Bernie Lee, an NBA agent who, most notably, represents Golden State Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler, recently penned a piece for HoopsHype. The article centered on addressing tanking. Within his essay, Lee raved about how impressed he was in his first meeting with Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
The interaction took place this summer at the beginning of free agency on Jul. 1. The purpose was to explore the opportunity for one of Lee's clients, most likely Ben Simmons, to join the Celtics, with a chance to rehab his value.
"I have done this agent thing for over 20 years, and I have participated in countless free-agent meetings for players of all levels, and I can honestly tell you I have never in my entire career been more impressed with a coach than I was with Joe Mazzulla," expressed Lee.
What that meeting taught Bernie Lee about Joe Mazzulla
As Sam Cassell recently shared with this author, inside the Celtics' organization, there was a belief in this team's ability to contend. However, like many on the outside, Lee anticipated that Boston was in for a gap year from championship contention.
By the time he walked out of that meeting, his outlook had changed.
"For 20 minutes, I was lucky enough, along with my client, to listen to Joe speak, and I quickly realized that he was a human being who creates his own reality," said Lee. "If I or anyone else thought for a second that he was a person who didn't look at what the Celtics were facing this year as an opportunity versus an impossibility, then it probably explained why I watch for a living, and he's the man in the arena."
Their time together that day also gave him a glimpse into the alignment the franchise has from top down. It's crucial to the Celtics' ability to maintain and enhance their culture, something they rightfully place a premium on.
"By the end, I could tell: 1. The amount of alignment and respect from Brad Stevens to his coaches was unparalleled; and 2. If anyone asked Joe to do anything other than compete like the world was about to end, they would probably only get the chance to ask him once," said Lee. "Fast-forward 58 games, and not shocking to me, Joe was right."
The motive of Lee's piece was to write about his ideas for addressing tanking. It is a problem running rampant around the NBA. However, Boston has seized the opportunity presented by the adversity it's facing. Players throughout the roster are evolving as the organization demonstrates the power of an elite infrastructure. Given Joe Mazzulla and the coaching staff's role in that, in this author's opinion, he has built the most compelling case for the Coach of the Year Award.