Humorous quotes from Brad Stevens and Evan Turner suggest they're taking the roster overhaul in stride
The NBA can be a funny place, especially when your team is changing on a day to day basis.
The revolving door that is Celtics' General Manager Danny Ainge's rebuilding plan is in full effect. It is known that Ainge is openly shopping veterans Brandon Bass and Marcus Thornton for pennies on the dollar.
Well let's face it, nobody is safe on this roster. If Ainge could trade some assistant coaches, or some of the beer vendors to save a buck, he would. The strategy is clear, create cap space by cutting money and collect assets whether it is in the form of draft picks or trade exceptions.
Time will tell if the process will work. Ainge has had some excellent drafts, like in 2004, when he hit on Al Jefferson, Tony Allen and Delonte West.
He has also had some big-time clunkers, like when he mistook Fab Melo for an actual basketball player, or the failed projects of an ultra-slim JaJuan Johnson and Kedrick Brown's long lost brother Bill Walker.
Asked Wednesday about all the movement on the C's roster, Brad Stevens and Evan Turner couldn't help but crack a few jokes about the whole situation:
Brad Stevens keeps it light when asked about all the roster changes: "I ask them to email me a roster every morning."
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) January 14, 2015#Celtics Evan Turner: We pretty much did a roll call thing this morning. We went around the roster and did: ‘Evan?’ ‘Here.’ ‘Jared?’ ‘Here.’
— Scott Souza (@scott_souza) January 15, 2015After the recent difficult stretch, where the Celts only have 2 wins in their last 13 games, it's good to see a little sense of humor and calmness coming out of the locker room. But things could drastically change in the next few weeks, as the team embarks on their toughest stretch of the schedule.
The C's host the Chicago Bulls (26-14) on Friday at the TD Garden, then they take their first trip out west with stops in Los Angeles to play Doc Rivers' Clippers (26-13).
After the Clips it doesn't get any easier with games against two of the best squads in the league, when the C's travel to Portland (30-9), and then make their way back down the west coast as they visit the Conference leading Golden State Warriors (31-5).
Throw in a tough road game in the mile high air of Denver (18-20), where Boston hasn't won since February of 2009. They then travel to Utah (13-26) which, no matter what the Jazz's record is always a tough place to play, and you begin to question when the green will get their next win.
But for now coach Stevens and his group will try to continue to play every game, every quarter, every possession with a sense of urgency, and with close to perfect perfection, no matter who is on their roster.
A positive attitude along the way can only help.
Photo credit: Matthew Lee/Boston Globe
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