When it comes to building a successful organization, it all starts at the top with ownership. If ownership doesn’t invest in the team and the product, the team will not find success.
Wyc Grousbeck has had a lot of success since purchasing the Boston Celtics in 2002. The team has posted a 958-727 with 18 playoff appearances and a championship in 2008.
Since winning their last championship in 2008, the Celtics have been knocking on the door frequently, appearing in the Eastern Conference Finals seven times, with two trips to the NBA Finals.
Most owners in sports would be content with the constant sellouts and sustained success. However, Grousbeck views things differently, having his eyes on championships, and after coming up short of the ultimate goal again a season ago, Grousbeck knew it was time to make drastic changes.
"I sat there probably the whole second half of [Game 7], starting to think about [making changes],” Grousbeck told The Greg Hill Show. “Then I took two days to let everything settle down and then went and met with Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla, and I just said we are not bringing back the same team. It's been two seasons in a row of really good play but inconsistencies they showed in the Finals two years ago and then the Conference Finals last year. It just felt inconsistent, and I said I just want to change the mix."
Grousbeck has given Brad Stevens and the front office the green light to spend and make any move necessary to raise Banner 18 from the roster to the coaching staff. With Stevens at the helm and Grousbeck giving him free rein, it made for a perfect offseason for the Celtics.
Grosubeck revealed just how easygoing he is when it comes to doing what’s best for the team when discussing the recent hire of Jeff Van Gundy with The Greg Hill Show.
"Brad [Stevens] and Joe [Mazzulla] said that they wanted to bring in Jeff [Van Gundy] as a consultant and [asked] what I thought of it,” Grousbeck said. “That's their decision. That’s not my decision. If those two coaches, Brad as a former coach and Joe as a current coach, want to bring in Jeff Van Gundy, it's fine by me, and he’s added a lot from what I’ve been told already.”
Grousbeck has put his money where his mouth is, literally, bringing in Kristaps Porzinigs and Jrue Holiday and signing Jaylen Brown to a supermax extension.
The way Grousbeck sees it, the Celtics have a chance to do something special not only this year but the next half a decade.
“I don’t think this is a one-and-done, now or never,” Grousbeck said when discussing the championship-or-bust expectations surrounding his team this season. “I think we may have like a six-year run here… Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown) are in their mid-20s. Jaylen just re-upped for a long contract, and we have the opportunity to talk to Jayson next summer and hopefully extend him. Having them in their mid-20s means I’m looking at this as a period we can be good every single year.”
The roster overhaul from top to bottom the Celtics made this season has put them in a position to have sustained success, much to the credit of the owner.
"I know this is a lot of happy talk this morning, but it’s authentic,” Grousbeck said. “This is how I really feel. This isn't a commercial, this is what's really happening in my mind and what I see."
Grousbeck has every reason to be excited about his team. He and Stevens have done everything they can to put this team in a position to raise Banner 18.
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