Kristaps Porzingis has solely been a member of the Celtics since June, and he’s had little time to get to know his new teammates. But even he might acknowledge how adored Robert Williams was in Boston.
“I’ve been here for two weeks and I already could see how Rob is that charismatic guy for this group,” Porzingis stated. “So it’s definitely, you know, hurts for this organization that he’s not here anymore.”
Williams, after all, was all of a sudden traded on Sunday alongside Malcolm Brogdon within the blockbuster commerce that introduced Jrue Holiday to the Celtics. As Brad Stevens famous Monday, it takes good gamers to amass different good gamers, and this case was no exception. But just like the Marcus Smart commerce earlier this summer season, it didn’t make dropping Williams – actually beloved within the Celtics locker room, and a participant who was key in serving to them make the NBA Finals two years in the past – any simpler.
Yet once more, Stevens needed to make one other tough telephone name on Sunday.
“Really hard,” he stated. “I said this to our staff today, those phone calls are … I’ll probably be like somewhere else in 10 years hiding. Those are like the hardest phone calls. Rob, it was such a pleasure to watch Rob grow. When he first got here, he had a long way to go, but he had a great attitude, he was a great teammate and got a lot better over time. I know Portland’s super excited to get him and that was hard, it was really hard. Guys like Jrue Holiday are the only reason you ever entertain moving on from a guy like Rob. That’s really tough.”
Al Horford has watched Williams evolve since he entered the league, and performed alongside him for a number of years in Boston. It was powerful for the veteran to see him go, too.
“Since his rookie year I’ve seen him grow,” Horford stated. “So grateful to have been able to play with him. He’s such a great teammate, about the right things, trying to play the right way, super unselfish and he’s somebody that I just really enjoy playing with. It was a lot of fun and he’s a great guy. I just obviously wish him nothing but the best moving forward. He is professional. I know it’s hard for him but I know that he’ll be fine.”
Stevens acknowledged that whereas Brogdon’s inclusion within the commerce was to make the cash work, the guard wasn’t proud of the group. He didn’t get into specifics, however Brogdon was reportedly upset after being concerned within the preliminary framework of the Porzingis commerce – the deal was agreed to earlier than considerations over Brogdon’s medicals – and it was additionally urged that he was annoyed with the Celtics’ dealing with of his harm, {a partially} torn tendon in his elbow he suffered within the playoffs.
“Malcolm had every right to be frustrated with us in the middle of the summer,” Stevens stated. “That said, I was not concerned with regard to if Media Day started today and Jrue Holiday didn’t become available, that he was going to be a professional, because that’s what he is. He’s a good guy, he’s a good teammate. He understands the business aspect of this. And so I think he’ll do really well as well. He feels good, he’s ready to roll and we’re thankful for the year he had with us.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com