Danny Stepping Down / Brad To Lead Front Office / New Coach

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Wow. I'm shocked at the news. And I'm shocked at how relatively quickly the whole upward trajectory of the team has skewed the other direction: Just a few years ago we had an MVP type player in IT, an overachieving team led by a boy-whiz coach, a couple of exciting young players in Tatum and Brown, signing notable free agents, going farther in the playoffs every year, taking LeBron's Cavs to 7 games  ...

but the Hayward injury, the Kyrie debacle, Brad and the Cs looking completely dumbfounded against the Heat in last year's playoffs, so much going wrong this season, Kyrie encouraging the narrative that Boston is filled with racists, and now Ainge leaving, Brad moving to the front office, getting a new coach, a perpetually injured star in Walker, a promising yet perpetually injured youngster in Rob ...

Tatum and Brown remain, but everything around them is a swirling, nebulous storm. Remember how good things looked when they acquired Hayward and Kyrie? Sure doesn't take long for things to go down the toilet.

[Kernewek]

The "what happens if the players don't like being told what to do by a woman?" thing is the same type of argument that's been used to deny women leadership positions from time immemorial.

It's not a good look.

It's probably not a good look, but every franchise in every sport to date has embraced it. 

If some players have a hard time respecting a white man who never played NBA hoops, my guess is that they'll feel similarly -- but more strongly -- about being coached by a white woman, no matter how qualified she may be.  We've talked a lot over the years about how players gravitate more toward former players.  Do we just ignore that with a candidate like Hammon, anymore than we would with any other candidate who never played in the NBA?

Have to presume that played in the WNBA and spent time coaching in the league is probably more compelling to all but the dumbest than "convinced Gordon Hayward to come to Butler". To go back a little bit, everyone acknowledges that Cheryl Miller was better than Reggie, right? Obviously Hammond isn't that calibre, talent-wise, but I'm not sure it's such a given problem in waiting.

However, I think the point that this is probably a stopgap coach is more important than whether the players would respect someone who played in the WNBA. To that end, it really doesn't matter who you hire.

[Ogaju]

Wow. I'm shocked at the news. And I'm shocked at how relatively quickly the whole upward trajectory of the team has skewed the other direction: Just a few years ago we had an MVP type player in IT, an overachieving team led by a boy-whiz coach, a couple of exciting young players in Tatum and Brown, signing notable free agents,

Then you traded for Kyrie.

[Roy H.]

It's absolutely wild that at one point we had a team of:

Horford / Baynes / Theis / Williams
Tatum / Morris / Ojeleye
Hayward
Brown / Smart
Kyrie / Rozier / Wanamaker

Plus we had all of our own draft picks, and were owed future picks from perennial lottery teams in Sacramento and Memphis.

And of course, the big dream was that we were going to package one of the Jays and those picks for Anthony Davis.

And now, here we are.

[colincb]

Stephen A Smith apparently blasts Celts for not hiring a non white GM.

He was incorrect about Nash hiring btw. Non white coaches have been hired without coaching experience

https://youtu.be/I3Bhk7fel-M

I wish we'd hired somebody with proven experience.  Ujiri seemed like the best available candidate.

But, he would have cost a lot, and he would have eventually wanted to fire Brad, which would cost a lot.  So Wyc decided to hire a guy who was burnt out and has no executive experience.

I mean, it's laughable:  Wyc cited Brad's ability to recruit at Butler as evidence that he'll be a good executive.

At some point the question has to be asked? Is Wyc too cheap as an owner?

Be serious. He also said that coach and GM are two separate positions in Boston.

I am serious. I expect the Boston Celtics to go out and try to get the most qualified man for any job. I’m sorry but Brad Stevens ain’t it. I loved the forward thinking when he was named HC but this reeks of fear.

I just don't see how this equates to being cheap. Any coach you bring is likely going to cost less per year than Brad was making.

I think I explained it above.

Let's say we hired Ujiri.  He's going to cost a lot.  Then, because GMs inevitably want to hire their own guy, Brad would be fired at some point, leaving us on the hook for his salary, plus whatever the new coach makes.

You also lost 40% of your revenue due to the pandemic. That impacts any business. Accounting for that isn't necessarily being cheap.

No?

Setting back your entire organization by hiring an inferior candidate to save money wouldn't be cheap?

And, please don't get snowed by the owners crying poverty due to the pandemic.  In addition to the escrowed salaries and tax breaks they'll get, the Celtics have seen their franchise appreciate literally billions of dollars, and have earned wild profits:



That's $359 million in profit in the past four years alone.  I think that we could afford the most qualified candidate.

Franchise value is the key. Operating profit in the NBA isn't much of a metric. Funky accounting and taxation for sports franchises.

[Sophomore]

It's absolutely wild that at one point we had a team of:

Horford / Baynes / Theis / Williams
Tatum / Morris / Ojeleye
Hayward
Brown / Smart
Kyrie / Rozier / Wanamaker

Plus we had all of our own draft picks, and were owed future picks from perennial lottery teams in Sacramento and Memphis.

And of course, the big dream was that we were going to package one of the Jays and those picks for Anthony Davis.

And now, here we are.

I’ll always believe that if that team had avoided major injury it would’ve made the finals and was 50:50 to win. That success early on would’ve made everything that came after much easier.

[Roy H.]

Stephen A Smith apparently blasts Celts for not hiring a non white GM.

He was incorrect about Nash hiring btw. Non white coaches have been hired without coaching experience

https://youtu.be/I3Bhk7fel-M

I wish we'd hired somebody with proven experience.  Ujiri seemed like the best available candidate.

But, he would have cost a lot, and he would have eventually wanted to fire Brad, which would cost a lot.  So Wyc decided to hire a guy who was burnt out and has no executive experience.

I mean, it's laughable:  Wyc cited Brad's ability to recruit at Butler as evidence that he'll be a good executive.

At some point the question has to be asked? Is Wyc too cheap as an owner?

Be serious. He also said that coach and GM are two separate positions in Boston.

I am serious. I expect the Boston Celtics to go out and try to get the most qualified man for any job. I’m sorry but Brad Stevens ain’t it. I loved the forward thinking when he was named HC but this reeks of fear.

I just don't see how this equates to being cheap. Any coach you bring is likely going to cost less per year than Brad was making.

I think I explained it above.

Let's say we hired Ujiri.  He's going to cost a lot.  Then, because GMs inevitably want to hire their own guy, Brad would be fired at some point, leaving us on the hook for his salary, plus whatever the new coach makes.

You also lost 40% of your revenue due to the pandemic. That impacts any business. Accounting for that isn't necessarily being cheap.

No?

Setting back your entire organization by hiring an inferior candidate to save money wouldn't be cheap?

And, please don't get snowed by the owners crying poverty due to the pandemic.  In addition to the escrowed salaries and tax breaks they'll get, the Celtics have seen their franchise appreciate literally billions of dollars, and have earned wild profits:



That's $359 million in profit in the past four years alone.  I think that we could afford the most qualified candidate.

Franchise value is the key. Operating profit in the NBA isn't much of a metric. Funky accounting and taxation for sports franchises.

Yeah, but I doubt they're showing *more* profit than they're actually making, so if anything the approximately $90 million is an underestimate, I would assume.

[colincb]

Scal says Kara Lawson could be the next HC.

I'm just wondering - say you hire a female head coach. And say a veteran player like Marcus Morris or Rondo - someone with a fuse, blows a gasket and confronts the coach. The PR hit from that would be awful.

You're opening yourself up to that by hiring a female head coach.

FWIW, as assistant coach Lawson worked closely with Marcus Smart as a shooting coach.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

It's absolutely wild that at one point we had a team of:

Horford / Baynes / Theis / Williams
Tatum / Morris / Ojeleye
Hayward
Brown / Smart
Kyrie / Rozier / Wanamaker

Plus we had all of our own draft picks, and were owed future picks from perennial lottery teams in Sacramento and Memphis.

And of course, the big dream was that we were going to package one of the Jays and those picks for Anthony Davis.

And now, here we are.

Yup. Like I said in my post above, just a few years ago everything was sunshine and roses, then stuff started going south. Heck, even the lottery-team draft picks ended up being way worse than we thought they'd be.

[bdm860]

Wonder how long this has been in the works for.

A little gem from a few weeks ago:

But according to longtime NBA reporter Jackie MacMullan, Stevens will not only stay in Boston, but could get a greater say in the roster construction.

And Nick picked up on this being a possible end result:

Weird little quote in that interview. So, so many here have pontificated that Brad has had a ton of input into the roster construction, hence having certain types of players. Jackie says he will now have even more influence on the rosters. Does that mean Brad didn't have a lot of say on the rosters, contrary to what many thought? Or does it mean he had a lot but now will be almost taking over that end of things? My guess is the former and not the latter.

(Apologize if this was already brought up somewhere in the 16 prior pages).

[Who]

Ugh ... his brings back memories of Pitino.

This often does not work well. I don't like this. There is too much work, too much responsibility on each role in today's NBA to combine it into one job. Better to keep them separate and have both a long term planner (GM) and a short term planner (Coach).

I don't trust CBS' judgement at all. I don't know why. Maybe it is his lack of interest in big men.

[A Future of Stevens]

Only positive to any of this is I don't have to beg the mods for a name change.

This name will bite me one day, just not yet haha.

[Birdman]

Surprise Stevens will not coach anywhere but may be tired of it already and needed a break..Glad Ainge is gone as he only made more bad moves than good

[RMO]

Ugh ... his brings back memories of Pitino.

This often does not work well. I don't like this. There is too much work, too much responsibility on each role in today's NBA to combine it into one job. Better to keep them separate and have both a long term planner (GM) and a short term planner (Coach).

I don't trust CBS' judgement at all. I don't know why. Maybe it is his lack of interest in big men.

I was just about to ask if I missed something but I see you've since crossed this out.  News is coming in fast and I can't seem to keep up.

BTW, I agree 100% about mixing the GM and coach roles.

[jpotter33]

Oh man, what a glorious day. Got to have my first experience with ocean fishing this morning with my two young boys at my side, and then came home to this news! Hell of a vacation!

In all seriousness - love the move. It was time to move on from Ainge, who has struggled in recent years to build out the team around our young stars. And as for Brad, while I think he has some shortcomings as a coach at this level, he clearly has a brilliant basketball mind, and I’m excited to see what he can do as gm. I also think his character and personality will help with relationship building around the league, though I hope he can make the hard decisions and be a tough negotiator.

EDIT: Mainly, though, I’m just happy that Brad is no longer coaching .