Joe Mazzulla’s supporting workers was already beefed up with expertise this summer time. Now the Celtics have one other seasoned thoughts to assist them.
Jeff Van Gundy – who has coached and labored within the NBA for greater than three a long time – has been employed by the Celtics as a senior guide. MassLive.com first reported the information on Saturday, which was revealed on the Celtics’ web site as he was added beneath the teaching workers part.
A staff official clarified that Van Gundy will work in an advisory function for your entire basketball operations division, not simply the teaching workers, and his tasks will embrace the G-League Maine Celtics. Mazzulla stated the veteran coach is not going to be on the bench throughout video games, however that he’ll be in each assembly and video games when he’s in Boston. He’s excited to have one other skilled particular person behind the scenes.
“Any time you can add high character, high level, professional people, I think it’s a no-brainer,” Mazzulla stated. “So, fortunate enough that he’s here, not just for the coaching staff, but for everybody and he’s been through every imaginable situation in the NBA, in coaching, FIBA, NBA and so we’re just lucky to have him. And he’s a great listener and a great worker. So he’s added a lot of value, even in the first couple of weeks.”
Van Gundy started teaching within the NBA in 1989 when he was named an assistant with the Knicks earlier than turning into a head coach for 11 seasons, seven with the Knicks after which 4 with the Rockets. After his firing in Houston in 2007, he pivoted to broadcasting and have become a coloration analyst for ESPN’s prime asserting staff by means of final season. He was laid off in June as a part of the community’s discount in power.
Van Gundy additionally has teaching expertise on the worldwide degree. He was the pinnacle coach of the senior United States staff and guided them to the gold medal on the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup.
The 61-year-old Van Gundy is the newest skilled thoughts the Celtics have added this offseason after they employed longtime assistants Charles Lee and Sam Cassell this summer time. Mazzulla has already picked Van Gundy’s mind on many issues.
“A lot. Try to run a lot of stuff by him,” Mazzulla stated. “It’s good to get a guy who hasn’t been here before that can kind of have an unbiased opinion as to where he thinks things are, and where they need to go. And so he’s kind of like a fresh set of eyes because he’s not around all the time. And he’s looking at it from an unbiased position, which kind of gives us an advantage because you kind of see it in a different perspective.”
Cassell making influence
The hiring of Van Gundy wasn’t the one no-brainer addition for Mazzulla’s workers this yr.
After Doc Rivers was fired by the 76ers following final season, Mazzulla chatted with Rivers about the potential of including Cassell – who was an assistant to Rivers in Philadelphia – to Boston’s workers.
“It was very simple,” Mazzulla stated. “It was like, ‘If you don’t hire him, someone else will.’ And so Doc spoke very highly of him and it was very like, it’s a no-brainer. So that was it.”
Cassell, a former level guard, has been working carefully with Jayson Tatum one-on-one and his worth has already been obvious past simply teaching up the Celtics celebrity.
“I think just Sam’s been through every situation in the game,” Mazzulla stated. “He’s labored with gamers on the court docket and off the court docket, proper? So as a lot as he’s working with Jayson, we want him to have one-on-one conversations with Jaylen (Brown), develop Jaylen. Like, Sam labored out with Dalano (Banton) yesterday. …
Sam’s simply been round a very long time and he’s been relied upon by actually good coaches to simply sort of navigate the roster due to all his expertise. And so like, sure, he’s working with Tatum, however we actually want him to navigate the roster, meet every particular person man the place he’s at after which assist them get to the place we want them to go.”
Queta incomes maintain
New Celtics large man Neemias Queta is simply on a two-way contract however has impressed in his two preseason video games with toughness and hustle performs and is constructing a case to probably earn some backup heart minutes. Queta has principally performed towards different backups however he may get an expanded function to additional show himself? Mazzulla stated he hasn’t thought forward however that they are going to proceed to maintain a detailed eye on Queta over the ultimate two preseason video games.
“He’s earned minutes, he’s earned opportunity,” Mazzulla stated. “He’s done everything we asked him to do. And he’s coming every day and has worked. I really liked how he’s gotten better and better each time he’s been on the floor. So we’re excited that we have an opportunity to develop him and, over these next two preseason games, it’s definitely a goal to see how he does. Can he continue to get better, can he continue to execute on both ends?” …
Sam Vincent, who was drafted by the Celtics in 1985 and was a member of the 1986 championship staff, was a particular visitor at follow on Saturday.
Source: www.bostonherald.com