Joe Mazzulla Had The Perfect Response To The Latest Jayson Tatum Drama And Continues To Show Why He Should Be The Celtics Coach For Life

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Given all the reporting that came in late last night regarding Jayson Tatum's potential return (or no return), I think it's safe to say that at the moment, things are a little tense within the Celts' fanbase. I suppose that's to be expected whenever any bit of new reporting or information comes out, and my guess is that's going to continue until the time comes for a definitive decision which is probably still months away.

As I said this morning, the only thing that matters in ALL of this is whatever Tatum wants to do. That's it. But while we wait for this decision, you're hearing all sorts of takes fly around. He's upset because the team is good, he's letting the media impact his decision, etc etc. Again, any of us have no idea what he's thinking or feeling. Outside of what he told us himself on the Pivot podcast where he vocalized some of his own concerns, a lot of what you'll see right now are people making assumptions on his behalf. 

Which is why it's important that if we're going to talk about the vague reporting from Chris Haynes and what that could mean, then it's also pretty significant that we listen to Joe Mazzulla weigh in on this whole topic, considering he's been in lockstep with Tatum every step of the way. Making his weekly radio appearance today, Joe showed us once again why he's THE PERFECT man for this job

There are a lot of reasons why Joe is so very clearly THE GUY, whether it's his system, his coaching ability, his ability to create and sustain a championship level culture, the relationship building he's able to do, the collective buy in he has, all of that is what makes him one of the best coaches on planet earth.

But what you just heard in that clip is another one. Will this put an end to all the bullshit? Probably not. The internet will do it's thing. But what this SHOULD do is calm your nerves a little bit as a fan. I'm not sure there could have been a better response to either of those questions, or how one should handle this entire situation. I think it serves a few purposes here

1. It reiterates how fluid this entire situation is, and that frankly nothing has changed. That does go a bit against of how Haynes framed his reporting, which is why his vagueness was kind of odd. The direct quote we got from Romona Shelburne was a little different, and I think now hearing Joe describe it, that feels more accurate to the current situation. 

2. It also addresses this idea that some in the media may have about how a potential Tatum return would be anything other than fucking awesome. This answer gives us a look into what I'm sure the conversations are in the building about a return. Tatum himself voiced those concerns of things that ran through his mind, and this tells us that those around the team are making it very clear all of that stuff is a non-issue. I'm not sure how more direct Joe could be, because he's right. You add a top 5 player to not only this team, but any team, and that team is better. 

What we've learned from Mazzulla and this roster over the last 4 years is that they are mental GIANTS. It's part of what makes them so successful. It may sound silly, but Joe talking this way publicly and basically going on record about it is a great look at how this organization operates mentally. While the rest of the world has been talking nonstop about "disruption" in a negative way and how it could cause negative issues within the team, in reality, the way it's talked about in the building is the exact opposite. And unless you're going to call Joe Mazzulla a liar, I'm not sure how that's debatable. 

Now, it's important to remember that despite Joe's quotes, it doesn't guarantee that Tatum will in fact come back this season. But it is a relief to know that A) there was no setback B) nothing has changed in terms of the plan C) Joe is so clearly THE GUY