Kemba ‘one of the best’
Clifford big on new Celt
LAS VEGAS — Steve Clifford has been around the block. A couple of months away from his 60th birthday, he is now head coach of his second NBA team and had a long, distinguished career as an assistant in the league after working the bench at six colleges and a high school.
So there is some heft to his words when he speaks of his five years in Charlotte coaching Kemba Walker.
“For me, this year will be 20 years in the NBA, and having the chance to coach him will be one of the best experiences I’ve had in those 20 years,” Clifford said as he prepared to watch his Orlando Magic in a summer league game.
This is saying something when you consider he once fell asleep in the back of a shuttle van in Dallas during a pre-dawn trip to the airport when he was an advance scout. His snoring kept others awake.
“Right there with that,” Clifford said.
After the quick drive down memory lane — or Stemmons Freeway, as it were — Clifford got back to his point. To wit, the Celtics and their followers are going to be very happy with the free agent point guard.
“I think what people there will find is that he’s not only a terrific player and a great competitor, but he’s teamfirst,” Walker’s coach of five years said. “It means a lot to him to be a good teammate and to play in a way that the team plays well when he’s on the floor.
“And he was like that from Day 1. My best story is that I got there after his second year, and he was the best returning player, and he came and practiced with the summer league team just because he wanted to see what it would be like.
“Then to watch the way he’s worked to improve not just his shooting but all aspects of his game, you know, you have to feel happy for a guy like him because he’s done it the old-fashioned way — hard work, caring about the right things. And obviously he’s an A-1 competitor.”
Clifford was told of the Herald’s conversation with Walker’s UConn coach Jim Calhoun, who responded to a thought about Kemba possibly being a better fit for the Celtics while Kyrie Irving is more talented: “Talent’s a funny thing, you know,” Calhoun said. “Being a great leader, being a great teammate — that’s a talent.” Clifford nodded. “That’s so much of what he brings to any team,” he said of Walker. “The best way to say it is that he cares about the right things. That’s just how he’s built.”
In contrast, Irving’s concerns seemed to be all over the map, particularly in his last several months with the Celtics. Clifford steered clear of any direct shots at Irving, choosing to simply talk up what he knows about Walker.
“Not being there, there’s no way for me to know,” he said. “All I know is Kemba was, what, 25 (points) a night last year. He’s a threetime All-Star. He’s been, I believe, three of the last four years one of the best fourthquarter finishers in the league. And he’s never had a really good scoring second option on the floor with him.
“So, for me, what’s going to be a handful for all of us is trying to figure out how to guard his pick-and-rolls when he’s out there with the guys he’s going to be out there with.”
While the Celtics focus of many NBA types has been on the losses of Irving and Al Horford and “what the hell happened,” coaches and personnel people are steadily turning toward the coming season. As noted here repeatedly, the Celts still have some size issues, particularly on the defensive end, but Clifford and others are beginning to look at what they’ll have to face from the Green attack.
“They’re going to put lineups on the floor that are going to be as difficult to match up with and defend as almost anybody,” he said. “I mean, if you’re talking about a Kemba Walker, (Jayson) Tatum, (Jaylen) Brown, (Gordon) Hayward group, you know, that’s a lot of offense.
“And Brad (Stevens) is a terrific coach, and the things that maybe don’t come as naturally to the group for whatever reason, he’s always been good at figuring out and having a plan for it. That’ll be part of it, too.”
Clifford is confident that whatever plan Stevens chooses, Walker will carry it out.