball with the potential for long term financial returns.
Avery ends the blog with a personal anecdote that I can relate to in my own life. He mentions his favorite movie is "All about the Benjamins" partially because he's seen it so many times. This is reminiscent of my days substitute teaching.
The difference being when I would have to watch the same movie over and over, say, Lilo and Stitch, in English with Spanish subtitles, I would be literally insane by the end of the day.
Bradley's attitude and patience about his situation involving repeated viewings of the same film demonstrates that he will in all likelihood be a good father.
Not to mention, his also being able to mentally withstand what will probably be a couple of lean seasons for the C's:
I started this diary with an off-the-court story and so I'll end with one, too. I'll give a recommendation and this time it will be for a DVD. I know everyone has a favorite movie: Mine is "All About the Benjamins." The reason is one summer I was in Mississippi with my family for the entire summer. My grandmother didn't have cable; all she had was that movie to watch. So I watched "All About the Benjamins" every single night. You can quiz me on it. I know that movie word-for-word. Check it out if you haven't seen it already.
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