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In case you haven’t heard, the Boston Celtics are not NBA champions. In the aftermath of their Eastern Conference Finals elimination, the Celtics addressed one of their prime weaknesses by making the bold move of hiring three new assistant coaches. It’s not exactly the blockbuster move that fans were hoping for, but it might be more impactful than you would think.
On Monday, the Celtics announced they would be adding Phil Pressey as an assistant coach. He will be joining Sam Cassell—who provided valuable veteran leadership with the 2008 championship team—and newly appointed head assistant coach Charles Lee. With the move, head coach Joe Mazzulla will now have a much more experienced staff than he did last go around.
These aren’t signs that the Celtics don’t believe in Mazzulla, who was promoted to interim head coach after the unexpected suspension of Ime Udoka last year. The Celtics removed the interim tag back in February. The organization has gone out of its way in establishing Mazzulla as the team’s leader, even if certain Celtics fans will always miss how Udoka would call out his players.
Looking back, the turning point of the Celtics season might have been when assistant Damon Stoudamire left the organization for Georgia Tech in March. It wasn’t a big story at the time, but his abrupt departure right before the NBA playoffs might have had lingering consequences.
Despite the obvious talent on their roster, the Celtics often looked lost for long stretches of time during the postseason before the Miami Heat put an end to their title hopes. Mazzulla came off looking like the rookie head coach that he was and it was hard not to believe that things would have gone differently if there were someone with more experience helping him out.
In this context, it makes perfect sense that the Celtics didn’t wait for the NBA Finals to end before announcing that Sam Cassell would be part of their coaching staff. He’s a perfect fit for this Boston team. In the best case scenario, Cassell could provide crucial support for Mazzulla. In the worst case scenario, he could take his place should things go awry.
With the coaching situation theoretically settled, the Celtics will now turn to their roster, where their options to make offseason improvements will be severely hampered by recent changes to the CBA. If the team signs Jaylen Brown to a supermax extension, as is widely believed will happen, that will put them in a tight salary cap situation.
Not only will it be difficult for the Celtics to sign impact free agents this offseason, they might even be forced to make painful moves involving players currently on their roster. To be more specific, it’s highly unlikely that Malcolm Brogdon, Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard will all be wearing Boston green next season, with Pritchard the most obvious candidate to be moved.
Even if the Celtics are willing to go well over the luxury tax in order to keep the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown core together, it’s going to be a challenge to construct a championship team around them in the new CBA era. Thankfully, however, there is no salary cap when it comes to coaching hires.
A man stole financial documents and credit cards from an elderly person’s apartment in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood Tuesday, police said as they asked for the public’s help identifying the burglary suspect.
Boston police say the incident occurred between 1:15 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the area of 11 Woodcliff Street, the Cardinal Medeiros Manor Apartments.
According to police, the suspect allegedly entered the victim’s apartment, which is located in an elderly housing community, and convinced them to turn over financial documents before stealing several personal documents and credit cards.
The suspect is described as a man wearing glasses with a red shirt and black pants. He also had a lanyard around his neck, a tattoo on his right arm, and a brown backpack, police said.
An investigation into the incident is underway, and anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 617-343-4275. Anonymous tips can also be called into the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS, or texted to CRIME (27463) with the word ‘TIP’.
Boston police are looking for a man they say inappropriately touched several students at a small high school near Copley Square.
Officers responded around 11:30 a.m. to the Snowden International School on Newbury Street in Back Bay after reports that the man had touched students as they were walking in and out of the building.
“That’s scary, that it’s happening right here,” one woman said.
According to a police report, the man had been seen in the area before, approaching two students. Documents state at one point, a student stated the man “touched his chest and asked, ‘Yo bro, do you work out?’”
Police said photos of the man were captured and sent out to other law enforcement officials.
The department said in a statement that it is “encouraging families to remind students about the importance of being aware of their surroundings and reporting any concerning behavior to their school.”
Boston Public Schools will have an increased Safety Services presence around the campus for the next few days.
Local News
A Boston man who allegedly assaulted a transgender woman at a Blue Line MBTA station on Halloween is facing charges of assault and violating the victim’s civil rights, officials said.
Gregory Burnett, 53, pleaded not guilty to assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (his foot), and a civil rights violation with injury, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.
The woman, 41, told police that another passenger boarded the train at Maverick, immediately approached her, and shouted “derogatory terms” at her, the DA said. Burnett allegedly said statements including “you’re not a woman, you’re a man.”
Burnett then punched and kicked her, including in the crotch area. The woman tried to defend herself, the DA said, but Burnett grabbed her foot and caused her to fall and fracture her wrist.
Other passengers helped the woman defend herself against Burnett and get him off the train, officials said.
The woman reported the incident to police the next day and said “she felt targeted due to her gender identity based on Burnett’s remarks during the assault,” the DA said.
MBTA police used witness descriptions and surveillance video to identify Burnett and apprehend him at Maverick last Tuesday, according to Hayden’s office.
Burnett was initially held in jail after being found dangerous in court, but was released last week on conditions to stay at home outside of work hours, according to court records. With a GPS, he is confined to his home outside of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. He is also required to maintain employment, stay away from any witnesses, not commit any further offenses, and not possess any firearms.
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