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

[PhoSita]

interesting how? do we have any specific examples of how Ainge wasn't trading youth for veterans that Kyrie liked?

Yes...he did not want to let go of his draft picks.

provide me an example of a player who you think Ainge could have gotten with those vaunted and oh-so-valuable draft picks while Kyrie was on the team and still engaged.


from my point of view Kyrie was checked out as soon as it became clear that this was going to be Tatum's team.

The Celtics were never going to make the franchise entirely about Kyrie.

If your last statement is true, then what a stupid trade to make in the first place.

And, it doesn't matter what I think, or you think was a good trade match. It only matters what Kyrie thought and expected...not if it was possible.

It's easy to say in retrospect, but it does look like a really bad trade.  I don't think Kyrie was ever going to stay unless they were willing to give him the LeBron treatment (i.e. let him and his cronies run the show and get all the attention / glory, make nothing but win-now moves, etc). 

Problem is Kyrie is not a LeBron-level player and the Celtics were never going to completely orient their franchise around one guy like that.  Not when the franchise was already so invested in Brad, Tatum, Brown, Danny Ainge, etc. 

Devil's advocate take is that while Kyrie is not a LeBron level player, he clearly has the cache to get MVP type players to join up with him, as he has done in Brooklyn.  So you could argue that the Celts should have bent over backwards, traded away all the young guys, etc in order to keep Kyrie happy and entice him to get people like KD, Harden or whoever to join him in Boston.

Would guys like that ever want to play in Boston?  I think that's an open question, too.


Anyway, we'll never know. But it does seem like a really bad play that Ainge put all his chips on Kyrie (with an eye toward going after AD) and within a year or so it became clear that neither of those guys really wanted to be in Boston long term.  As a result Ainge's big plan fell apart, and he didn't seem to have a backup plan.

[SHAQATTACK]

Gotta think Zarren takes the reigns if this happens.

While I am Zarren loyalist, I think that Wyc should strongly consider making Masai Ujiri an extraordinarily wealthy man.

Bingo correct answer

  Old shaq told ya ll Danny was most likely leaving under hi# own power .

[JBcat]

apologies in advance for the long post; hopefully some will find the perspective an interesting pov.

i watched the presser in its entirety, and came away with a completely different opinion of what transpired than what i initially thought.

background: i had the privilege of working in a c-level role with two different fortune 500 companies in my career and i’ve seen this type of organizational change up close several times. my $0.02, the change the c’s just announced was the result of an internal power play, which was won by brad. i’ve seen this play out many times and it usually takes one of two paths: 1) the ugly, ego-driven firefight that is tough to hide internally and externally, and 2) the professional, respectful, but material difference in vision that ends up with one person “winning” and the other agreeing to “retire.”

from what i witnessed, the c’s went through the latter. danny and brad’s awkward body language at the presser, brad’s quick promotion without ownership even considering a search, danny claiming health reasons and a desire to spend time with family (old standards for exiting execs) combined with his non-answer regarding future jobs all point to a decision forced on ownership to pick one of two diverging points of view and philosophies. like i said, i’ve seen this before and it goes down in similar fashion almost every time.

furthermore, the praise danny and brad heaped on each other during the presser was very awkward and came across as two guys who are both pros and will say the appropriate things at the right moment. it wasn’t completely genuine and was a bit forced. for a guy who allegedly made his own decision to retire to spend more time with family, danny didn’t seem very happy at the presser. this was a gentlemanly separation at the request of ownership. “here’s your exit package, danny, which is contingent on you playing the company guy bit on your way out.” danny gets a nice cash reward and the ability to spin it as his decision; the c’s get a fluid transition and little-to-no bad PR.

also, i’ve worked directly with guys like brad who seem to be very low key and demure but are surprisingly very savvy politically. it makes sense we heard rumors and read articles earlier in the season that brad would assume a greater role in personnel going forward. he was not happy with danny’s rosters and made it clear to wyc that he needed more control. as the team struggled to perform, ownership was forced to become more involved in these diverging philosophies and ultimately pick a side. what was announced today was the culmination of this battle being won by brad, which makes sense. ownership was forced to pick a horse for the long term and brad came out on top. i think the “aw shucks” indiana country boy schtick purposefully hides a very driven, savvy, ambitious personality. he didn’t get to where he is by chance. honestly, this viewpoint makes me even more confident in his ability to run basketball operations for the c’s.

like i said, simply my opinion based on what i’ve witnessed firsthand. granted, i could be completely wrong but all the signs do seem to point to a professional power play that didn’t go danny’s way.

I have a hard time believing this, because Austin Ainge was part of Danny’s tight inner circle, and it seems it will remain that way under Brad.   If this was truly the case I have a hard time seeing Danny’s son staying on board.

[ausbacker]

Makes perfect sense to give the keys to the roster construction kingdom to a guy who had no feel for the game. Feels like the next HC has already been set up to fail.

Stevens and Ainge both needed to exit.

[gouki88]

Makes perfect sense to give the keys to the roster construction kingdom to a guy who had no feel for the game. Feels like the next HC has already been set up to fail.

Stevens and Ainge both needed to exit.

I feel like this might be a tad harsh. Stevens was very limited in the last 18 months by roster construction, but before then we were all raving about him. "No feel for the game" seems wrong, he might just be better served in the front office. I don't think Zarren would have been overlooked if ownership wasn't confident in Brad

[Mahk E Mahk]

apologies in advance for the long post; hopefully some will find the perspective an interesting pov.

i watched the presser in its entirety, and came away with a completely different opinion of what transpired than what i initially thought.

background: i had the privilege of working in a c-level role with two different fortune 500 companies in my career and i’ve seen this type of organizational change up close several times. my $0.02, the change the c’s just announced was the result of an internal power play, which was won by brad. i’ve seen this play out many times and it usually takes one of two paths: 1) the ugly, ego-driven firefight that is tough to hide internally and externally, and 2) the professional, respectful, but material difference in vision that ends up with one person “winning” and the other agreeing to “retire.”

from what i witnessed, the c’s went through the latter. danny and brad’s awkward body language at the presser, brad’s quick promotion without ownership even considering a search, danny claiming health reasons and a desire to spend time with family (old standards for exiting execs) combined with his non-answer regarding future jobs all point to a decision forced on ownership to pick one of two diverging points of view and philosophies. like i said, i’ve seen this before and it goes down in similar fashion almost every time.

furthermore, the praise danny and brad heaped on each other during the presser was very awkward and came across as two guys who are both pros and will say the appropriate things at the right moment. it wasn’t completely genuine and was a bit forced. for a guy who allegedly made his own decision to retire to spend more time with family, danny didn’t seem very happy at the presser. this was a gentlemanly separation at the request of ownership. “here’s your exit package, danny, which is contingent on you playing the company guy bit on your way out.” danny gets a nice cash reward and the ability to spin it as his decision; the c’s get a fluid transition and little-to-no bad PR.

also, i’ve worked directly with guys like brad who seem to be very low key and demure but are surprisingly very savvy politically. it makes sense we heard rumors and read articles earlier in the season that brad would assume a greater role in personnel going forward. he was not happy with danny’s rosters and made it clear to wyc that he needed more control. as the team struggled to perform, ownership was forced to become more involved in these diverging philosophies and ultimately pick a side. what was announced today was the culmination of this battle being won by brad, which makes sense. ownership was forced to pick a horse for the long term and brad came out on top. i think the “aw shucks” indiana country boy schtick purposefully hides a very driven, savvy, ambitious personality. he didn’t get to where he is by chance. honestly, this viewpoint makes me even more confident in his ability to run basketball operations for the c’s.

like i said, simply my opinion based on what i’ve witnessed firsthand. granted, i could be completely wrong but all the signs do seem to point to a professional power play that didn’t go danny’s way.

I have a hard time believing this, because Austin Ainge was part of Danny’s tight inner circle, and it seems it will remain that way under Brad.   If this was truly the case I have a hard time seeing Danny’s son staying on board.

give it time. if both danny and austin leave together, it’s obvious what occurred. all involved in this change are pros who are clearly acting in good faith. while awkward, i don’t think the separation of danny from the organization was contentious on either side, so no need for austin to depart immediately. it was a professional difference of future direction and philosophy, and danny’s past contributions to the franchise were genuinely appreciated by the owners. as part of his exit agreement, danny may also have negotiated a spot for austin, at least until he lines up another job.

austin is a 39-year-old married father of three. he’s probably got his feelers out and will depart when he has another gig lined up. in the interim, he poses no risk to brad’s leadership or his plans for the franchise. in my view, all of this is proof that the c’s organization is a classy, professional environment run by adults.

as i stated, it’s very possible i am wrong. 

[liam]

Makes perfect sense to give the keys to the roster construction kingdom to a guy who had no feel for the game. Feels like the next HC has already been set up to fail.

Stevens and Ainge both needed to exit.

I feel like this might be a tad harsh. Stevens was very limited in the last 18 months by roster construction, but before then we were all raving about him. "No feel for the game" seems wrong, he might just be better served in the front office. I don't think Zarren would have been overlooked if ownership wasn't confident in Brad

I said this many times during the season that Brad was phoning it in and it turns out he was. I would've had more respect for him if he just retired before the year started but I guess he wanted to sign that big contract extension. Before this year I was sold on Brad but after this year I felt that Danny and Brad just took the year off. A real waste of time for everyone.

[tenn_smoothie]

A buddy texted me this news this morning, saying both Ainge and Stevens were stepping down.
Not out of any malice towards either, but I thought, "this is great news".
We have a solid base of young stars to build around - let's take a new approach with this group both - management and coaching. Just what we needed to get the team headed back in the right direction.

Then I read the story and learned that Danny was retiring and Brad was the new GM. Bad news.

Stevens has zero experience in management. He will be dealing with experienced and capable GM's from around the league and learning as he goes. Not a good idea for a franchise at a crossroads.
Besides that, this decision by Wyc means no new direction at all. In fact, the Celtics will become even more impotent than they have been recently. Stevens is still the soft, small-ball obsessed guy he was as a coach. That means more of the same - players & philosophy. Finally, Stevens probably ain't gonna look for a coach different from himself, which is what is needed. What is Wyc thinking ?

I certainly am grateful for all the dedication and effort that Brad Stevens has given to the Celtics. He was not the right coach for the team as they acquired more talent and became serious contenders, but he did a great job getting us to that point.

On a final note, I greatly appreciate Danny Ainge for all he has done as a player and as GM. He revived the franchise after all the disastrous years since the death of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis and the retirement of Bird's teams. He is a Celtic and I would love to see his #44 in the rafters next season .

[greg683x]

I just logged on and saw this and thought, here we go again with lets fire the GM and coach threads and find it to be true. Wow, my initial gut is we are about to take a step backwards. I hope I am wrong.

Also guessing a minority coach is coming soon. I don’t  suppose KG would want to coach? I would live to see his toughness but guessing his perfectionist mentality would be a tough fit in young players. I bet Rondo would be a great coach as well.

I don’t think KG could handle being so close to the game without being able to play in it.

[gouki88]

A buddy texted me this news this morning, saying both Ainge and Stevens were stepping down.
Not out of any malice towards either, but I thought, "this is great news".
We have a solid base of young stars to build around - let's take a new approach with this group both - management and coaching. Just what we needed to get the team headed back in the right direction.

Then I read the story and learned that Danny was retiring and Brad was the new GM. Bad news.

Stevens has zero experience in management. He will be dealing with experienced and capable GM's from around the league and learning as he goes. Not a good idea for a franchise at a crossroads.
Besides that, this decision by Wyc means no new direction at all. In fact, the Celtics will become even more impotent than they have been recently. Stevens is still the soft, small-ball obsessed guy he was as coach. That means more of the same - players & philosophy. Finally, Stevens probably ain't gonna look for a coach different from himself. So .............. more of the same. What is Wyc thinking ?

I certainly am grateful for all the dedication and effort that Brad Stevens has given to the Celtics. He was not the right coach for the team as they acquired more talent and became serious contenders, but he did a great job getting us to that point.

On a final note, I greatly appreciate Danny Ainge for all he has done as a player and as GM. He revived the franchise after all the disastrous years since the death of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis and the retirement of Bird's teams. He is a Celtic and I would love to see his #44 in the rafters next season .

I remember about a year ago or so there was the story that Brad would be taking more of a front-office role. I wonder how hands-on that was

[tenn_smoothie]

Makes perfect sense to give the keys to the roster construction kingdom to a guy who had no feel for the game. Feels like the next HC has already been set up to fail.

Stevens and Ainge both needed to exit.

Agreed

[tenn_smoothie]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1400097447121199104?s=20

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn Jun 2
Stevens has been described as worn down with coaching since The Bubble, and welcomed the chance to make the transition to the front office, sources tell ESPN. Stevens will help lead the search for his successor as head coach.

Any frontrunners for head coach? Billups?

Unreal.  I'm not sure that giving the keys to the kingdom to a guy who is experiencing burnout (and who is underqualified) is in the team's best interests.

I've got to think that this is being done mostly due to money.  The team extended Brad, who has a lot of guaranteed salary left.  So, he gets moved up to a position he's not qualified for.

If that's the case, we are doomed. The most storied franchise located in a setting that does not appear the most desirable to the modern, superficial athlete and owners whose #1 priority is watching the budget.

[hwangjini_1]

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1400097447121199104?s=20

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn Jun 2
Stevens has been described as worn down with coaching since The Bubble, and welcomed the chance to make the transition to the front office, sources tell ESPN. Stevens will help lead the search for his successor as head coach.

Any frontrunners for head coach? Billups?

Unreal.  I'm not sure that giving the keys to the kingdom to a guy who is experiencing burnout (and who is underqualified) is in the team's best interests.

I've got to think that this is being done mostly due to money.  The team extended Brad, who has a lot of guaranteed salary left.  So, he gets moved up to a position he's not qualified for.

If that's the case, we are doomed. The most storied franchise located in a setting that does not appear the most desirable to the modern, superficial athlete and owners whose #1 priority is watching the budget.

or, maybe the folks here at CS are outsiders who do not know the internal workings of the celtics front office, nor the mind of Stevens.

maybe they know what they are doing? all the evidence of the past 18+ years would indicate they have a long term plan and are astute at tactics to get them there.

again, the idea that Wyc wants to save a few million dollars in a franchise worth just over $3,000,000,000 (that is three billion) is really entering into silly world and ignoring the Wycs approach to the team.

[tenn_smoothie]

Wow, what a last few hours.  I liked both Brad and Danny in their roles.  A lot of things happened that were pretty much out of their control.  I guess all the Brad haters are feeling great about this, but I think it is a net loss for the Celtics.  We lose one of the better coaches in the NBA and 'promote' him to the FO.  We had one of the better GMs in the league and he is gone.  Now it is a complete crap shoot if Brad is able to do well in the FO role, and we lose a top 5 coach.  I know there is a lot going on behind the scenes that we might learn more about as time goes on but....on the surface and overall I say this is not a good day as a C's fan.
Hope we can pivot out of it.  I hope they get a coach that can work well with Tatum and Brown.

Brad was clearly burnt out, maybe Ainge too.

Feel really bad they have had to manage these lazy, listless players though. The effort was terrible this year. they looked like they were hung over half the time. I still can't believe the players didn't stand up for themselves at all when Kyrie was disrespecting the city and the organization. What a bunch of coddled beta-males .The way they slobbered over Kyrie after game 5 was disgusting.

I could not stomach watching the 2nd half of that game the other nite.
Really sickening given all the ways Kyrie has insulted the Celtic franchise.
If I were owner, I would be tempted to clean house after such a pathetic display of passivity and lack of pride

How bad was the love-fest, hug-fest with Irving ?

[Tr1boy]

Wow, what a last few hours.  I liked both Brad and Danny in their roles.  A lot of things happened that were pretty much out of their control.  I guess all the Brad haters are feeling great about this, but I think it is a net loss for the Celtics.  We lose one of the better coaches in the NBA and 'promote' him to the FO.  We had one of the better GMs in the league and he is gone.  Now it is a complete crap shoot if Brad is able to do well in the FO role, and we lose a top 5 coach.  I know there is a lot going on behind the scenes that we might learn more about as time goes on but....on the surface and overall I say this is not a good day as a C's fan.
Hope we can pivot out of it.  I hope they get a coach that can work well with Tatum and Brown.

Brad was clearly burnt out, maybe Ainge too.

Feel really bad they have had to manage these lazy, listless players though. The effort was terrible this year. they looked like they were hung over half the time. I still can't believe the players didn't stand up for themselves at all when Kyrie was disrespecting the city and the organization. What a bunch of coddled beta-males .The way they slobbered over Kyrie after game 5 was disgusting.

I could not stomach watching the 2nd half of that game the other nite.
Really sickening given all the ways Kyrie has insulted the Celtic franchise.
If I were owner, I would be tempted to clean house after such a pathetic display of passivity and lack of pride

How bad was the love-fest, hug-fest with Irving ?

like Wyc stated... he wants it to go back to the way used to be/Celtics way

which was a small jab at Brad and Ainge, who were right beside him at the presser

Looking forward to see what happens in the offseason