Category: Audio/Video

Celtics’ Grant Williams on the importance of … naps?

Getting enough sleep living the NBA lifestyle has always been a challenge.

Getting enough sleep while living the NBA lifestyle has always been a challenge, but it provides enough real benefits to athletes trying to perform at their very best that many players in the league treat naps almost religiously. Among them is Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams, who opened up to GQ’s Howard Beck. For the former Tennessee player, the magic length for naps is exactly 20 minutes.

“Twenty minutes, you fall into a slumber, you get one cycle,” explained Williams. “But if you do anything after 20 minutes, like 35-45, you wake up in the middle of (a cycle) and you’ll wake up irritable. Twenty-minute naps, you wake up pretty much energized and ready to go.”

Sometimes, however, interruptions to one’s routines can break up such intentional cycles.

“You figure out how to sleep through it eventually,” explained the Charlotte native.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Where is Jaylen Brown in the future of the Boston Celtics?

The Boston Celtics face a crucial decision regarding star forward Jaylen Brown’s future with the team.

The Boston Celtics face a crucial decision regarding star forward Jaylen Brown‘s future with the team. He is eligible for a contract extension worth up to a maximum of $295 million over the course of five seasons.

Brown’s noncommittal responses about his future in Boston have raised questions about his commitment to the team beyond the end of his current deal. The Celtics must evaluate if they can build a championship team around Brown and Tatum, and if the Georgia native is fully invested in the team’s future success.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” podcast recently convened to talk about how Brown fits into the future of this club.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear how they believe the Cal alum will be a part (or not) of this team in the future.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Was the Malcolm Brogdon trade a failure for the Boston Celtics?

There are some who are wondering whether the trade for Malcolm Brogdon was a failure for Boston.

While it might seem a bit of an absurd thing to ask given the onetime Virginia standout won his first Sixth Man of the Year award on his way to helping Boston Celtics win 57 games in the 2022-23 regular season. However, after the team fell a win short of a return to the NBA Finals, some are wondering whether the trade for Malcolm Brogdon was a failure for Boston.

With the club falling short of its goal of hanging the elusive Banner 18, there is a case to be made that the cost of the deal contrasted to the challenges having his deal on the books could create for Boston under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, there is some logic to this point of view.

To hear it fleshed out in full by one such analyst, check out the clip embedded below in which the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Beat” podcast to hear why maybe such a helpful, capable player was also something of a letdown.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Cedric Maxwell on whether Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla is the right man for the job

Can the right supporting cast make sticking with Mazzulla the best move?

The Boston Celtics’ subpar performance in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat and the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement are both entangled in the franchise’s future. The Celtics are looking at quite a narrow window to earn a banner in their 2023-24 campaign.

The team’s shortcomings, including injuries at the worst possible moments and an overall lack of consistency in critical moments have convinced some that drastic changes are needed. Others believe the current core should be maintained given Boston was a solid scoring run away from a return to the NBA Finals.

The importance of closing out games and the pressure on the Celtics to win another championship can’t be overemphasized. The importance of a contract extension for Jaylen Brown can’t be either.

Key among all of this, however, is whether head coach Joe Mazzulla is the right man for the job.

On a recent episode of the CLNS Media “Cedric Maxwell” podcast, the eponymous host and cohost Josue Pavon dived deep into their thoughts on whether Boston should stick with Mazzulla.

Check out the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston Celtics hire Sam Cassell to join coach Joe Mazzulla’s staff as an assistant

Cassell brings a player’s perspective from his championship seasons with the Celtics and Houston Rockets.

The Boston Celtics have hired former Celtics champion guard and (more recently) former Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Sam Cassell as an assistant for Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla for the 2023-24 NBA season.

Cassell, who served on the staff of ex-Celtics head coach Doc Rivers with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sixers, has a long career as a part of high-profile NBA benches. Cassell also brings a player’s perspective from his championship seasons with the Celtics and Houston Rockets, having mentored Clippers star Paul George and former 76ers star Ben Simmons after playing from 1993-2009.

With Cassell making a return to where he won a championship in 2008, CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning reports on the momentous hire for the Celtics in the video embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Highlights from Grant Williams’ Playbook Initiative workshop

The Charlotte native was seen giving away Celtics tickets at a Playbook Initiative event put on by the Celtics and Project 351.

Reserve Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams may have a challenging process about to unfold for him in his restricted free agency, but that has not stopped him from keeping up with his favorite causes.

Most recently, the Charlotte native was seen giving away Celtics tickets at a Playbook Initiative event put on by the Celtics and Project 351 as he participated in a workshop with students, answering their questions at a community event earlier this spring at Boston’s practice facility. The students in attendance spoke about social issues that concerned them in the city of Boston and beyond, played a little rock, paper, scissors, and asked Williams questions on all sorts of topics.

To see the highlights of the event for yourself, be sure to check out the link embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics Lab 200: Making sense of Boston’s offseason in light of the NBA’s new CBA with Yossi Gozlan

To get a better read on what the Celtics may be facing, we brought on HoopsHype cap expert Yossi Gozlan.

One of the biggest challenges the Boston Celtics will need to overcome in the short term if they want to win another title will not necessarily be an opposing team or player.

As we begin to learn the details of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and how it was designed to punish ball clubs with rosters and payrolls like the Celtics’, it is becoming increasingly clear the team’s title window will likely be shorter than hoped — and far more difficult to navigate on top of the more quotidian issues Boston needs to address in its roster construction.

To get a better read on what the Celtics may be facing and what options and specific challenges might be waiting for Boston this offseason, the hosts of the CLNS Media “Celtics Lab” podcast brought on friend of the pod Yossi Gozlan, HoopsHype cap expert, to talk us through the finer points of the league’s new CBA.

They also get into the trickle of news still percolating through the Celtics media sphere, advocating for the hire of Sam Cassell shortly before it happened among other coaching staff to flesh out head coach Joe Mazzulla’s bench for next season.

The Celtics Lab podcast is sponsored by Fan Duel and Better Help.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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On the Boston Celtics’ 2023 offseason plans

What will the Boston Celtics do in the NBA’s 2023 offseason to build a team capable of another run at a title?

What will the Boston Celtics do in the NBA’s 2023 offseason to build a team capable of another run at a title? How does the league’s new collective bargaining agreement impact the Celtics’ confidence in offering star wing Jaylen Brown a five-year supermax extension worth close to $300 million in light of the new penalties for expensive rosters and Brown’s ragged play in the 2023 East finals against the Miami Heat?

The end of the 2022-23 season has brought on a virtual landslide of pressing questions about what is going to be next for the storied franchise at the precise moment they ought to be focused solely on the pursuit of a banner.

Join the hosts of the CLNS Media “First to the Floor” podcast as they do their best to address all of the big questions swirling around the Celtics’ future in the video embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Were Jaylen Brown’s dribbling issues vs. the Miami Heat the result of an injury?

The Celtics star reverted back to a sloppier-handled version of himself in the East finals — but why?

Star forward Jaylen Brown’s dribbling with the Boston Celtics has long been a topic of discussion, but the subject exploded back to relevance after his eight turnovers in Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

While he has shown some improvement with the tightness of his handle in  recent years, he still struggles with complex dribble attacks and breaking through traps set by opposing clubs — at least, without turning the ball over in critical moments. It was recently speculated that his performance was affected by a left wrist injury sustained earlier in the postseason, although it was not openly acknowledged by the Georgia native or the Celtics.

The hosts of the Athletic “NBA Show” podcast did their best to divine whether an injury could be the root cause of Brown’s sudden regression as a ballhandler.

Check out the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about it.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics projected to come in $11 million under the second apron before re-signing Grant Williams

If the Charlotte native gets a bigger offer in free agency, Boston would likely need to get creative to retain him.

The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement was designed to put pressure on teams like the Boston Celtics. who will begin feeling the pinch as soon as this offseason. Per HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics will come in at roughly $4 million over the tax and $11 million below the second tax apron, the supertax. This figure only counts the 13 players the team already have under contract next season, and could see Boston above that second apron should they sign Grant Williams to a new deal.

Such a move would bring a number of limitations on what clubs like Boston can do to build their team. This includes no more cap exceptions save the veteran’s minimum, no access to buyout players and no ability to take on more than 110% of the money they send out in trades.

If Williams slides in under that amount, Boston may be able to retain him without additional moves. Otherwise, the team will need to explore moving other players for less money coming back.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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