Brad Stevens: President of Basketball Ops

[HomeRunBaker]

If that's the only bar that needs to be cleared for someone to become the head of basketball ops for a marquee professional franchise the world is upside down. This is an entirely new job with a different set of skills from coaching and there is nothing in his resume that indicates he is prepared for it, including recruiting teenagers to Indianapolis. He's smart and a great x's-and-o's guy and likely would be a plus to the draft? I would agree. Does that mean he is ready to evaluate trades. negotiate contracts and understand cap implications inherent in this work and also the other business-side parts of the job? I'm not sure about that at all.


If he doesn't have the right support structure, this will not be good and an exodus in the front office would be a rather large set back for the organization. I look forward to hearing all the scuttlebutt from Woj and Shams on if this was a fear-based move by Wyc to ensure he didn't lose both Ainge and Stevens or if this had been in the works for a rather long time. I think a lot of my final feelings will come down to understanding if this were a power struggle and if Mike Z and crew are retained. Can't imagine Austin Ainge sticks around.

I mean, you asked about his background on talent evaluation and he has arguably the best evaluation resume over the last 20 years in college basketball in recruiting mid-major prospects who grew into being one basket from being National Champions. What do you think player evaluation is? The guy literally built the Butler program. That is his resume right there.

The other part, for me anyway, is that I’m confident in Wyc & Co’s decision making having saw what I saw in that this organization had gotten stale. They surely have been considering Brad for some time and have worlds more information than any of our speculations.

 

[Was (Not Wasdin)]

I'd prefer a former NBA player (Juwann Howard?) paired with someone like Kenny Atkinson as a top assistant. If they hire Jason Kidd, I'd really struggle to root for this team.

I think this signals a move towards a more analytically focused Celtics team, both in terms of evaluating players and on court strategy.

I would not be surprised if JB is traded. I dont think Ainge could/would have done it, but Brown, and maybe Smart are the only ones that are going to bring back value to allow you to build around Tatum. This team is going to have to take a step or two backwards (record-wise) in order to move forward, and I think everyone realized Danny might not have been the right person to execute that.

 

[jose melendez]

I think it's time for DeMarlo Hale to finally get a chance.

 

[CPT Neuron]

CBS going full on Pop....I love it!

 

[kelpapa]

I will be livid if they maneuver all this to end up with Kidd as coach. That’s a disaster scenario to me. Not enamored either Pierce either it seems Atlanta’s rise after he left is a strong data point that he didn’t know how to maximize his roster.

This is all very unnerving to me. I can’t believe how optimistic some of you are about a coach being able to make GM decisions.

I believe the situation with Pierce was that Trae Young didn't like him, and Bogdon was out injured to start the season. The Hawks made a decision to let him go because of Trae, and knew they needed to pull the trigger before Bogdon came back. They fire Pierce, Bogdon comes back, and are instantly a better team.

 

[128]

I'd prefer a former NBA player (Juwann Howard?) paired with someone like Kenny Atkinson as a top assistant. If they hire Jason Kidd, I'd really struggle to root for this team.

I think this signals a move towards a more analytically focused Celtics team, both in terms of evaluating players and on court strategy.

I would not be surprised if JB is traded. I dont think Ainge could/would have done it, but Brown, and maybe Smart are the only ones that are going to bring back value to allow you to build around Tatum. This team is going to have to take a step or two backwards (record-wise) in order to move forward, and I think everyone realized Danny might not have been the right person to execute that.

Kenny Atkinson himself wouldn't be a bad hire. His Brooklyn teams always played hard.

 

[JCizzle]

I believe the situation with Pierce was that Trae Young didn't like him, and Bogdon was out injured to start the season. The Hawks made a decision to let him go because of Trae, and knew they needed to pull the trigger before Bogdon came back. They fire Pierce, Bogdon comes back, and are instantly a better team.

Personality management seems to be a huge deal for today's coaches though. An inability to connect with your team's superstar is a flag to me.

 

[OurF'ingCity]

I can’t believe how optimistic some of you are about a coach being able to make GM decisions.

As others have pointed out, Ainge was a coach who moved into the GM role and did very well. And there are plenty of other examples of solid GMs who had little or no prior experience - Elton Brand and James Jones are two names that immediately spring to mind.

Plus, I think reporting has been pretty clear that Stevens was already pretty heavily involved in personnel decisions, so it's not like he is going to be moving into the role without any idea about who does what, how the Celtics evaluation process functions, etc. None of which is to say that he'll be good in this new role - it's just that lack of experience is not something I'm particularly concerned about in this case.

 

[Dim13]

I hope Danny drops the mic at the end of the press conference by revealing that he is Janos.

 

[Cellar-Door]

I believe the situation with Pierce was that Trae Young didn't like him, and Bogdon was out injured to start the season. The Hawks made a decision to let him go because of Trae, and knew they needed to pull the trigger before Bogdon came back. They fire Pierce, Bogdon comes back, and are instantly a better team.

I think it was more than that too. They didn't run any sets on offense and he tried to run a switching defense (much like what the Celtics used under CBS). Now the offense could have been trying to appease Trae. McMillan went to not switching on D and running a more set (but simple) offense. But yeah getting one of their best players back and 100% was huge as well.

Edit- also McMillan is a really good coach who has repeatedly gotten fired for basically plateauing at above his team's talent.

 

[kelpapa]

Personality management seems to be a huge deal for today's coaches though. An inability to connect with your team's superstar is a flag to me.

Absolutely. I don't know the specifics of why they didn't get along. I was talking to the point of Atlanta becoming a better team once Pierce was let go.

 

[JCizzle]

I hope Danny drops the mic at the end of the press conference by revealing that he is Janos.

This would be incredible

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

One thing that was great about Ainge having such job security is it freed him up to not make panic moves and try to plan ahead. In that sense, I like the continuity/stability of staying in house with BS as an unstable FO is the worst thing for any franchise.

I give them a 0.0% chance of hiring Jason Kidd. Subpar coaching history, already reviled by the fan base. No way.

 

[luckiestman]

Stevens might be more suited for this role than day to day coach. I love Danny, the personification of guile wrapped up with a baby face. But all things must come to an end and this transition is better than firing everyone.

 

[Van Everyman]

I'll think this through later, but given Brad's options, this suggests that everyone involved likes his basketball mind, but also thinks he lost the team on a day-to-day coaching basis.

I think it's slightly different: I wonder if CBS thought that the coach who was gonna get this group--Tatum, Jaylen, Timelord--over the top had to be someone else.

 

[radsoxfan]

I like the move more if Stevens is all-in on the front office move. Maybe he's tired of coaching, the travel, wants more time with the family etc.

If this was just a way to keep Stevens on payroll and avoid paying him the rest of his contract, that's a lot less likely to end well in my opinion.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

I mentioned Juwan Howard in jest. He'd be perfect but he's not leaving Michigan.

The team could go full circle and bring in Danny Ainge as the head coach.

Is Nate McMillan locked down?

I'd guess Stevens asks for Tatum and Browns input and if they are on board, settles with someone already in the organization.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

View: https://twitter.com/marcjspears/status/1400106771469901832?s=21

Interesting life rebound for Jerome Allen if he is the guy. From basketball coach to being indicted and an inch from a prison sentence.....to the Celtics Head Coach.

I like the idea of the new coach being a former player who can connect with today’s players. I’ve always been a huge Sam I Am fan so bringing Cassell back for another Championship would be nice.

I expect Becky to get a shot somewhere but right here right now isn’t the best spot for her. There are too many ahead of her in the pecking order for a team that should contend soon.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

With the caveat that anything on Twitter should be discounted to zero, there is a fair bit of discussion of how much Tatum loves Jerome Allen based on recent interviews. He seems like a logical target given the familiarity etc. That said, he has a past to account for and there are other considerations so maybe he doesn't make the cut but he seems to be the sort of candidate Boston would go for over some of the others mentioned.

 

[teddykgb]

As others have pointed out, Ainge was a coach who moved into the GM role and did very well. And there are plenty of other examples of solid GMs who had little or no prior experience - Elton Brand and James Jones are two names that immediately spring to mind.

Plus, I think reporting has been pretty clear that Stevens was already pretty heavily involved in personnel decisions, so it's not like he is going to be moving into the role without any idea about who does what, how the Celtics evaluation process functions, etc. None of which is to say that he'll be good in this new role - it's just that lack of experience is not something I'm particularly concerned about in this case.

Elton Brand was not successful. I also don’t think it is all that useful to point to examples where it has worked. I would happily concede that it is possible for a coach to make this transition so we don’t need to argue about Brand. The question to me is whether this teams current situation can afford to have a coach learn on the job. Taking over a bad team and shedding cap is a very different situation to trying to rebuild a contender with no cap space. The basketball skills we know Stevens has are X and O things.

Also he has spent a lot of time with these players, good or bad, does he have the ruthlessness needed to reshape a roster full of players he liked/disliked? If he lost the team to some extent this year is that locker room excited to have him deciding their futures today? Pretty much the only thing that matters, sadly, is what Tatum is thinking right now. Maybe the biggest short term threat to the Celtics right now to a disaster scenario where Tatum demands a trade…does hiring a coach he may or may not like as the architect of the whole roster help or hurt that cause?

 

[Cesar Crespo]

I like the move more if Stevens is all-in on the front office move. Maybe he's tired of coaching, the travel, wants more time with the family etc.

If this was just a way to keep Stevens on payroll and avoid paying him the rest of his contract, that's a lot less likely to end well in my opinion.

His demeanor seems more GM than coach but I get that's totally a subjective thing.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

With the caveat that anything on Twitter should be discounted to zero, there is a fair bit of discussion of how much Tatum loves Jerome Allen based on recent interviews. He seems like a logical target given the familiarity etc. That said, he has a past to account for and there are other considerations so maybe he doesn't make the cut but he seems to be the sort of candidate Boston would go for over some of the others mentioned.

Which is why there is no way Jason Kidd is coming to Boston. I'll never forget the Bob Ryan suspension.

 

[mikeot]

What about KG? I know most former superstars as HC have disastrous tenures, but talk about setting a tone.

Au revoir to the great DA, may or may not change my avatar.

 

[BigSoxFan]

With the caveat that anything on Twitter should be discounted to zero, there is a fair bit of discussion of how much Tatum loves Jerome Allen based on recent interviews. He seems like a logical target given the familiarity etc. That said, he has a past to account for and there are other considerations so maybe he doesn't make the cut but he seems to be the sort of candidate Boston would go for over some of the others mentioned.

Given how the NBA works, I'm letting Tatum and Brown hire the next coach.

 

[Kliq]

I think its time to bring Mark Jackson back to coaching.

 

[teddykgb]

I think its time to bring Mark Jackson back to coaching.

Probably you and Mark Jackson share this opinion

edit: and of course I assume you’re joking so we are down to one

 

[Kliq]

Probably you and Mark Jackson share this opinion

A lot of dumb fans think that Jackson was a good coach/commentator and should come back, which ignores the fact that his run with GS was a disaster and the players hated him and he also constantly sounds very stupid on broadcasts.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

How can people "love" or "hate" this news. Its literally breaking and we clearly don't have all the details. But if you were looking for your 76ers reset, here it is.

Based on the pace and timing, this has been in the works so you wonder if they already have their HC candidate lined up. I suspect he won't be a ref whisperer (screamer?) like many here seem to feel this team is lacking but who knows.

This is exactly right. This news is mindblowingly inconceivable and we have no way to judge. Stevens fired or Ainge fired or both fired would have made a certain amount of sense, whether one agrees with it or not. Stevens kicked upstiars adds a dimension I don't understand.

Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd and former Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce are expected to be head-coaching candidates for the Boston Celtics, league sources tell
@YahooSports

I was thinking that was a big mistake by Ainge, especially coming off last year, where the Players flexed their leadership off the court. Looks like it may have contributed to him losing his job.

Wonder if Becky Hammon gets an interview at least? Not usually a bad choice to pick from the Pop coaching tree, and she seems to be very well respected by players across the league.

I would 10,000-fold rather see Becky Hammon as the next C's coach than Jason Kidd. But I think it is probably a virtual certainty that Hammon won't be a serious candidate. I think a move like that would be seen as too much of a roll of the dice for the current situation. Just please not Jason Kidd or some other retread. (Has she been interviewed for head coaching jobs before? If not the Celtics should absolutely do that, even though they are unlikely to go in that direction.)

I think Danny Ainge is a top-notch personnel guy and am sad to see him go. But he’s 62 and has had health problems; this is almost certainly what’s best for him personally.

Short of hiring someone who has been a successful GM elsewhere — and I’m not aware of anyone like that who’s available — I’m not really sure what kind of experiences are most predictive of success as an NBA GM. So I don’t know what to think about Stevens’ elevation. I guess I’m fine with it.

Danny's big successes were 2008, making the Brooklyn deal, and spending the best of the Brooklyn picks well (Jaylen, Jayson, Smart). I guess also picking up some useful pieces for cheap (the Jae Crowder/IT/Theis types), the Horford deal, and - given the freakish nature of how it worked out - the Hayward deal. Conversely, his big miss was the Kyrie deal which forced him into another big deal that didn't pan out with Kemba.

I guess the big question is what kind of a role Stevens will have going forward. Will he be a figurehead President or the leader of basketball ops? Is he qualified to be the head of basketball ops? Maybe yes - we have no way of knowing how involved he was vs Danny.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

A lot of dumb fans think that Jackson was a good coach/commentator and should come back, which ignores the fact that his run with GS was a disaster and the players hated him and he also constantly sounds very stupid on broadcasts.

Who was the coach over there with the tape recorder? This is such a cutthroat business.

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

'Coach K' is trending on Twitter. Split between him coming to HC the Celts, and Brad eventually taking over for him at Duke.

 

[cardiacs]

I hope Danny drops the mic at the end of the press conference by revealing that he is Janos.

this is fantastic

 

[luckiestman]

What about KG? I know most former superstars as HC have disastrous tenures, but talk about setting a tone.

Au revoir to the great DA, may or may not change my avatar.

KG does not seem like he would be a good head coach.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Who was the coach over there with the tape recorder? This is such a cutthroat business.

Darren Erman, ex-Cs assistant, right?

 

[PedroKsBambino]

What about KG? I know most former superstars as HC have disastrous tenures, but talk about setting a tone.

Au revoir to the great DA, may or may not change my avatar.

I love KG but there is absolutely no reason to believe he has the mindset to be a head coach---and we know he has not had any of the experience. I really doubt that would be the move

 

[128]

Don't know if/why he'd want to part with Luka, but Carlisle is a former Celtic.

 

[Valek123]

Could not be more excited to have Stevens step aside as head coach, I truly think he lost the team last year and that's a large part of the extreme inconsistency in effort.

Now we'll see how much of the drafting success has been Danny, this is a big off-season for the Celtics.

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

Is Nate McMillan locked down?

No, not yet. But if the Hawks offer him the full-time gig, I'd be shocked if he'd prefer the Celtics to the Hawks.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

What about KG? I know most former superstars as HC have disastrous tenures, but talk about setting a tone.

Au revoir to the great DA, may or may not change my avatar.

I don't think there has ever been any indication that KG wanted to coach.

 

[Light-Tower-Power]

What about KG? I know most former superstars as HC have disastrous tenures, but talk about setting a tone.

Au revoir to the great DA, may or may not change my avatar.

No way KG would be a fit in today's NBA. He also might get tossed out of every single game he coaches.

 

[osori]

Wow. When I looked at the title I thought this was a joke or something.

Feels like being a good basketball coach wouldn't necessarily translate well to being a good GM, but we'll see.

 

[8slim]

I mean, you asked about his background on talent evaluation and he has arguably the best evaluation resume over the last 20 years in college basketball in recruiting mid-major prospects who grew into being one basket from being National Champions. What do you think player evaluation is? The guy literally built the Butler program. That is his resume right there.

The other part, for me anyway, is that I’m confident in Wyc & Co’s decision making having saw what I saw in that this organization had gotten stale. They surely have been considering Brad for some time and have worlds more information than any of our speculations.

It's fair to cite Brad's incredible success building Butler. That being said, Pitino built an all-timer at Kentucky, and that sure didn't translate to running an NBA franchise.

I do trust that Brad is farrr better prepared for this role than Pitino was, though. Just stating the obvious that success at the collegiate level is no guarantee at the NBA level. I know, duh.

 

[PedroKsBambino]

It's fair to cite Brad's incredible success building Butler. That being said, Pitino built an all-timer at Kentucky, and that sure didn't translate to running an NBA franchise.

I do trust that Brad is farrr better prepared for this role than Pitino was, though. Just stating the obvious that success at the collegiate level is no guarantee at the NBA level. I know, duh.

Fair, though Kentucky Pitino had a recruiting advantage which one can't replicate in the NBA. Butler has a recruiting disadvantage such that you need to build your team from leftover pieces the big guys didn't want. That's a lot closer to the NBA, where you draft (hopefully) stars but unless you are the Lakers or a current hot team (e.g. Warriors for a few years) you are pretty much working with leftovers too.

 

[Cesar Crespo]

It's fair to cite Brad's incredible success building Butler. That being said, Pitino built an all-timer at Kentucky, and that sure didn't translate to running an NBA franchise.

I do trust that Brad is farrr better prepared for this role than Pitino was, though. Just stating the obvious that success at the collegiate level is no guarantee at the NBA level. I know, duh.

Stevens doesn't have the presence or ego of Pitino. I'd guess Stevens is more likely to listen to the input of others but I could be totally wrong.

 

[TripleOT]

The Celtics would be wise to hire a Black coach who connects well with the Jays and was a former players.

The first person I thought of was Jerome Allen. The NBA never cared much about college coaching scandals, and he’s got a good history with the Jays, Brad, and ownership.

Others with a Celtic connection and experience as an NBA assistant:

Sam Cassell
James Posey
Chauncey Billups
Adrian Griffin
Ed Pinckney
Bill Russell

Cassell would be a great hire. He’s smart, high basketball IQ, championship pedigree, paid his dues as an assistant, has testicular fortitude.

Billups doesn’t have as much experience as an assistant, but also has those qualities

Griffin and Pinckney have grinded out many years as assistants, but probably don’t have a high enough profile to get this type of job.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

It's fair to cite Brad's incredible success building Butler. That being said, Pitino built an all-timer at Kentucky, and that sure didn't translate to running an NBA franchise.

I do trust that Brad is farrr better prepared for this role than Pitino was, though. Just stating the obvious that success at the collegiate level is no guarantee at the NBA level. I know, duh.

The difference was that Pitino was a coach who got the absolute Max out of his players (see: Providence) while Brad evaluated a couple low level prospects (Hayward and Mack) who made it to the NBA based on the talent he saw in them. Yes he coached that team well too but Pitino was never viewed as an good evaluator only as a great college coach.

 

[AMS25]

I think it's time for DeMarlo Hale to finally get a chance.

LOL

 

[brendan f]

Zarren has always made more sense as an assistant. He does a lot of the salary stuff and seems to relish his role as second-fiddle--I'm not sure he's going anywhere. Austin is the guy I always assumed would take over after Ainge. But the more I think about it, the more sense this makes. Stevens is really smart and has great people around him; the transition should be smooth. Also, I don't believe this was a rash move. Jackie MacMullan reported weeks ago that Celtics were considering giving Stevens a more prominent voice in the front office. Well, he certainly has that now.

 

[ifmanis5]

The Celtics would be wise to hire a Black coach who connects well with the Jays and was a former players.

The first person I thought of was Jerome Allen. The NBA never cared much about college coaching scandals, and he’s got a good history with the Jays, Brad, and ownership.

Others with a Celtic connection and experience as an NBA assistant:

Sam Cassell
James Posey
Chauncey Billups
Adrian Griffin
Ed Pinckney
Bill Russell

Cassell would be a great hire. He’s smart, high basketball IQ, championship pedigree, paid his dues as an assistant, has testicular fortitude.

Billups doesn’t have as much experience as an assistant, but also has those qualities

Griffin and Pinckney have grinded out many years as assistants, but probably don’t have a high enough profile to get this type of job.

Absolutely this.

 

[Jimbodandy]

Could not be more excited to have Stevens step aside as head coach, I truly think he lost the team last year and that's a large part of the extreme inconsistency in effort.

We keep saying that around here like it's gospel, but the team just played their balls off for 20 quarters against a clearly superior opponent.

 

[TripleOT]

Ainge stepped into his job with the Celtics with scant personnel experience, as an ex-coach, and he did well. Similar situation too. Two young emerging superstars. Some playoff success, but the feeling that major moves had to happen to reach the next level.

It’s different in that Jaylen Brown is better than Toine, and meshes well with Tatum. I hope Brad believes in building around those two budding superstars. It’s a wing league, and having two do it all wings who get along is a solid foundation for a championship run.