Celtics owner Bill Chisholm on expectations, Brad Stevens’ autonomy and WNBA

Bill Chisholm offered some insight into how he plans to approach his new position during his first news conference as a Boston Celtics owner.

With four others alongside him at the podium – president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, alternate governors Wyc Grousbeck and Aditya Mittal, and team president Rich Gotham — Chisholm said he understands the pressure that comes with owning the team and hopes to do whatever it takes to bring more championships to the organization. In a wide-ranging news conference that lasted nearly 40 minutes, Chisholm shared his thoughts on a variety of topics, spanning from his approach to paying the NBA’s luxury tax to his hope for the city of Boston to land a WNBA team.

“While this is a dream come true for me and my family, I also realize that with this opportunity comes a tremendous responsibility,” Chisholm said. “My ownership group and I understand that it is, in fact, different here and that we have a responsibility to protect and advance the legacy of the Boston Celtics.

“We recognize that the standards that the Celtics are held to on and off the court is unmatched. I believe that we are up to this challenge, but realize that we’ll need to prove it day in and day out by our actions and with our commitment to excellence.”

Here are six takeaways from the press conference, including some updates from Stevens.

Chisholm has final say but plans to let Stevens drive basketball decisions

The Celtics recently announced that Chisholm’s ownership group, which officially took over the team in August following unanimous approval from the NBA board of governors, will feature Grousbeck and Mittal as alternate governors. While the organization’s managing board also includes several others, Chisholm clarified that he will have “the final say” in the decision-making process. Even so, he indicated he intends to continue empowering the leaders within the organization, including Stevens.

“There is such a thing as the new owner curse, and I’m well aware of that,” Chisholm said. “And ultimately, just kind of being self-aware in terms of what your strengths and weaknesses are, and surrounding yourself with people that are the best — the best people, the best of the best. And the way the decisions (have) been made here to date, that’s what you’re gonna see going forward as well, where those basketball decisions, Brad is driving that for sure.”

Chisholm, who called Joe Mazzulla a terrific coach and praised the rest of the leadership inside the Celtics organization, has not spent much time in the public eye. Stepping into an NBA ownership position will change that, though he suggested he’s not entirely sure how he plans to approach the front-facing aspect of the job.

“I’m a huge fan, first of all, so I’m so excited to be there and have the best seat in the house, frankly,” Chisholm said. “So I will absolutely be there. I will do whatever it takes, whatever the Boston Celtics need me to do. If they need me to be doing press conferences every day, I’ll do them. If they need to stay out of the way, I’ll do that. … The biggest thing I think I can bring is support to folks on the stage.”

Behind the scenes, Stevens said Chisholm has already shown that support.

“I think any time you have a major change, the first thing is, ‘Well, what will that change do to the day to day?’” Stevens said. “And I can care less about me, but the 65 people that work here (in basketball operations), Rich has 100-plus people who work downtown (on the business side), you’re more concerned about that than anything else.

“And I think from day one, Bill and his group, the humility, the care, the passion was not just shown in words, it was not just shown in showing up to a game on the road, it was in, ‘Hey, you have the power to do your job.’”

Stevens: ‘There’s no tax goal’ from ownership

Even after committing to shedding salary throughout the offseason, the Celtics remain about $12.1 million over the luxury tax threshold and would need to pay about $39.5 million in luxury taxes if they finish the regular season with their current roster. They could begin the process of resetting the repeater tax by getting out of the luxury tax entirely this season, but Stevens said he has no mandate from ownership to do so. Stevens said his focus over the offseason was getting under the second apron to give the franchise more future flexibility.

“You have to give yourself the flexibility and opportunity to jump at the right deals,” Stevens said. “You don’t always know when those are going to present themselves. So the second apron was the key. After that, we’re looking at it from the standpoint of, let’s see what this team looks like, let’s put our very best foot forward, let’s let Joe (Mazzulla), the staff, the players — let’s all work to maximize ourselves, with an attitude of no ceilings and no limitations, and go after it.

“And we’ll evaluate the roster like we always will as the year goes on, but there’s no tax goal. …And listen, we’ve said goodbye to awesome people and really good players. But I think we’ve added people that are excited to add their strengths together and see what we can do.”

Despite the moves the Celtics made to cut salary over the summer, Chisholm indicated he won’t shy away from big tax bills in the future.

“My goal and my high-level direction to Brad and the team is let’s do whatever we can to win championships and raise banners, and raise as many as we can, both in the near term and also in the medium to the long term, as well,” Chisholm said.

“We’re going to do everything we can to win. That is job No. 1. And not just win games — win championships.”

Tatum ‘well on his way’ to full recovery

Shortly before the press conference, Jayson Tatum walked across the practice court with gym clothes on, looking like he had just finished a workout. The injured All-Star recently shared that he has not ruled out a return this season, but Stevens said he will continue to attach no timeline to Tatum’s torn Achilles rehab. Stevens said his priority is for Tatum to have a full recovery.

“And he’s well on his way,” Stevens said. “He has been incredibly diligent. He has been a great leader by example to people in this building when no players were around in the middle of the summer and when a lot of the young guys have been around in the last month-and-a-half. We appreciate that, and we know that he’s going to be itching to get back, and he will be the biggest decision-maker in that.

“But there will be a lot of people in that room when that ultimately gets decided, including people that are working with him every day and people that are really important to him. So we’re on a good path, and we just need — the most important thing is (a) fully healthy Jayson Tatum.”

With Tatum sidelined indefinitely, the Celtics will have their lowest expectations in years.

“I’m not going to put a ceiling on the team,” Chisholm said. “We’ve got a lot of talent, and we’ve got some very strong character people. I’m actually pretty excited for what this team can do. When I look back, those Isaiah Thomas teams, those are some of my favorites. I do think there’s a smaller margin for error, but I do think that this team has the potential to be pretty special, and I think we’re going to embrace the kind of underdog mentality, as well.”

Grousbeck said the transition has been an 18-month journey

The new ownership group will have an interesting dynamic with Grousbeck staying on as an alternate governor. He said it has been an “18-month journey” for him since learning his family voted to sell its controlling stake of the team. But he and his wife Emelia will remain part of the ownership group.

“Emelia and I are staying in,” Grousbeck said. “I’m staying in shoulder to shoulder, as we’ve said with Bill, and then with the managing board, I want a third ring, and then I want a fourth one. I’ve got two. It’s a nice start.”

The Celtics could eventually consider a move from TD Garden

The Celtics have played at TD Garden (formerly known by a couple of other names) since the arena opened in 1995. But because the franchise doesn’t own the building, there has been speculation about whether the team could find a new home. Chisholm didn’t rule out the possibility of one day doing so, though he also expressed an appreciation for the current Celtics home court.

“I don’t have a specific point of view on (the possibility of finding a new arena),” Chisholm said. “I have some sort of philosophical perspective on it. So the first thing is, I really like Boston Garden, personally. I think that the team and the players really like the Boston Garden, and equally importantly, the fans really like the Boston Garden. So that’s a starting point.

“Second thing is, you know, I think the Celtics and the Bruins belong together, so that’s another part of the equation as well. 
And then the third thing is, we are 100 percent committed to creating the best fan experience possible, and we’ll take a look at it where that is, but we’ve got a great thing going right now.”

Chisholm believes Boston should have a WNBA team

The city of Boston has never had a WNBA team, but Chisholm wants to change that.

“First of all, I think Boston should have a team,” Chisholm said. “This is the best sports city in the country, and this is the birthplace of basketball, so we should have a team. Getting this done, we’ve been at it now in this seat for a month or so; it’s definitely something we’re going to look at. And the NBA has a process. We’ll do what we can to expedite things, but this is a process there. But philosophically, it makes so much sense.”

(Top photo: Eric Canha / Imagn Images)