Brad Stevens named Celtics head coach

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mauf

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The last team to make the leap based on a single lucky ping-pong ball was the Cavs with LBJ. 
 
The Sonics/Thunder nailed three top-five picks. The Bulls had the makings of a decent supporting cast when they got D-Rose -- not anything phenomenal, but much more like the current Celtics or Suns than the current Sixers.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Danny built the previous team on the following assets:

1. Pierce (a #10 pick)
2. A #5 draft pick.
3. A package headed up by Big Al, a former #15.

Danny's problem right now is that he has great draft pick assets but he does not (yet) have his Pierce, his #5 pick, or his Big Al.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Eddie Jurak said:
Danny built the previous team on the following assets:

1. Pierce (a #10 pick)
2. A #5 draft pick.
3. A package headed up by Big Al, a former #15.

Danny's problem right now is that he has great draft pick assets but he does not (yet) have his Pierce, his #5 pick, or his Big Al.
This is what I mean when I say we are far behind the last rebuilding curve. We were always waiting to see who Ainge could get as his #2 whereas we don't have a #1 even on our radar. It's why I'm projecting out to the'18-'19 or '19-'20 seasons to be competing at the top of the conference. We are set up with the hopeful demises of the Nets, Mavs and Grizz.....Ainge has pulled Auerbachian move after Auerbachian move to be in a position to get "lucky" which is a function of his preparation.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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HomeRunBaker said:
This is what I mean when I say we are far behind the last rebuilding curve. We were always waiting to see who Ainge could get as his #2 whereas we don't have a #1 even on our radar. It's why I'm projecting out to the'18-'19 or '19-'20 seasons to be competing at the top of the conference. We are set up with the hopeful demises of the Nets, Mavs and Grizz.....Ainge has pulled Auerbachian move after Auerbachian move to be in a position to get "lucky" which is a function of his preparation.
 
I can't wait until fans (not SoSHers, but the gen pop) start rioting and wondering why DA can't turn it around overnight like he did with KG, all the while forgetting that it took four full years of asset accumulation and appreciation to be able to trade for Ray and KG and still have enough talent left to adequately fill out the roster. And that was with a Hall of Famer already in his pocket.
 
Things will look a lot rosier next season when Brooklyn collapses, Minnesota takes a great leap forward to finish just out of the playoffs, and Dallas gets really old really fast, leaving us with picks #1, #13, and #14, plus whichever pick the C's end up with. :fonz:
 

ALiveH

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Back on topic, Stevens should have been smart enough to know all of the above going in...  He's a great coach.  Considering the roster & turnover this could have been a disastrously dysfunctional team.  What he accomplished is probably a top-5 coaching job this year.  If he had the horses he's the guy who could bring it home & he's young enough that he could be here for a long time.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Stevens was smart enough to know it's a great move to go from a $900k salary to a $3.5m salary or whatever it is. One doesn't have to be Paul Tudor Jones to recognize this value. The question is whether or not he (and his wife) want Brad on the road half of the year when raising a young family now that he can acquire the same or more from returning to the college ranks.
 

RedOctober3829

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Brad Stevens isn't leaving the NBA to go to Texas.  Only Texas people are arrogant enough to actually think that a big-time coach like Stevens would give them the time of day.  If he goes back to college, it's to be Coach K's or Roy Williams' successor or to a dream job of his at Indiana.  While at Butler, he turned down the likes of UCLA so for Texas to think they'd poach him out of the Celtics is hilarious.
 

theapportioner

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In the pregame show they played an interview where he was asked about Texas. He said he's staying in Boston. FWIW.
 

Cellar-Door

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theapportioner said:
In the pregame show they played an interview where he was asked about Texas. He said he's staying in Boston. FWIW.
Supposedly Texas already has an offer out to Shaka Smart.
 

HomeRunBaker

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The Texas talk was just a little teaser for next spring after Indiana fires Crean. That's when it gets interesting.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Best comment in Zach Lowe's article:

"Here’s the best compliment you can give Stevens: When you watch the Celtics, it looks like they have a ton of shooting on the floor. But then you go player by player and realize Boston doesn’t have much shooting at all. "
 

Jed Zeppelin

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Rudy Pemberton said:
College coaches don't travel a lot?
There's no comparison. An NCAA schedule including postseason is less than half the length of an NBA regular season. Conference play is generally contained within one region of the country. No extended road trips. No west coast swings.
 

HomeRunBaker

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theapportioner said:
Why wouldn't they fire Crean already if they think they can get Stevens?
If IU fired Crean today they would owe him a $12m buyout. If they wait until after June 30, 2015 the buyout is $7.5m. After June 30, 2016 that buyout drops to $4m which is a number most feel is the magic number to pay prior to moving on.
 

HomeRunBaker

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BigSoxFan said:
True but you also have to factor in recruiting, which can be draining for most coaches.
The recruiting aspect is draining with all the travel however that's primarily done by the assistant coaches nowadays especially at the highest levels.
 

HomeRunBaker

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RedOctober3829 said:
I'd say head coaches do their fair share of traveling to recruit. They are gone all summer long.
Maybe that's what they tell their wives however virtually all of July and August are dead periods where contact is not allowed.
 

nighthob

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Which doesn't change the fact that the non-UKKU coaches need to do their fair share of scouting since the sneaker companies aren't recruiting for them.
 

swingin val

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Scouting trips are a heck of lot less strenuous than road games in the NBA, where the turnaround is pretty quick, and you are most likely already preparing for the next game as soon as that one ends.

Hell, I imagine some coaches take their families with them on recruiting trips.

I'm not sure why this is even an argument. There is no doubt that college coaches have it "easier" then NBA coaches. The reason to coach in the NBA is money and ego.
 

HomeRunBaker

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swingin val said:
I'm not sure why this is even an argument. There is no doubt that college coaches have it "easier" then NBA coaches. The reason to coach in the NBA is money and ego.
A top college program will offer Brad more than he is presently making which takes care of the money aspect. We don't know about his ego but to succeed at this level I'd assume he has a gigantic one as all successful players/coaches do......it's a large part of what makes them successful.

The unanswered question is what his wife wants and what type of upbringing do they want for their family. I don't know the answer nor does anyone else here which is why it will continue to be a hot topic over the next year or two.
 

bradmahn

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Maybe his unequivocal denial should put to rest the hot topic for the next year?
 
 
"I'll be in Boston.... I've committed to being here," he said. "I've already left a situation once and that was the hardest thing I've ever had to choose to do. This is something that as long as they want me to be here, this is what I want to be doing and I'm going to give it everything I've got."
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2015/04/brad_stevens_shoots_down_texas_coaching_rumors.html
 

DJnVa

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HomeRunBaker said:
Maybe that's what they tell their wives however virtually all of July and August are dead periods where contact is not allowed.
 
Which doesn't mean they can't watch AAU tournaments.
 

RedOctober3829

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HomeRunBaker said:
Maybe that's what they tell their wives however virtually all of July and August are dead periods where contact is not allowed.
August is a dead period but virtually all of the big events are always in July. Here is the official recruiting/evaluating periods from here on in this spring/summer.
 
April 9 12:00-April 12
April 17-22
April 24-26
July 8th 5 pm-July 12th 5 pm
July 15 5 pm-July 19 5 pm
July 22 5 pm-July 26 5 pm
 

HomeRunBaker

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RedOctober3829 said:
August is a dead period but virtually all of the big events are always in July. Here is the official recruiting/evaluating periods from here on in this spring/summer.
 
April 9 12:00-April 12
April 17-22
April 24-26
July 8th 5 pm-July 12th 5 pm
July 15 5 pm-July 19 5 pm
July 22 5 pm-July 26 5 pm
I had June/July flipped. That's still a pretty awesome home period with 3 weeks of travel from the end of April until after Labor Day. Even during July they are home weekends.

As I said, we don't know what he truly wants or even more importantly is what his wife wants. Let's just be glad Pitino isn't in our front office digging to find out what she wants. ;)
 

The Social Chair

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HomeRunBaker said:
I had June/July flipped. That's still a pretty awesome home period with 3 weeks of travel from the end of April until after Labor Day. Even during July they are home weekends.

As I said, we don't know what he truly wants or even more importantly is what his wife wants. Let's just be glad Pitino isn't in our front office digging to find out what she wants. ;)
 
Stevens is going to have May- August off as the coach of the Celtics. 
 

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The Social Chair said:
 
Stevens is going to have May- August off as the coach of the Celtics. 
Aside from Combine travel this is true. The big difference is in-season when an NBA coach has his bags packed for 6 consecutive months for days/weeks at a time traveling throughout the county and Toronto while the college coach is primarily regional travel for 2-3 months where he's gone for one night.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Stevens is pretty clearly that rare coach who can succeed in college and in the pros. I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that he will leave or that he will stay.
 

TheRooster

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I don't think he's going anywhere.  If he were to take a college job, what is so great about the IU job?  Duke, UNC, UCLA I could see, but other than being closer to "home" why IU? 
 

Koufax

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Unless Danny fails to trade those draft picks, in which case he'll have a team of 20- and 21-year old rookies.
 

radsoxfan

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The only way I can see him leaving (aside from unknown family issues) is if he is satisfied he's completely scratched the "NBA itch".  I guess theoretically, maybe he has concluded he likes college better, doesn't want to deal with NBA egos, scheduling, or whatever.  I think it would have more to do with that than any particular college job, even IU. I don't see him as the kind of guy to keep switching jobs, going back and forth from the NBA to college, etc. 
 
He seems to have a good relationship with Ainge, and seems to like Boston.  So if he wants to see the NBA thing through, I'd very much expect it to be here. Personally I'd be shocked if he left in the next few years before he gets a chance to see how he does with some better players.  
 

mauf

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TheRooster said:
I don't think he's going anywhere.  If he were to take a college job, what is so great about the IU job?  Duke, UNC, UCLA I could see, but other than being closer to "home" why IU? 
 
 
IU is an iconic program in an area where Stevens has roots (and presumably recruiting connections), plus they've struggled enough recently that he'd get plenty of rope his first few years.
 
Personally, I don't think Stevens would have taken the Celtics' job if his dream was to land a big-time NCAA job, but if that's what he wants, IU would be a near-ideal situation.
 

JCizzle

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maufman said:
 
 
IU is an iconic program in an area where Stevens has roots (and presumably recruiting connections), plus they've struggled enough recently that he'd get plenty of rope his first few years.
 
Personally, I don't think Stevens would have taken the Celtics' job if his dream was to land a big-time NCAA job, but if that's what he wants, IU would be a near-ideal situation.
 
I think you make a lot of sense. Other than maybe Duke promoting from within, he likely could have chosen where to go once one of the big jobs became available without ever leaving Butler. Maybe he's grown to hate the NBA, but with the way this team plays and the reputation he's developed, that would be extremely surprising to me. 
 

nighthob

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BigSoxFan said:
So Stevens will be used to coaching guys of that age! But, seriously, given Ainge's history, I think we'll see a significant move made either this summer or next.
Honestly the Celtics aren't in a position to make a move yet. Their 2015 draft assets are pretty worthless at the moment (unless by some miracle they miss the playoffs and win the lotto). And their future picks have way too high variance attached to be viable enough to acquire anything more than a player yet (the Nets are almost certainly going to be a bottom ten team next year, but until the pick shows some evidence of being a top five one you're not likely to land a Piercesque player with it).
 

slamminsammya

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nighthob said:
Honestly the Celtics aren't in a position to make a move yet. Their 2015 draft assets are pretty worthless at the moment (unless by some miracle they miss the playoffs and win the lotto). And their future picks have way too high variance attached to be viable enough to acquire anything more than a player yet (the Nets are almost certainly going to be a bottom ten team next year, but until the pick shows some evidence of being a top five one you're not likely to land a Piercesque player with it).
In what world are mid first round picks worthless? What do you mean by that?
 

nighthob

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Their 2015 picks are the 15th, 26th, 33rd and 45th picks in a 12 player draft, what do you think you're getting for that hot mess? I mean, sure, if the object is to keep running out ten man bench teams then you can can probably move them for more Brandon Bass/Jonas Jerebko type players. But you don't get cornerstone guys for that slop stew. Not unless it's a star player and pending free agent who's telling his current team that he will never re-resign with them and won't re-sign with anyone else except Boston. But Boston has zero path to a title at the moment, so they're not going to get that break.

The future picks' value is more limited due to the high variance, we already saw this last year when Boston attempted to trade for Kevin Love in the run up to the draft. Even with #6 in tow there was no package of picks that Boston could throw together for K-Lo because for all anyone knows Brooklyn would keep eking out #8 seeds.

So, they could throw together a godfather offer to get one guy, but why the hell would he stay to head up a ten man bench? Until they get that first star everything else is going to be stuck, and once they have him they need enough assets left to get that star a surrounding cast.
 

nighthob

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That's what I was saying. Due to high variance on the future picks he would need to cash in everything to get one guy, which won't work because that one guy won't stay here to not play for a title. So until those future picks show out, all he'll be doing this summer is rearranging the deck chairs and looking at the next Evan Turner-type signing.
 

Eddie Jurak

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BigSoxFan said:
We don't know what Ainge's stopping point for Love was. He absolutely had enough ammo to make a deal.
Did he? Minnesota got a package that included Andrew Wiggins.

I am wondering whether Danny will have another shot at Love.
 

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swingin val said:
I'm not sure why this is even an argument. There is no doubt that college coaches have it "easier" then NBA coaches. The reason to coach in the NBA is money and ego.
 
That, and the NBA is a dramatically better product.
 

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BigSoxFan said:
Minny almost traded Love to GS for Thompson before GS said no. I think the Celtics had a real chance to land Love before they were ultimately trumped by Cleveland once LeBron signed on. But I definitely think Love could have been a Celtic had Danny been more aggressive.
Thompson and Wiggins are both significantly better top pieces than anything the Celtics could offer.
It is impossible to know if Love was a real option, but I lean towards no since the one thing MIN seemed clearly to want was one top-end piece, which the Celtics didn't have once their pick landed at 6.
 

nighthob

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BigSoxFan said:
Minny almost traded Love to GS for Thompson before GS said no. I think the Celtics had a real chance to land Love before they were ultimately trumped by Cleveland once LeBron signed on. But I definitely think Love could have been a Celtic had Danny been more aggressive.
Yes, but without the assets to finish building around Love, which was the problem.
 

nighthob

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Only Minnesota wasn't interested in what Boston was selling. Boston put on a full court press running up to the draft and after, but giving up everything for Love meant that when he and Rondo left this summer Boston would be spinning their wheels waiting around to rebuild. Getting a star doesn't help unless you have the necessary assets to build around them. And that's Boston's problem, they're not there yet.
 

mauf

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Missing out on Love was a blessing in disguise.

I hate to say it, because Rondo seems like a good guy who works his ass off, but trading him to Dallas was addition by subtraction. If we traded for Love, we probably extend Rondo instead. We would've been about the same this season (back-end playoff team in the East), with a much bleaker outlook.
 
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