In today’s episode of “Say What You Really Feel,” Joe Mazzulla has entered the chat, and he did not come to play nice.
The Boston Celtics coach looked at the whole “Coach of the Year” thing and said it’s stupid. Not misunderstood, not taken out of context. Just straight-up called it a stupid award.
Now, in a league where most coaches speak like they’re reading from a corporate handbook, this was refreshing. Usually, you get the classic: “It’s an honor, but it’s really about the team.” Blah blah blah. Everyone smiles, everyone claps and nobody says anything real. Not Mazzulla.
“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla said. “I think it’s a stupid award. They shouldn’t have it. And it’s more about the players. It’s more about the work that the staff puts in. It’s just that simple. I really don’t ever want to be asked or talk about it again. It’s just that dumb. So, the players play. It’s about them. Staff works their ass off. I’m grateful to have them.”
“I’ll say it again,” Snyder said. “Anytime your roster changes, when you lose a player of Jayson Tatum’s caliber, you adjust. I think that’s in this league, as coaches, that’s a big part of the job. Not just that, but trying to find efficiencies and what they’ve done as far as the way they play. They’ve got a real purpose with what they do on both ends of the floor. They do a great job of protecting the paint and (are) just really aggressive with their help situations. And then, the offensive stuff is really the part that people look at the most.
“And it’s a credit to (Payton) Pritchard, (Jaylen) Brown, a lot of guys that have (been) involved even more so as players (while) getting more usage and opportunities. What Joe’s done is figure out a way to play that maximizes the personality that they have. And I think ultimately that’s fundamentally, when I look at them and watch them play, why I would say that he’s done such a terrific job.”
Of course, don’t expect the league to cancel the award anytime soon. The NBA loves its trophies. They’re not about to toss one in the trash because Mazzulla rolled his eyes at it.
But still, you have to appreciate the energy, because in a world full of safe answers, Joe Mazzulla chose chaos.
