Thank You Wyc

by Jeff Clark on Jun 24, 2008 5:00 AM EDT in Boston Celtics Articles

Monique Walker of the Boston Globe had a story on Wyc:

As he answered questions, a gentleman rushed toward Grousbeck with his arms open. He wrapped Grousbeck in a bear hug and quickly chanted, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," and went on his way with a grin.
While many elements had to fall into place to develop the Celtics into NBA champions, Grousbeck is the tangible element a fan can grab. Grousbeck could be considered the most visible of the ownership group that includes his father, Irv, Stephen Pagliuca, and Bob and David Epstein.

Allow me to join that fan in thanking Wyc and the ownership group.

We've seen what it is like to have an ownership group that ties the hands of the GM with salary restrictions (Thanksdad Gaston), and it isn't pretty. We've also seen what a difference a quality ownership group has meant to other Boston teams (Red Sox, Pats). Thankfully Wyc and this group falls into the latter category.

Nobody is going to cry poor for these guys. I'm sure that whatever money they spent on luxury tax dollars was more than made up for in terms of season ticket sales, playoff home games, merchandice sales, and increased sponsorships. Still, it was never a sure thing that the team would do this well. A thousand things could have gone wrong this year and all that extra revenue could have vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving hefty guaranteed contracts on the books for multiple years.

They didn't always spend over the luxury tax, but why would they when the team was busy losing games at a lottery level? However, Wyc always said that if he felt the team had a shot at the Championship, he would sign the check. True to his word, he did. Part of the deal to bring KG to town was adding years to his already huge contract. Part of bringing Ray Allen to town was taking on his large contract. Done and done.

Also, need I remind everyone once again that it was the owners that stuck by Danny Ainge and as a result Doc Rivers when everyone in the world seemed to be telling them that those two were a joke? I have a strong feeling that Wyc was a big reason why Paul Pierce stayed in Boston despite several opportunities to trade him for 75 cents on the dollar. Wyc and company saw something in those three that most people didn't and as a result they deserve a lot of credit for this Championship too.

So thank you Wyc. Thank you Irv, Steve, Bob, and David. You gave us our tradition back. You are true Celtics.

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Comments

It’s always easy for fans to urge owners to spend more of their money. And no matter how much they spend, someone’s always aroud who’ll call them cheap. But I can’t remember any ownership of any sports team I’ve ever followed that astonished me more with their spending then this Celtic’s group. They deserve big credit.

by no kidding on Jun 24, 2008 7:48 AM EDT reply actions

Wyc is a true Celtic fan, plus a nice guy, and we are lucky to have him as owner. Now, Wyc, time to open up that wallet and re-sign Posey! ;D

by Eeyore III on Jun 24, 2008 8:27 AM EDT reply actions

let’s give the owners a ton of credit for being committed and sticking with the people they brought on board. it’s amazing what a difference it makes when the leadership does a few simple things: 1) following through on what they say (“if he felt the team had a shot at the Championship, he would sign the check”), 2) putting good people in leadership positions and trusting them and supporting them (danny, doc, etc.). so many of the problems that other franchises have often come down to ownership not being able to do simple things like this. these are basic principles, but i guess they’re hard to follow in this day and age. good job wyc (and the whole group).

by reverb09 on Jun 24, 2008 8:54 AM EDT reply actions

i love that the’re local. they join with the krafts to give us a good local base. look at the mess in seattle to see how tempestuous the outside the area guys are like. it always starts at the top. we were so lucky to have had red who had to deal with the alien owners,and prevailed.

by nazzbo on Jun 24, 2008 9:12 AM EDT reply actions

Well said Jeff. My apologies to WYC for bombarding him with “Fire Doc Now” the previous 2 seasons. Doc was the right coach for this “star” laden team but a complete failural for our “youthful” teams – a fact that was rammed down our throats at every turn by Danny and others.

by scndtony on Jun 24, 2008 10:21 AM EDT reply actions

Absolutely, Wyc is the man. He deserves lots of credit for putting this team together. Imagine if our owners were awful like Phoenix’s? Wyc & his partners are Celtics fans who are willing to pay the extra buck to ensure a better product. You can’t say that about all owners. Look at the misery of Suns fans who have been very dissatisfied with the annual selling of draft picks that have amounted to productive NBA players. Luol Deng. Nate Robinson (you’d see it if he were on a better team). RAJON RONDO. Sergio Rodriguez, who would have been the perfect understudy to Steve Nash.

by TradeProposalDude on Jun 24, 2008 10:45 AM EDT reply actions