When ownership of the Boston Celtics changed hands from the Grousbeck family to Bill Chisholm, there was plenty of reason for skepticism and cause for concern. Wyc had been a great Governor, and announcing the team was for sale, right after winning the title, was a scary thought for fans of the team.
Chisholm seemed like an exuberant fan and a fine person to take over, but he was coming into a tough spot, facing a financial crisis and an aging roster. Brad Stevens made some difficult and unpopular decisions that have proved to be correct both for basketball and financial reasons, but to the casual observer, it looked like the new ownership group was simply cutting costs as soon as they took control.
He has had to fight back against that narrative, but he has said and done everything correctly along the way, including becoming a fixture sitting courtside and cheering his heart out at TD Garden.
The new-owner glow has worn off, and the honeymoon phase is over, but the Celtics have been better than anyone could have imagined in Chisolm's maiden season, and he seems just as passionate as ever. Recently, he was interviewed by Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, and continued preaching everything that fans should want to hear.
Bill Chisholm absolutely gets it
The biggest takeaway from the interview was that Chisholm has complete belief in Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla, and the infrastructure of the organization. He stressed multiple times that he knows it’s not like this around the league, and he doesn’t take it for granted.
“It’s all I know, but I know enough to know this is not normal to have this. I am going to fight and claw and do everything in my power to make sure we keep it going with those guys.”
Chisholm also raved about the Jays, how much he’s loved living in Boston, how he’d like to keep the team in TD Garden, and many, many other topics, but he made it clear how much he cares about the team and about winning.
All that Billy Banners wants to do is win
When asked about his first offseason as lead Governor approaching, Chisholm insisted, “I’ll do whatever it takes”, before going on about how much he believes in Stevens, Rich Gotham, and the rest of the front office.
He was also sure to emphasize the importance of leadership and culture, and how much he has noticed the impact they have on the Celtics. It sounds like he completely understands all the things that are important and that make this team great, and he intends to keep things running as smoothly as possible.
“I’ll prove it, and I’ll continue to prove it every day, that I just want to win.”
At the end of the day, he’ll still have to put his money where his mouth is, literally and metaphorically speaking, and he’ll be judged on the success of the team. But given all the consternation and uncertainty around this deal, it seems like the Celtics got awfully lucky and the franchise is in good hands.