Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens had to know the tough questions would come over the team’s decision to trade Isaiah Thomas, but he may not have expected them to come from a kid.
That’s what happened Wednesday, though, as Stevens had to field such a question at a Q&A at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
As part of the Q&A, a young man boldly asked Stevens straight up why he’d dealt the star point guard who had endeared himself to the city — and Stevens responded as best he could.
“That’s an excellent question,” Stevens said. “Here’s what I’ll tell you, is that what he did in Boston the last two-and-a-half-years was incredible. I said earlier what he’s meant to me, what I think of him, how great he’s been in the locker room, what kind of teammate he’s been, and those are all really, really, really hard decisions. That’s the hard part about being a professional basketball coach. I’ve stared at the wall many times and thought, man, having guys in college for four years and knowing exactly when they’re coming and going is a pretty good way of doing things. So that’s a tough one.”
Stevens also strongly disputed any notion that Thomas was unpopular in the locker room.
Brad on report that IT rubbed people wrong way: "I don't pay attention to [reports] but if I was irked by anything that would be it."
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) August 25, 2017
Stevens may have to deal with bigger headaches in the future stemming from this trade. It’s clear, though, that he has nothing but good things to say about his former point guard.
H/T SI.com
