Brad Stevens needs to make some changes in his approach

Stevens, who has already allowed players to control themselves, has arrived too late to solve the problem. Some players blamed him for joining Hayward in the starter squad without giving more consideration to the feelings of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. And a series of meetings reserved for players, even one before the fifth match, according to the source of the team, did not solve the problems on the field, which resulted in an embarrassing defeat of the Bucks (116-91 ).

One hour after the Celtics' defeat in Game 5, assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry announced that he was leaving the club for an assistant position with his alma mater, Purdue. So, there is a vacancy and Stevens must avoid recruiting someone from the Butler tree and bringing in a veteran NBA coach and a former player.

This coach must listen to the players who, in today's NBA, hold in high esteem coaches who have evolved in the league and who have lived what they have lived. The Celtics have lost a lot Walter McCarty decided to take the work of the University of Evansville after last season. He was a soothing influence and, believe it or not, the players recognized him not only for his 10-year career in the NBA, but also for his role in the movie "He Got Game".

Stevens has instructed his staff over the last few years of Butler's followers, young coaches experienced in analytics, but not necessarily how to handle NBA Millennium players. A former coach who could have helped the transition from Irving to Boston is the former assistant of the Cavaliers. Phil Handywho was close to Irving in Cleveland. He was hired before last season by Nick Nurse with raptors.

Another available coach is the former Celtic James Posey, who has won two NBA titles (with the Celtics and Heat) and another as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers. Posey, 42, is considered a friendly coach for the players but has a good style.

Related: The Celtics have alignment issues to deal with. Here is closer

Stevens needs to call for advice on the best coaches. He needs to compile a list of competent coaches who can add wisdom to the staff, tell stories and serve as a big brother figure to the players. There is a reason why veteran coaches fill their staff with other former NBA veteran coaches. These coaches can reach players, can detect problems, offer advice and be disciplined.

It is not entirely Stevens' fault that the team unit left in the south this season. He was generally successful with his non-intervention approach, but then he had McCarty as an intermediary. This year's staff consisted of good guys who worked hard, but sometimes that was not enough.

President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge should be held responsible too. He has surrounded himself with longtime friends and analytical people who know the game, but their strength is not necessarily that of people.

Stevens needs new faces among his staff and Ainge needs to add a recognizable face to the front desk staff. There are many interested parties who would like to work with the Celtics, former Boston players and others who admire Stevens' coaching acumen and would like to contribute.

Related: Three Celtics Leaders: Kyrie Irving, Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge

What happened this year was a disaster and it could have been avoided if it had been detected early enough. But no member of the coaching staff felt the power to actually deal with large-scale and high-profile players such as Irving, who respected the staff but would not listen to the advice of A third assistant on how to handle the NBA. .

Stevens and Ainge have the opportunity to address this problem and add groundbreaking coaches and leaders to an organization that needs a makeover. Players need someone they can talk to, talk to and hear war stories. Stevens has succeeded, for the most part, with his previous method, but it is time to change and this should be his No. 1 priority.

NO REGRETS

Johnson savor time with Bucks

All the times super Brands Johnson had his number 8 removed by the Bucks in March. His point of view on the honor, 35 years after Milwaukee traded it to the Clippers, was touching. Johnson has been a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame this year and is finally getting the respect that he has deserved for years.

"It's great and I'm very grateful to the Bucks," he said. "A lot of people are like, it took them enough time and they should have done it years ago. But I was never one to embrace the Milwaukee community when I was a player. I would do the first thing to smoke a day after the end of the season.

"I was jam-packed, ready to go back to Los Angeles to chase fame and fortune, Hollywood and everything in between. Sidney Moncrief and I was talking about that and he was talking about the fact that, when his number had retired, he had enjoyed it but would have probably enjoyed it more if more time had elapsed. "

The No. 4 Moncrief was retired by the Bucks the year after his retirement in 1988-1989, but he ended up signing with the Hawks a few months later and played a season in Atlanta before retiring .

"It's good because Milwaukee was very important to me in my formative years, as a 21-year-old from Los Angeles. I did not know at all [Milwaukee] was going to be on the point, "said Johnson. "I did not like that at first. But I really enjoyed the authenticity of the Midwesters and how they complain about the cold and the winter like they've never experienced before, but they're not going anywhere. That's what I really appreciated. When I returned to age 59 and had the opportunity to see things from a different angle, I enjoyed Milwaukee. People really counted for me. This was the culmination of all this.

Related: He watched Antetokounmpo and Middleton turn Bucks into a power

Johnson said that he was not one of those former players who bristled the NBA's new rules, such as the rallying stages or the players allowed to carry the ball or the lack of physical character. That's because he has a generation of kids playing basketball, such as Kris, 43, an integral part of the UCLA 1995 and 19-year-old national team Cyrus, who has just finished his freshman season at Sam Houston State.

"I have seen them working on different aspects of the game in terms of skill level, so I have to be aware of the latest news, you can get by," Johnson said. "And now, it's the round trip dribble. At the time, it was a postponement. You can not take the ball outside, take it and remove it. I showed my 9 year old daughter this move and she loved it.

"Because I had to stay awake [on the changes] As a broadcaster for Fox Sports for 20 years, he did some Pac-12 stuff and now makes the Bucks. It's not like I'm sitting there and the game has passed. I have to practice. I like going through skill development sessions. I was with Pete Newell in the movie "Blue Chips" when he was working Shaquille [[[[O & # 39; Neal]and every day on the set, he taught them a little hesitant dribbling where you had to actually kick the basketball a bit and do some illegal things in the day.

"I was like," Pete, it would have been thrilling in the day, "and it was like," Yeah, but they let guys get away with it like that now, so I have to teach bigger. "

Johnson remembers having played in Jesse Jackson Operation Push Charity Game in Memphis in 1982, when he saw Isiah Thomas was hesitantly dribbling that he said he had never seen it before.

"This is the first time I had the idea that the game was changing," said Johnson. "I do not dwell on" I could not do this or that at the time. I was at my daughter's match this weekend and one of her teammates took three steps forward. They called Travel and I told the referee "It's a rally!" And he looked at me and laughed. When I work with young people, I kiss it, that's what you have to do because it's the way the game is played, the game is constantly evolving, they said Dr. J[[[[Julius Erving]was traveling because he was dribbling, followed those two enormous steps and took off from the free throw line, but he was not traveling. "

ETC.

Middleton will have many contenders

Celtics fans have seen enough of Khris Middleton, who continued his mastery of the Boston defense in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference that has just ended and was one of the main reasons why the Bucks are the favorites to reach the finals of the NBA.

But who is this guy? Middleton's climb is one of the NBA's hinted stories, a second-round pick that has been a hit in an exchange against an old-round pick. Brandon Jennings. He has now become one of the best shooters in the league and is expected to retire from the last year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent.

With Malcolm Brogdon As a restricted free agent, the Bucks will have important decisions to make this summer. As much as George Hill dominated by the Celtics, he is paid generously for his services, earning $ 19 million in the last year of his contract next season. Eric Bledsoe has just signed an extension of $ 70 million over four years this season, while Tony Snell owes $ 23 million over the next two years.

The Bucks hold the rights of Middleton's Bird but will have to open the wallet to keep it in the long run. It's a long way from Fort Wayne in the G-League, where Middleton spent a good part of his rookie season with the Detroit Pistons affiliate before the exchange in July 2013.

"I would not say that I had a problem with me at the beginning of my childhood, but I found a way to improve, to be more consistent," he said. he declared. "It comes with the experience – what I'm using mainly now, it's the experience of the situation in which I find myself."

Middleton was an immediate starter once he joined the Bucks before the 2013-14 season. He has become one of the most consistent perimeter shooters in the league. Middleton is a 46.1% career shooter in 28 playoff games, including 61% in the Bucks' seven-game series with the Celtics last season.

The dominance of the Bucks on the Celtics shows that Middleton had difficulties in the last two games of the series: 9 for 34 players on the field and 4 for 16 players on the 3-point line. Still, Milwaukee still won both matches with ease.

But the Bucks will need Middleton at its best if they plan to win a league championship, which is a realistic goal given the ease with which they got rid of their two playoff opponents.

"That's what you're working for, so I guess you can say that's what you imagined in one way or another," Middleton said of his success. "It's where you work, to be a basketball player."

The Bucks lineup could be very different next season with Nikola Mirotic and Brook Lopez become free agents without restriction. Maybe the biggest deal on the list is from Arlington Pat Connaughton, which earns $ 1.64 million this season and $ 1.7 million next year under the two-year contract he signed in the offseason. Connaughton was one of the main players in the Bucks domination by the Celtics.

Brogdon, a former second – round pick who won the rookie of the year title two years ago, is expected to win a big raise thanks to the $ 1.5 million he 's made this season. The Bucks will have the right to match all the offers. It would be difficult to consider Milwaukee with Hill ($ 19 million), Bledsoe ($ 15.6 million) and Brogdon (perhaps $ 10 million), all on their list next season, in addition to the $ 25 million of dollars Giannis Antetokounmpo then wins a new contract for Middleton.

layups

For all those disappointed fans of the Celtics, the off season starts immediately with the draw on Tuesday. That night, the Celtics will see where they will write with the Sacramento pick and if they will own the Memphis Protected Picker (# 1 to # 8) or if that choice will go to draft 2020. Depending on the depth of the repechage , the Celtics could recruit a very talented player with the choice of Kings. They also own the 20th choice (Clippers) and their own choice at 22. If they wish, the Celtics could become much younger with their choice of draft or use them to exchange veterans. This is what happens when you make as many offers to acquire future candidates. Finally, the future comes. . . Another interesting development for the Celtics is the dialogue on the extension of the contract of Jaylen Brown, one of the few players in the NBA to have no agent. Brown had already hired consultants to help him solve the commercial problems of basketball, but he was not promising that he would hire an agent for the negotiations. He said that he would talk with the Celtics, maybe would swap his numbers, then determine if he would hire an agent. . . An interesting free agent on the market will be the old guard of the Celtics Rajon Rondo, who played well with the Lakers this season. He missed 36 games because of various injuries, but Rondo averaged 8 assists and shot 35.9% of the 3-point line, making him a real threat on his perimeter. Rondo might be perfect for a team looking for a substitute playmaker and it's unlikely the Lakers are looking at the chaos this season. . . The drama continues in Los Angeles as the Lakers have not managed to get along with the former Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue on an agreement after they offered a three-year contract rather than the usual five-year agreement. Celtics Coach Brad Stevens signed a six-year contract when he agreed to leave Butler in 2013. So, since Lue won an NBA title and reached two other finals, it's understandable that he's upset by a three year contract, all the more so that he is still paid by the Cavaliers. and would like an agreement to exceed this money.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the Lakers is that the former attackers Kurt Rambis, who turned around the NBA and had two unsuccessful coaching relays, became an influential figure in the search.

Rambis's wife is a close friend of the owner of the Lakers Jeannie Buss.