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

[nickagneta]

So, I don't see this being a cost cutting measure. I see this as a future vision decision measure with Brad representing either the continuation or the change of that vision.

Let's say it's the latter, a change in organizational vision.

Is there any real argument that Stevens is the most qualified person for the job of lead executive?  Economics aside, Ujiri clearly is more qualified than Stevens, for instance.  The fact that the team didn't even conduct a search suggests that this was either a continuation of philosophy hire, or a money thing.

As I said and you cut out of my post, we have no idea just how much Brad learned behind the scenes. It's easy to say Stevens doesn't have the experience, but none of us now exactly what responsibilities and voice Brad had. There have been more than enough leaks to ascertain he had at least some and possibly a lot. And there has been no indications that  Ujiri is available or would show interest in the job.

If Brad had a vision that the owners agreed with, why bring in a GM and force that GM into an organizational change of vision that they were already sold on by their coach? Especially if they know Brad gained a ton of front office experience because he was doing so much already? Hiring someone to manage another's vision is not the way things work.

For a company that makes tens of millions in profit and has hundreds of millions of increased franchise value every year, I doubt they would sacrifice their franchises future path to save $5-6 million a year in firing Stevens by promoting him. That makes little sense from a financial or a corporate management perspective.

I'm willing to be patient and see what happens over the summer and into the short term future. I think Stevens off-season will tell us a lot.

[Bobshot]

There are a lot of ways to interpret these events. What I heard in the presser is one way.
But there was no search for a GM, and the owners knew Ainge was serious about retirement for some time, according to media reports.
Some of the media I've seen have speculated  they wanted to change coaches because Stevens had lost the clubhouse. And because of the $30M owed to Stevens, the best way to change the coach was to promote Brad and his $30M to GM. Now that doesn't mean that Stevens can hire anybody he wants as coach and FO assistants. For one thing, the owners are still running the show.  For another, Ainge said that he already had a great front office staff already in place. Now what does that mean? It may mean there will be no changes in the front office. Somebody over at WEEI even speculated Brad would be around for only one year.

It's clear to a lot of people Brad had lost the clubhouse, and the effort seemed pretty uneven. Plus they owed him a ton of money. From that standpoint, the changes made make a lot of sense.

[hpantazo]

There are a lot of ways to interpret these events. What I heard in the presser is one way.
But there was no search for a GM, and the owners knew Ainge was serious about retirement for some time, according to media reports.
Some of the media I've seen have speculated  they wanted to change coaches because Stevens had lost the clubhouse. And because of the $30M owed to Stevens, the best way to change the coach was to promote Brad and his $30M to GM. Now that doesn't mean that Stevens can hire anybody he wants as coach and FO assistants. For one thing, the owners are still running the show.  For another, Ainge said that he already had a great front office staff already in place. Now what does that mean? It may mean there will be no changes in the front office. Somebody over at WEEI even speculated Brad would be around for only one year.

It's clear to a lot of people Brad had lost the clubhouse, and the effort seemed pretty uneven. Plus they owed him a ton of money. From that standpoint, the changes made make a lot of sense.

They gave Brad a raise and contract extension when they decided to make him the GM so no, that does not make a lot of sense.

Stevens is one of the most analytically oriented people in the NBA, which is what you want in a GM. Imo, he's more oriented to succeed as a GM than he was as a coach for that reason alone, and he was a darn good coach.

[colincb]

There are a lot of ways to interpret these events. What I heard in the presser is one way.
But there was no search for a GM, and the owners knew Ainge was serious about retirement for some time, according to media reports.
Some of the media I've seen have speculated  they wanted to change coaches because Stevens had lost the clubhouse. And because of the $30M owed to Stevens, the best way to change the coach was to promote Brad and his $30M to GM. Now that doesn't mean that Stevens can hire anybody he wants as coach and FO assistants. For one thing, the owners are still running the show.  For another, Ainge said that he already had a great front office staff already in place. Now what does that mean? It may mean there will be no changes in the front office. Somebody over at WEEI even speculated Brad would be around for only one year.

It's clear to a lot of people Brad had lost the clubhouse, and the effort seemed pretty uneven. Plus they owed him a ton of money. From that standpoint, the changes made make a lot of sense.

They gave Brad a raise and contract extension when they decided to make him the GM so no, that does not make a lot of sense.

Stevens is one of the most analytically oriented people in the NBA, which is what you want in a GM. Imo, he's more oriented to succeed as a GM than he was as a coach for that reason alone, and he was a darn good coach.

Cutting one's losses is a standard operating procedure in the financial world and promoting someone you don't fully believe in into a critical position in your organization is not.

[hpantazo]

There are a lot of ways to interpret these events. What I heard in the presser is one way.
But there was no search for a GM, and the owners knew Ainge was serious about retirement for some time, according to media reports.
Some of the media I've seen have speculated  they wanted to change coaches because Stevens had lost the clubhouse. And because of the $30M owed to Stevens, the best way to change the coach was to promote Brad and his $30M to GM. Now that doesn't mean that Stevens can hire anybody he wants as coach and FO assistants. For one thing, the owners are still running the show.  For another, Ainge said that he already had a great front office staff already in place. Now what does that mean? It may mean there will be no changes in the front office. Somebody over at WEEI even speculated Brad would be around for only one year.

It's clear to a lot of people Brad had lost the clubhouse, and the effort seemed pretty uneven. Plus they owed him a ton of money. From that standpoint, the changes made make a lot of sense.

They gave Brad a raise and contract extension when they decided to make him the GM so no, that does not make a lot of sense.

Stevens is one of the most analytically oriented people in the NBA, which is what you want in a GM. Imo, he's more oriented to succeed as a GM than he was as a coach for that reason alone, and he was a darn good coach.

Cutting one's losses is a standard operating procedure in the financial world and promoting someone you don't fully believe in into a critical position in your organization is not.

Precisely.

[GreenlyGreeny]

There are a lot of ways to interpret these events. What I heard in the presser is one way.
But there was no search for a GM, and the owners knew Ainge was serious about retirement for some time, according to media reports.
Some of the media I've seen have speculated  they wanted to change coaches because Stevens had lost the clubhouse. And because of the $30M owed to Stevens, the best way to change the coach was to promote Brad and his $30M to GM. Now that doesn't mean that Stevens can hire anybody he wants as coach and FO assistants. For one thing, the owners are still running the show.  For another, Ainge said that he already had a great front office staff already in place. Now what does that mean? It may mean there will be no changes in the front office. Somebody over at WEEI even speculated Brad would be around for only one year.

It's clear to a lot of people Brad had lost the clubhouse, and the effort seemed pretty uneven. Plus they owed him a ton of money. From that standpoint, the changes made make a lot of sense.

They gave Brad a raise and contract extension when they decided to make him the GM so no, that does not make a lot of sense.

Stevens is one of the most analytically oriented people in the NBA, which is what you want in a GM. Imo, he's more oriented to succeed as a GM than he was as a coach for that reason alone, and he was a darn good coach.

Cutting one's losses is a standard operating procedure in the financial world and promoting someone you don't fully believe in into a critical position in your organization is not.

This. It’s absolutely bananas to think that Wyc and Co. do not believe in Stevens. Wait a couple months and bet rumors will leak about moves Brad wanted that Danny shot down over the years (*cough* Jaylen for Harden *cough* who the heck passes up a top five NBA talent, anyway? That’s why yesterday happened).

[Tr1boy]

KG opinion on recent changes . Dan Patrick Show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6w6sedcjSo

[Tr1boy]

Lowe Post on Celtics recent changes (starts at 55 min)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/herring-and-windhorst/id986595124?i=1000524271825

Simmons, Russillo, MacMullen on Celtics recent changes

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ryen-russillo-podcast/id1433966613?i=1000523965742

[Tr1boy]

The question for me is...

With the way the current roster is constructed (core).   Can a different coach make a difference?? 

I'm sure if Brad had a healthy lineup + practice. Celtics would have been at least 5th seed this season. 

But so what from that position??

1st or 2nd seed elimination?


Hoping that Kemba will be a new man/like his old self next season...is fools gold.   TL has a history of riding the IR.  Thompson is getting older.   Langford, Nesmith, Pritchard would need to take a big leap for next season.... in order for this team to have a chance.  And thats a lot to ask from the bench

Celts are kind of stuck right now...

[colincb]

Boston Globe:

“Brad was in so many of our meetings over the years,” Ainge said. “He had salary-cap questions, he had ideas, he spoke to agents for us, and he was in any really big discussions that we had. He’s not somebody fresh that’s never been in this position before. He’s basically been an assistant general manager, and I think this is a good progression. I don’t think that it’s as big of a jump as some people say it is.”

Doc Rivers left his job as Celtics coach in 2013 to become the Clippers’ coach and vice president of basketball operations. He was promoted to president a year later before relinquishing the front office role in 2017. Rivers, who now coaches the 76ers, said that when he spoke to Stevens this past week, the two laughed when Stevens said he had no desire to fill two demanding jobs at the same time, as Rivers once did. “Brad is such a great mind,” Rivers said. “I was surprised like everyone else that he wanted to walk away from coaching, because I thought he was so good there. But I think he’ll be absolutely wonderful in what he’s doing … Brad is so darn smart.”

“There’s a lot of lines that run together there,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “You can’t be the head coach and not be aware of contracts and acquisitions and things like that. I don’t know exactly how they’re set up, and each situation is a little bit different, but Brad has enough experience in basketball and with the Celtics and with the NBA to handle all the things that he’ll need to be handling.”

“... Brad grasps and understands the big picture better than most,” Scalabrine said. “Sports are emotional, from fans to players to family members to front offices, it’s an emotional thing. I think he controls his emotions and makes calculated, measured decisions based on what he feels like matters, and he pushes aside things that don’t.”

[Roy H.]

The “power struggle” theory seems to not be true:

According to Ainge, he reached his decision to retire months ago. However, according to SNY sources, one of his final decisions as active president of basketball operations was keeping Stevens around, despite the fact that one member within the Celtics organization wanted Brad canned.

“At one point in the regular season as the Celtics were struggling, a prominent member of the Celtics organization wanted to fire Stevens immediately, per SNY sources familiar with the matter,” wrote Ian Begley of SNY. “Ainge was among those in the organization who were against the decision, sources say.”

I’m curious who the “prominent member” was. 

[Tr1boy]

Rivers, now the Philadelphia 76ers' head coach, was hired by Ainge to be the C's coach in in 2004. He was asked Wednesday what Ainge meant to him during his time in Boston.

"It means the world," Rivers said. "I did a pretty good job in Orlando, good enough to get fired at the end of it. ... Literally, within a week of me getting fired, Danny Ainge is the guy that called. ... At the end of the day, he just said, 'You're the guy.' He believed in me.

"Listen, we had the worst stretch. First year was good, we actually won our division. But we decided to go in another direction and people don't realize how hard that is for two years trying to rebuild, getting booed, your team getting mauled every night. You know the plan, but the plan hadn't manifested itself. You have to go through that. Brad had to go through that for years and the fact that Danny just maintained, every day he would come in and say, 'I'm sorry' to me. 'We're gonna get this right, I promise you. Don't leave.' He was just as good as you could have to work for."

Rivers added that he enjoyed working for Ainge even though sometimes he and "Trader Danny" would butt heads on certain decisions.

"He was a gambler, man. I loved it," Rivers said. "Like, he would take some chances. There were times where we disagreed completely on things, but I trusted him. I'd say, 'Go for it, man. I can see you want to pull the trigger on it, let's do it.' Some of those worked out for us and some didn't.

"We made a pact that we would leave together and I told him, 'What the heck is going on? This is not right.' But Danny's in a great place, I can tell you that. I talked to him today and he's in a great place. So I'm happy for him, I really am."

[Celtics2021]

The “power struggle” theory seems to not be true:

According to Ainge, he reached his decision to retire months ago. However, according to SNY sources, one of his final decisions as active president of basketball operations was keeping Stevens around, despite the fact that one member within the Celtics organization wanted Brad canned.

“At one point in the regular season as the Celtics were struggling, a prominent member of the Celtics organization wanted to fire Stevens immediately, per SNY sources familiar with the matter,” wrote Ian Begley of SNY. “Ainge was among those in the organization who were against the decision, sources say.”

I’m curious who the “prominent member” was.

If it’s someone outside of the ownership group, we’ll know before long because that person will likely be looking for a new job soon.

[nickagneta]

Boston Globe:

“Brad was in so many of our meetings over the years,” Ainge said. “He had salary-cap questions, he had ideas, he spoke to agents for us, and he was in any really big discussions that we had. He’s not somebody fresh that’s never been in this position before. He’s basically been an assistant general manager, and I think this is a good progression. I don’t think that it’s as big of a jump as some people say it is.”

Doc Rivers left his job as Celtics coach in 2013 to become the Clippers’ coach and vice president of basketball operations. He was promoted to president a year later before relinquishing the front office role in 2017. Rivers, who now coaches the 76ers, said that when he spoke to Stevens this past week, the two laughed when Stevens said he had no desire to fill two demanding jobs at the same time, as Rivers once did. “Brad is such a great mind,” Rivers said. “I was surprised like everyone else that he wanted to walk away from coaching, because I thought he was so good there. But I think he’ll be absolutely wonderful in what he’s doing … Brad is so darn smart.”

“There’s a lot of lines that run together there,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “You can’t be the head coach and not be aware of contracts and acquisitions and things like that. I don’t know exactly how they’re set up, and each situation is a little bit different, but Brad has enough experience in basketball and with the Celtics and with the NBA to handle all the things that he’ll need to be handling.”

“... Brad grasps and understands the big picture better than most,” Scalabrine said. “Sports are emotional, from fans to players to family members to front offices, it’s an emotional thing. I think he controls his emotions and makes calculated, measured decisions based on what he feels like matters, and he pushes aside things that don’t.”

Wow...this seems familiar. Who was it that said Brad probably got a lot of GM experience behind the scenes that we fans didn't know about? 🤔😇😎😋

[SHAQATTACK]

Doc going to coach Boston again one day......

Simmons will leave for Lakers and Embiid is hurt all the time .