Chowder and Champions
Fansided

The Boston Celtics are running out of time to figure things out

By Owen Crisafulli

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 27: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts after being fouled by Nathan Knight of the Minnesota Timberwolves (not pictured) in the third quarter at Target Center on December 27, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Celtics 108-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 27: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts after being fouled by Nathan Knight of the Minnesota Timberwolves (not pictured) in the third quarter at Target Center on December 27, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Celtics 108-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Just when you think things can’t get any worse for the Boston Celtics, they somehow find a way to reach new lows. After blowing a 13 point lead with just five minutes left against the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas, Boston followed things up with an embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who just so happened to be playing without their top three players. With these two losses, the C’s find themselves two games below .500 with a 16-18 record.

To be blunt, that simply isn’t good enough. Considering Boston is led by two young stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, this team should be contending for one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference. And while both players have missed some time this season, they should be able to get enough production from their roster to pull out a game over the Timberwolves.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that something needs to be done to fix this team, and the pressure is mounting of the front office, led by President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, to make a big splash to renew this team’s title aspirations. What that may mean is anyone’s guess.

Tatum and Brown are obviously a very enticing duo on paper, but the results have not shown up on the court yet. Could the pair get split up? Or maybe they don’t have enough help, and the team should throw everything it has at a team in an effort to land another star player to team up with these two. Whatever the solution may be, it’s clear time is running out for the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Celtics need to figure out what’s wrong, and soon

Things were supposed to be different coming into the 2021-22 season, but so far, this season has basically been a carbon copy of last season. A lack of help for Tatum and Brown? Check. New issues popping up on a nightly basis? Check. Even a teamwide COVID outbreak has plagued this squad for the second straight season. Stevens and the front office promised change after the struggles this team endured last season, but so far everything has been the same.

With the results staying staggeringly similar so far, it’s becoming increasingly likely a big move will be made to try to create some sort of change in this organization. Maybe it’s breaking up Tatum and Brown, but it still feels way too early to do something that drastic. Adding another star player sounds good, but it’s a lot easier said than done.

The front office is up against the wall when it comes to salary cap constraints, as they are still trying to recover from the financial burden of deals for guys like Kemba Walker and Gordon Hayward. They clearly haven’t learned anything from those missteps, and continue to hand out contracts to guys like Marcus Smart for no reason. Smart was one of Boston’s best trade assets over the offseason. Based on how he’s played this season, he’s virtually worthless.

The front office has dug themselves into this mess, and they are going to have to get creative in finding a way to dig themselves out of it. Up to this point, they have squandered an abundance of draft picks, cap space, and the initial parts of Tatum and Brown’s careers in Boston. Some Eastern Conference Championship appearences are nice and all, but those don’t count for much around here.

And with each passing loss or poor showing, the front office inches closer and closer to throwing away everything they once had. Tatum and Brown are locked up for now, but there’s no guarantee they are going to want to stick around if this team continues losing.

And up to this point, nobody has shown any sort of urgency to change the status quo surrounding this team. The players often appear unengaged, and don’t seem to care when they lose. The coaching staff genuinely appears to have no clue what they are doing for the most part. And the front office appears to be OK to just let this roster play itself into the ground, despite it’s numerous deficiencies.

Is Tatum the superstar Boston thinks he is?. dark. Next

The Celtics future once appeared to be directly headed for Banner #18, but now it looks like a radical change is going to have to happen for that to even be a remote possibility. This team as currently constructed isn’t good enough to win any sort of playoff series, that is if they even make the playoffs. Heck, they just lost to a Minnesota team that was running it’s offense through Greg Monroe in the 4th quarter. Monroe met his teammates and coaches two hours before the game.

This was supposed to be the season where Boston handed the reigns over to Tatum and Brown, and they led the team back to the top of the Eastern Conference. Instead, things have been almost identical to last season. Time is running out for the Boston Celtics, and if something doesn’t change soon, they will be left picking up the pieces wondering where they went wrong.

Home/Boston Celtics