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.
More Thank You's: Sam Cassell | Paul Pierce | Kobe Bryant | Doc Rivers | Assistant Coaches | James Posey | Danny Ainge | 17 Thank You's