I continue to be more and more impressed with Brad as a coach and as a person. Nothing earth shattering in these comments but I think they are spot on concerning talent development/utilization in sports and in life.
Asked about the way he's maximized the talent of those sort of players, especially guys like Turner and Jordan Crawford, Stevens admitted that he's got a soft spot for players that might be overlooked or forgotten.
"I think I have a spot in me that, like anyone else, that roots for the guy that’s been knocked down. Or roots for the underdog in a way, a guy that, for whatever reason ... he’s not good enough or not the right fit for this league or doesn’t translate to this league or whatever the case may be," Stevens told WBZ News Radio. "Because each one of these guys has a great strength. They have a great ability to impact the game. And I think my job is to find those strengths and to put those all together.
"I do think, generally, coaches get a lot of talk or praise or whatever the case may be when guys 'develop' or 'enhance.' It’s the guys. It’s there. They have to make the decision that they really want to get better. They have to make the decision that they are going to work on their strengths and manage their weaknesses.
"And they have to have the self-awareness of what those things are. I think that’s something where, I think once you have that self-awareness, once you understand who you are and how you best impact a basketball game, then you choose to soar with what got you there."
Asked about the way he's maximized the talent of those sort of players, especially guys like Turner and Jordan Crawford, Stevens admitted that he's got a soft spot for players that might be overlooked or forgotten.
"I think I have a spot in me that, like anyone else, that roots for the guy that’s been knocked down. Or roots for the underdog in a way, a guy that, for whatever reason ... he’s not good enough or not the right fit for this league or doesn’t translate to this league or whatever the case may be," Stevens told WBZ News Radio. "Because each one of these guys has a great strength. They have a great ability to impact the game. And I think my job is to find those strengths and to put those all together.
"I do think, generally, coaches get a lot of talk or praise or whatever the case may be when guys 'develop' or 'enhance.' It’s the guys. It’s there. They have to make the decision that they really want to get better. They have to make the decision that they are going to work on their strengths and manage their weaknesses.
"And they have to have the self-awareness of what those things are. I think that’s something where, I think once you have that self-awareness, once you understand who you are and how you best impact a basketball game, then you choose to soar with what got you there."
