Brad Stevens named Celtics head coach

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bankshot1

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If the Cs struggle there will be mediots who criticize Stevens, especially if he uses strategies that are outside the box (though the dynamic is different given the lower expectations and the draft pick benefit of being bad). Fortunately it doesn't seem like he or anyone with the team cares.
I was about to post the same thing. 
 
IMO the reporters who cover the team, will give Stevens a pass as he climbs a steep learning curve with mostly young and cast-off players, and learns the league. IMO the probability of them struggling is a near certainty, and the ensuing criticism (noise) will likely come from the pundits and experts on Boston sports radio. 
 

amarshal2

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</p>
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
If Sportsguy33 tweets and nobody is there to respond, does it make a sound?
 
Anyhow, I think Soxy nails it.  In the Doc thread, there is mention of the Celtics looking for their "Popovich".   They may well have found him.   How could anyone not like this hire given what the team is trying to accomplish?
<p>

Holy ball washing.

I love him as a college coach (who doesn't) but am not ready to declare him the next Popovich.

Am I the only one a little worried about how he'll earn the respect of an NBA locker room
1) Never played in the NBA
2) Never coached in the NBA
3) Appears to be quite religious
4) Statistics oriented
5) looks like he's 16

It's an interesting hire. Certainly seems like he's high upside...but also low floor. I'm still not convinced he isn't a sacrificial lamb. It's really hard to keep your job in the long run as a NBA coach when your roster looks like his. There's a lot working against him.

Edit: haha, biggest concern is a rookie coach over performing? Possible, but some unrealistic expectations there.
 

Ed Hillel

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While I am ecstatic about having Stevens around for the next six years at least (hopefully), my biggest fear for next year is that he has the team overperforming and on the lottery fringe. With the talent available in next year's draft, they really need to tank, and I hope that both he and Ainge are still ok going down that road. If the team overperforms, they have to pull back. They should really be a top 5 team at worst (or best, I suppose) next year. Getting caught around 10 or so would suck. The media would likely eat him alive if that happened, but fortunately, as others have said, I don't think either of them give a shit.
 

bankshot1

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amarshal2 said:
</p>

<p>

Holy ball washing.

I love him as a college coach (who doesn't) but am not ready to declare him the next Popovich.

Am I the only one a little worried about how he'll earn the respect of an NBA locker room
1) Never played in the NBA
2) Never coached in the NBA
3) Appears to be quite religious
4) Statistics oriented
5) looks like he's 16

It's an interesting hire. Certainly seems like he's high upside...but also low floor. I'm still not convinced he isn't a sacrificial lamb. It's really hard to keep your job in the long run as a NBA coach when your roster looks like his. There's a lot working against him.
 
I think hiring an NBA asst coach on a 3-year deal at $2 MM per, would be a sacrificial lamb. And that's the path I thought the Cs were going to take.
IMO the 6-year deal speaks to a commitment to a long-term rebuilding process, no matter how much suckage there is in the first couple of years, and there will probably be a fair amount of suckage.
 
The concern of the Cs overperforming next year, is understandable. This situation somewhat reminds me of the Knicks hiring Pitino in the late 80s, who did great job turning a terrible Knick team into an exciting and winning team in 2 years. Although Pitino did have Ewing and some experience as a NBA asst coach. 
 

HomeRunBaker

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Rudy Pemberton said:
Yeah, the media has been absolutely brutal to John Farrell, haven't they?

When folks say the media hates quiet, even tempered folks (whether Stevens is quiet, I don't know), who are they thinking of?
 
The media is looking to turn a molehill into a mountain to get readers/viewers attention to keep their boorish drivel and themselves relevant so of course they hate someone who isn't going to feed their self-generated machine.  They "love" Bobby V since he's so easy to write something about and they will "hate" Stevens because he won't.  It's going to be difficult for them to create a story out of Stevens so i'm sure they will attack him next year for losing a shit load of games while ignoring that winning games next year isn't the priority because well.....that's what they need to do to get a story out.
 
edit: I'm not concerned about this team over performing next year. With or without Rondo, since his flaws can no longer be hidden by Pierce/KG, this is a horrendously constructed roster if the goal was to win games this season.....of course we all know it isn't so all will be fine stumbling along to a 26-28 win season.
 

Grin&MartyBarret

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bankshot1 said:
I think hiring an NBA asst coach on a 3-year deal at $2 MM per, would be a sacrificial lamb. And that's the path I thought the Cs were going to take.
IMO the 6-year deal speaks to a commitment to a long-term rebuilding process, no matter how much suckage there is in the first couple of years, and there will probably be a fair amount of suckage.
 
The concern of the Cs overperforming next year, is understandable. This situation somewhat reminds me of the Knicks hiring Pitino in the late 80s, who did great job turning a terrible Knick team into an exciting and winning team in 2 years. Although Pitino did have Ewing and some experience as a NBA asst coach. 
 
Let me preface this by saying that this is a great hire, and I think there's a good chance that the Celtics have locked in a coach who may lead them for a long, long time. 
 
But, I think the fears of their over-performing are a bit overblown. Compare the C's current roster to the Cavs team that won the lottery this year. Rondo and Kyrie are, if we're being generous, a wash. Beyond that, the Cavs had a rookie 2 guard who is more talented than any 2 guard on the C's roster, a young 4 who put up better numbers than Sullinger over a full season, and a post player in Verajao who is a better post player than anybody on the C's roster. Granted, the Cavs had some injuries to deal with to both Irving and Verajao, but from a sheer talent standpoint the Cavs roster is better than the C's roster, and the Cavs still lost 58 games. Add to that that there's bound to be an adjustment period for Stevens, and that Rondo may not be playing at all early in the year, or may not be playing at 100%, and I think this team still finds itself comfortably in the lottery. 
 

dcmissle

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Rudy Pemberton said:
Yeah, the media has been absolutely brutal to John Farrell, haven't they?

When folks say the media hates quiet, even tempered folks (whether Stevens is quiet, I don't know), who are they thinking of?
 
 
What can they say with the RS compiling the second best record in mlb (behind the Pirates) when the vast majority of these same people predicted that the team would suck ass this season?  There are limits even to their lunacy.
 
They detest BB because he won't feed them junk food.
 

bankshot1

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Grin&MartyBarret said:
Let me preface this by saying that this is a great hire, and I think there's a good chance that the Celtics have locked in a coach who may lead them for a long, long time. 
 
But, I think the fears of their over-performing are a bit overblown. Compare the C's current roster to the Cavs team that won the lottery this year. Rondo and Kyrie are, if we're being generous, a wash. Beyond that, the Cavs had a rookie 2 guard who is more talented than any 2 guard on the C's roster, a young 4 who put up better numbers than Sullinger over a full season, and a post player in Verajao who is a better post player than anybody on the C's roster. Granted, the Cavs had some injuries to deal with to both Irving and Verajao, but from a sheer talent standpoint the Cavs roster is better than the C's roster, and the Cavs still lost 58 games. Add to that that there's bound to be an adjustment period for Stevens, and that Rondo may not be playing at all early in the year, or may not be playing at 100%, and I think this team still finds itself comfortably in the lottery. 
 
I totally agree. As already posted, I think the probability of the Cs being terrible are very high, and probably for at least 2 years, and that no matter how talented, devoted, organized or bright Stevens is, there is a huge learning curve for him to climb.But I do understand the concerns of some, that the C's won the coaching lottery, while jeopardizing winning the '14 NBA draft lottery.
 

Drocca

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I have followed Stevens since before his first final four run due to a random connection. He is brilliant, an avid believer in using advanced statistics, a total film nerd and guy who out works, like, everyone. I know coaching in the NBA has some very unique challenges and he may not meet those but this is extremely exciting.

at one point this year he laid into a player for not paying attention to the pre-game shot charts he had and letting his man live at the top of the key. He told the player to 'foul him hardnext time he moves there and tell him not today'

I love that.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Grin&MartyBarret said:
Let me preface this by saying that this is a great hire, and I think there's a good chance that the Celtics have locked in a coach who may lead them for a long, long time. 
 
But, I think the fears of their over-performing are a bit overblown. Compare the C's current roster to the Cavs team that won the lottery this year. Rondo and Kyrie are, if we're being generous, a wash. Beyond that, the Cavs had a rookie 2 guard who is more talented than any 2 guard on the C's roster, a young 4 who put up better numbers than Sullinger over a full season, and a post player in Verajao who is a better post player than anybody on the C's roster. Granted, the Cavs had some injuries to deal with to both Irving and Verajao, but from a sheer talent standpoint the Cavs roster is better than the C's roster, and the Cavs still lost 58 games. Add to that that there's bound to be an adjustment period for Stevens, and that Rondo may not be playing at all early in the year, or may not be playing at 100%, and I think this team still finds itself comfortably in the lottery. 
 
You got bingo. This team won 41 games WITH Paul Pierce and KG......now have replaced them with the decaying corpse of an already overrated Gerald Wallace and who, Kris Kardashian?  Aside from Jeff Green (who his now your go-to guy) and Crawford (who you don't want playing anyway), Pierce and KG were the only two players on the roster capable of creating their own shot which is over 50% of your half court offense in the NBA as this is how you get quality shots at the rim once the clock is down to 6-8 seconds on each possession......you dump it to Pierce or KG.  Now these options are Jeff Green......i like Green a lot but as a #1 without a #2 this figures to be one of the worst offenses in the league while losing KG on the defensive end. 
 
It will have to be a horror show with this roster as presently constructed and the new CBA with repeater tax rules limit any further significant transactions aside from moving Rondo which won't return a great offensive player anyway.
 

bosockboy

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Definitely a 20 win team....and I think Stevens knows that and the plan for next season is to let the ping pong balls fall where they may.

Sensational hire by Ainge.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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amarshal2 said:
</p>


<p>

Holy ball washing.

I love him as a college coach (who doesn't) but am not ready to declare him the next Popovich.

Am I the only one a little worried about how he'll earn the respect of an NBA locker room
1) Never played in the NBA
2) Never coached in the NBA
3) Appears to be quite religious
4) Statistics oriented
5) looks like he's 16

It's an interesting hire. Certainly seems like he's high upside...but also low floor. I'm still not convinced he isn't a sacrificial lamb. It's really hard to keep your job in the long run as a NBA coach when your roster looks like his. There's a lot working against him.

Edit: haha, biggest concern is a rookie coach over performing? Possible, but some unrealistic expectations there.
 
Ballwashing?   I don't know if you spend much time in this forum so forgive me if I didn't give the proper context.   My Popovich comment was based on this article by The Globe's Gary Washburn which was then referenced by crystalline in the "Doc is a Clipper" thread.  To be clear, while I do very much like the hire, I know that Stevens has a long way to go before we can even begin to compare him to Pop.  That said, the fact that '86 gave Stevens a six year deal speaks volumes about their commitment to the team's long term planning and, ultimately, their faith in the guy.
 
Regarding your concerns, I think the first is a legitimate issue but Tom Thibodeau never played in the NBA and, more importantly, neither did Erik Spoelstra.  These guys (especially the latter) have had a fair bit of success as NBA head-coaches.  If you have talented players and can manage the locker-room, that goes a long way.  Stevens' track record at Butler suggests that he will be fine in managing his players - and yes, I know that college is different than the NBA.  But Stevens will likely be building with a lot of younger players. 
 
As to your second concern - and upthread HRB pointed out that Ainge will probably add some NBA coaching veterans to the bench to help Stevens.   I think we have to give '86 the benefit of the doubt on staffing in this area as well.
 
Finally, regarding your other concerns, its obvious that these are the ones that should keep us up at night.  Religion, use of advanced statistics and appearance have been amongst the biggest impediments for an NBA coach to find success.  Mark Jackson is deeply religious (he does not even allow swearing in his locker room) and his leadership has been horrific for Golden State.  And the aforementioned Thibodeau and Spoelstra have both been severely hindered by their use of advanced metrics and the way they look.  In summary, Steven's faith, his affinity for using stats and his youthful appearance will doom him in the NBA. 
 

Brickowski

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I like this hire for all the reasons others have stated.  I didf not want a retread like Del Negro or the other usual suspects.  But this is no sure thing.
 
Stevens will have convince NBA players that he knows what he's doing.  It starts with Rondo but by no means ends there.
He will have to assemble a good staff.  Statistical analysis is great but he also needs individual skills development people. Will Larranega stay?
He will have to learn the NBA game, with all that entails.
 

Blacken

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the1andonly3003 said:
so this board will be disappointed if Stevens leads this team to the Finals next season with flotsam and jetsam? ok
 
Post better.
 

radsoxfan

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bosockboy said:
Definitely a 20 win team....and I think Stevens knows that and the plan for next season is to let the ping pong balls fall where they may.

Sensational hire by Ainge.
 
They may end up a 20 win team when all is said and done, but I don't think thats Ainge's or Stevens' goal.
 
I suppose it depends on your definition of "tanking", but I don't think the Celtics will be tanking.  And I think very few teams actually tank in the offseason.  I'm assuming the term means something like, "actively make decisions to purposely be worse for the upcoming year".
 
I think Danny will make every decision with the long term (3-5 year) future in mind.  If a byproduct of one of those decisions is getting worse in 2013-2014, he will be OK with that. This is a very different mindset than he has had the past few years.  But I still think he wants players to improve, and the team to win.  I don't think he would have hired Stevens if he simply wanted to guarantee a 20-62 season.  He wants Stevens to succeed, and the best way for that to happen is to maximize the success of whatever is on the 2013-2014 roster.
 
Perhaps this strategy is not what tanking purists would prefer.  I assume some people are hoping for an all-out tank job followed by a chance at a top 5 pick in 2014.  Personally I don't think that strategy works as well as some would like to think, and have no interest in going that route. 
 
Get younger, get more flexibility, acquire assets, and build for the future.  Thats what Danny is trying to do.  As long as he succeeds in doing that, I think he would be fine making the playoffs (though that shouldn't be his main goal for this season).
 
 
As an aside.... towards the end of a non-playoff season, I think plenty of teams let injuries linger, give older players the rest of the season off, and try to pad their loss total (or at least don't go all out to maximize wins). But thats very different than going into the season with the intent to lose as many games as possible.
 

TomRicardo

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Rudy Pemberton said:
Yeah, the media has been absolutely brutal to John Farrell, haven't they?

When folks say the media hates quiet, even tempered folks (whether Stevens is quiet, I don't know), who are they thinking of?
 
 
Pretty hard to come after a coach that has completely turned around a team.  I mean most people here thought they wouldn't win 80 games this season now it looks like they can do that before September 1st.
 
Stevens does not have the team Farrell inherited and the last coach left before things got bad. 
 

TomRicardo

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the1andonly3003 said:
so this board will be disappointed if Stevens leads this team to the Finals next season with flotsam and jetsam? ok
 
 
People here were bitching before Game 7 in Miami last year that Ainge didn't blow up the team.  So yes, people will.
 

cumicon

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radsoxfan said:
I don't think he would have hired Stevens if he simply wanted to guarantee a 20-62 season.  He wants Stevens to succeed, and the best way for that to happen is to maximize the success of whatever is on the 2013-2014 roster.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Stevens believes that getting a top 5 pick next year would give him the greatest chance of success in Boston.  Whatever Danny's plan is, I'm sure Stevens wouldn't have accepted the job unless he was on board.
 

Drocca

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It means it is a hard time for cbb programs to get a new coach. What is confusing about that post?
 

Drocca

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He is not bitching. It is a very difficult time to get a cbb coach. You are inferring some meaning that is not there from that fact.
 

riboflav

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swingin val said:
His first response in the thread was something like "you got to be kidding". He was most definitely bitching
 
"You gotta be kidding" was more of a "I can't believe Ainge seemingly pulled this off out of thin air. Never saw this coming. I am jacked & pumped."
 
Drocca covered my second post well. By July, most any coach Butler (unless they promote from within) would want is in a contract with another school. Also, they now have to worry about players bailing because they just lost their coach and there ain't much time left to find replacements. And those replacements may not be be very good. Butler does not have the luxury of doing an exhaustive search for a new coach.
 

dcmissle

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riboflav said:
"You gotta be kidding" was more of a "I can't believe Ainge seemingly pulled this off out of thin air. Never saw this coming. I am jacked & pumped."
 
In this connection and FWIW, Vitale (who I usually cannot endure) said he was stunned by the move.  Stunned as in, coup.
 
One of the greatest things about this is that the team could win 10 games next year, and Ainge and enlightened ownership will be unmoved.  They did it with Doc, and they certainly will do it with this guy.  All the fanboy noise and media nonsense will be ignored, which is precisely what we need.  They have the proper time horizon in mind.
 

page 2 protege

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Looks like Butler will either be promoting Stevens' top assistant or going after one of Michigan's assistants. If I were AD, I'd go with the guy who knows the system and who has probably learned a ton from Stevens. If it's a train wreck, you hire externally next spring.


Not to derail, but yes collier might have to take over for the year. Lavall Jordan is the mich assistant who played at butler till 2001, and Michigan had publicly said they have emulated the butler program model, so I don't think this would be out of left field for him (he also assisted the previous butler coach at Iowa).

Anyways, celts got a great coach who as others have pointed out loves stats and in the Boston market he will be beloved, good luck to the c's going forward.
 

amarshal2

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</p>
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
 
Ballwashing?   I don't know if you spend much time in this forum so forgive me if I didn't give the proper context.   My Popovich comment was based on this article by The Globe's Gary Washburn which was then referenced by crystalline in the "Doc is a Clipper" thread.  To be clear, while I do very much like the hire, I know that Stevens has a long way to go before we can even begin to compare him to Pop.  That said, the fact that '86 gave Stevens a six year deal speaks volumes about their commitment to the team's long term planning and, ultimately, their faith in the guy.
 
Regarding your concerns, I think the first is a legitimate issue but Tom Thibodeau never played in the NBA and, more importantly, neither did Erik Spoelstra.  These guys (especially the latter) have had a fair bit of success as NBA head-coaches.  If you have talented players and can manage the locker-room, that goes a long way.  Stevens' track record at Butler suggests that he will be fine in managing his players - and yes, I know that college is different than the NBA.  But Stevens will likely be building with a lot of younger players. 
 
As to your second concern - and upthread HRB pointed out that Ainge will probably add some NBA coaching veterans to the bench to help Stevens.   I think we have to give '86 the benefit of the doubt on staffing in this area as well.
 
Finally, regarding your other concerns, its obvious that these are the ones that should keep us up at night.  Religion, use of advanced statistics and appearance have been amongst the biggest impediments for an NBA coach to find success.  Mark Jackson is deeply religious (he does not even allow swearing in his locker room) and his leadership has been horrific for Golden State.  And the aforementioned Thibodeau and Spoelstra have both been severely hindered by their use of advanced metrics and the way they look.  In summary, Steven's faith, his affinity for using stats and his youthful appearance will doom him in the NBA. 

<p>

I clearly meant for you to interpret each point as an independent reason that he will never be a successful NBA coach. Thank you for your illuminating analysis.

Independently, none of them is a concern. In combination, the first two become a bit of a concern. The last three are typically irrelevant (and perhaps always irrelevant) but don't suggest the sources of authority that 20 something year old famous athletes typically find most credible. I admit the last three require generalizations about the NBA mindset that may not be fair. That said, Jackson can definitely afford to crack down on swearing because he derives his authority/credibility elsewhere. Thibideau/Spo were successful assistant NBA coaches first.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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amarshal2 said:
</p>



<p>

I clearly meant for you to interpret each point as an independent reason that he will never be a successful NBA coach. Thank you for your illuminating analysis.

Independently, none of them is a concern. In combination, the first two become a bit of a concern. The last three are typically irrelevant (and perhaps always irrelevant) but don't suggest the sources of authority that 20 something year old famous athletes typically find most credible. I admit the last three require generalizations about the NBA mindset that may not be fair. That said, Jackson can definitely afford to crack down on swearing because he derives his authority/credibility elsewhere. Thibideau/Spo were successful assistant NBA coaches first.
 
No, you clearly meant to call me out because you thought I declared Stevens to be the next Popovich.  To be generous, my original post may have been unclear but had you read it carefully, you would note that I never said such a thing.
 
That said, your general concerns about his ability to successfully "coach" NBA players are legitimate.   He clearly has no such experience and his background (and age) may work against him.  As a Celtics fan, I am thrilled that they are being bold here and trying something different than simply grabbing a retread.  Thankfully, a Vinny Del Negro or Lionel Hollins isn't walking through that door.  
 
At the very least, this hire makes the rebuilding process a lot more interesting from a coaching standpoint.  Not only will we get to watch players develop but we also have the opportunity to see a what a young, bright coach can do with a potentially long leash.
 

DJnVa

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swingin val said:
Why is July a particularly hard time to find a new coach ? Seems like a bitter and small thing to bitch about.

(null)
 
If Butler is your college team, it's not a small thing at all.  It's why most teams clean house as soon as the season is over---the new staff needs to time to put their stamp on the team.
 
As Red said, recruiting is pretty much over, some freshman will be entering summer school, and it'd be kinda shitty to go raiding other schools of their assistants, so you're likely building a staff of guys that couldn't latch on.
 

SpokaneSoxFan

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I have been away from the internet for about 24 hours and just heard this.  I came here expecting to have to defend my jubilation with this hiring.  I'm happy to hear I'm on the same page with most, for once.  I think it's a brilliant hiring...and the Theo comparison came to my mind as well. 
 

DJnVa

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So, any word so far if he's bringing that stats kid with him?
 

Bernie Carbohydrate

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I don't get the optimism in this thread, as far as Stevens being here for the length of his contract.  I mean, Stevens may become good NBA coach...in his second or third job.  Right now he's the developer brought in to absorb the 20-62, 25-57 and 31-51 records we can expect in the middle of this decade. 
 
Popovich? Popovich?  Pop was an NBA assistant under Larry Brown and later Don Nelson. The he worked in the Spurs front office. He was not some college coach who made the jump an NBA head coaching gig without the intervening NBA assistant years.
 
I like the hire.  We need someone who can work with young players, keep them focused on fundamental basketball during the beat-downs. I'm intrigued by the analytic background. But this guy's job is to determine if Sullinger can be a serviceable pro and which D-leaguer is going to be your sixth man because you're all in for Wiggins. He won't be around when the team turns the corner.
 
I'm glad he got a six-year contract, since he'll get a nice payout in year four when he's let go. This is a necessary step in the rebuild, but come on.  Popovich?  If we're lucky he's our Butch Carter.  And there's nothing wrong with Butch Carter for a young team.  If we're unlucky...Mike Dunlap.  Dunlap.
 

knucklecup

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Bernie Carbohydrate said:
I don't get the optimism in this thread, as far as Stevens being here for the length of his contract.  I mean, Stevens may become good NBA coach...in his second or third job.  Right now he's the developer brought in to absorb the 20-62, 25-57 and 31-51 records we can expect in the middle of this decade. 
 
Popovich? Popovich?  Pop was an NBA assistant under Larry Brown and later Don Nelson. The he worked in the Spurs front office. He was not some college coach who made the jump an NBA head coaching gig without the intervening NBA assistant years.
 
I like the hire.  We need someone who can work with young players, keep them focused on fundamental basketball during the beat-downs. I'm intrigued by the analytic background. But this guy's job is to determine if Sullinger can be a serviceable pro and which D-leaguer is going to be your sixth man because you're all in for Wiggins. He won't be around when the team turns the corner.
 
I'm glad he got a six-year contract, since he'll get a nice payout in year four when he's let go. This is a necessary step in the rebuild, but come on.  Popovich?  If we're lucky he's our Butch Carter.  And there's nothing wrong with Butch Carter for a young team.  If we're unlucky...Mike Dunlap.  Dunlap.
 
The Celtics and Stevens aren't thinking like this whatsoever.  This is just false.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Bernie Carbohydrate said:
I don't get the optimism in this thread, as far as Stevens being here for the length of his contract.  I mean, Stevens may become good NBA coach...in his second or third job.  Right now he's the developer brought in to absorb the 20-62, 25-57 and 31-51 records we can expect in the middle of this decade. 
 
Popovich? Popovich?  Pop was an NBA assistant under Larry Brown and later Don Nelson. The he worked in the Spurs front office. He was not some college coach who made the jump an NBA head coaching gig without the intervening NBA assistant years.
 
I like the hire.  We need someone who can work with young players, keep them focused on fundamental basketball during the beat-downs. I'm intrigued by the analytic background. But this guy's job is to determine if Sullinger can be a serviceable pro and which D-leaguer is going to be your sixth man because you're all in for Wiggins. He won't be around when the team turns the corner.
 
I'm glad he got a six-year contract, since he'll get a nice payout in year four when he's let go. This is a necessary step in the rebuild, but come on.  Popovich?  If we're lucky he's our Butch Carter.  And there's nothing wrong with Butch Carter for a young team.  If we're unlucky...Mike Dunlap.  Dunlap.
 
This isn't how Ainge rolls as we saw when he hired his man Rivers and stuck with him until he acquired the necessary assets to give Doc the opportunity to succeed. Stevens has as much shot now to win as Doc did in 06 and 07.......and just wait until the first few injuries occur like Green or holding Rondo back early on (or trading him).
 
As far as styles.....all teams run the same shit. There are few teams who play "differently" such as the Warriors but that is due to their personnel with Curry and Klay's 3-point shooting.  It's the NBA......i wouldn't expect anything different than what other teams run. What matters is your personnel and ability to execute on the fly when the opponent knows your next step before you do. I am not expecting anything revolutionary. Bad players equal bad teams.....talented players equal good teams......great players who buy in equal great teams.  If a head coach had this much of an impact they wouldn't be getting paid a little more than half of what Martell Webster just signed for.  Nice hire maybe even great hire but it's still a players league and a stars league.
 

reggiecleveland

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This is a risky move. I know the consensus is the move is brilliant, wonderful, etc. But some guys just can't coach ay different levels. Now this guy has over performed and punched above his weight for years so he obviously is a great college coach. At hi age there is a chance he is the next hoops genius, so for that reason i support the hire, but the NFL and NBA have seen multiple college geniuses fall flat. I am optimistic and hope he is a great coach and becomes an icon, but there is a real chance his magic doesn't translate to pros.
 

wutang112878

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amarshal2 said:
Am I the only one a little worried about how he'll earn the respect of an NBA locker room
1) Never played in the NBA
2) Never coached in the NBA
3) Appears to be quite religious
4) Statistics oriented
5) looks like he's 16
 
I agree that the biggest concern is if he can command respect from the players, thats the biggest question mark about him IMO.  But I think the bullet list is maybe a little much.  Look at Spoelstra, he looks young, never played in the NBA and was never a head coach.  Yet he got to entitled, cry-baby, egomaniac superstars to give him enough respect, and convinced Bosh that he mattered.  So it certainly can be done.
 
 
 
reggiecleveland said:
Thisis a risky move. I know the consensus is the move is brilliant, wonderful, etc. But some guys just can't coach ay different levels. Now this guy has over performed and punched above his weight for years so he obviously is a great college coach. At hi age there is a chance he is the next hoops genius, so for that reason i support the hire, but the NFL and NBA have seen multiple college geniuses fall flat. I am optimistic and hope he is a great coach and becomes an icon, but there is a real chance his magic doesn't translate to pros.
 
I think this is a little different than wondering if this good college coach will project to the pros.  Take Calipari, he wouldnt be, and wasnt as good in the NBA as he was in college because he cant get elite talent the way he illegally pays guys in college.  Take Pitino, besides having an inflated view of himself, his pressure system didnt project to the NBA, and a lot of his success was because he had a talent advantage.  What I like about Stevens is that if you look at his body of work, for the most part I dont think anyone could have possibly squeezed any more results out of the talent that he was coaching.  The teams he got to the finals were led by Mack (who is hardly an NBA player) and Hayward who is an average NBA player.  Maybe if he got there once with that crew its amazing luck, to do that twice I think is impressive.  I think this guy is a young basketball genius, so I dont have any concerns with his college to pro projection.
 

wutang112878

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Also, in general I absolutely love this hire which I was hoping for in the 'who will be the next coach' thread:
 
I dont know if he would leave, and I dont know if he can command the respect of NBA players.  But I would love to see Brad Stevens from Butler here.  He is an innovative basketball mind and for those 2 runs they went on, he got absolutely everything out of those teams.
 

ALiveH

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I'm pretty neutral on this move.  On paper looks great but it's always risky going from college to pros.  I'm very much in a wait-and-see mode.
 
It's kinda cool in the sense that he has carte blanche to experiment & find himself in year 1 (since we don't care if we suck) and focus on player development.  And the long-term contract is fine too because he gets to reap the rewards of the rebuild (or ownership could buy him out to get a better coach down the road if they want - they are not scared to spend money on coaching).
 
I am not hoping for a tanking in the sense of intentionally trying to lose b/c that can make the culture around the team toxic.  I am hoping for a terrible record as a byproduct of player development, experimentation and an abundance of caution in avoiding injuries to key players.
 

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wutang112878 said:
I think this is a little different than wondering if this good college coach will project to the pros.  Take Calipari, he wouldnt be, and wasnt as good in the NBA as he was in college because he cant get elite talent the way he illegally pays guys in college.  Take Pitino, besides having an inflated view of himself, his pressure system didnt project to the NBA, and a lot of his success was because he had a talent advantage.  What I like about Stevens is that if you look at his body of work, for the most part I dont think anyone could have possibly squeezed any more results out of the talent that he was coaching.  The teams he got to the finals were led by Mack (who is hardly an NBA player) and Hayward who is an average NBA player.  Maybe if he got there once with that crew its amazing luck, to do that twice I think is impressive.  I think this guy is a young basketball genius, so I dont have any concerns with his college to pro projection.
 
This is a great, well-articulated point.  The comparisons to Pitino and Calipari simply aren't relevant, yet it's been a huge talking point in the Boston media today.
 
wutang112878 said:
Also, in general I absolutely love this hire which I was hoping for in the 'who will be the next coach' thread:
 
Wutang, straight-up crushing it in the Port Cellar!
 

reggiecleveland

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wutang112878 said:
 
 
 
I think this is a little different than wondering if this good college coach will project to the pros.  Take Calipari, he wouldnt be, and wasnt as good in the NBA as he was in college because he cant get elite talent the way he illegally pays guys in college.  Take Pitino, besides having an inflated view of himself, his pressure system didnt project to the NBA, and a lot of his success was because he had a talent advantage.  What I like about Stevens is that if you look at his body of work, for the most part I dont think anyone could have possibly squeezed any more results out of the talent that he was coaching.  The teams he got to the finals were led by Mack (who is hardly an NBA player) and Hayward who is an average NBA player.  Maybe if he got there once with that crew its amazing luck, to do that twice I think is impressive.  I think this guy is a young basketball genius, so I dont have any concerns with his college to pro projection.
 
Unlike NBA all star Billy Donavon the best player on Pitino's first final four teams. Those are good points but the NBA is a different animal and it is a transition that is difficult. Taking two examples of college guys that failed and explaining why they are different does not really prove much.
 

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reggiecleveland said:
Unlike NBA all star Billy Donavon the best player on Pitino's first final four teams. Those are good points but the NBA is a different animal and it is a transition that is difficult. Taking two examples of college guys that failed and explaining why they are different does not really prove much.
 
This is true, but the C's are prepared to deal with a one or two year learning curve. They probably want him to have a losing transition year to  position themselves as best they can for the vaunted 2014 lottery.  The 6-yr contract tells me that they are in this for the long haul, so Stevens will definitely have some rope. 
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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Whether you are a Stevens fan or a Celtics fan, there is really nothing to dislike about this arrangement.  If Ainge et al are right, they have identified one of the next great young coaches in basketball and given him room to develop at the NBA level.  His track record suggests he is worthy of this shot.  Hiring Stevens costs the Celtics nothing but money.  
 
From Stevens perspective, he gets paid, he is being given a long leash from one of the blue-chip NBA franchises and he comes into a situation where he has lots of upside.  
 
If this does not work out, the Celtics will kick him to the curb and move on to someone else who fits them better.  Stevens will either go back to the NCAA or move on to someone's NBA bench.  This is a much higher upside gamble than either side will get anywhere else. 
 

wutang112878

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reggiecleveland said:
Unlike NBA all star Billy Donavon the best player on Pitino's first final four teams. Those are good points but the NBA is a different animal and it is a transition that is difficult. Taking two examples of college guys that failed and explaining why they are different does not really prove much.
 
I guess my larger point is that if we define a successful hire as finding a coach who will be an NBA head coach for 3-4 full seasons, the success rate in the NBA is awful.  With that in mind, just about every coaching hire is a huge risk holding contract and franchise issues constant.  Take some hires of assistants.  With Tibs there was debate around him possibly just being a career assistant or if he could get guys to listen to him as a head coach.  When Rick Carlisle was first hired it was kind of out left field.  I think we might be debating a 30% success rate of active NBA coach to NBA head coach hires vs a 25% success rate of college head coach to NBA head coach hires.
 
If we really want to talk about high risk coaching moves though, I would point to guys like Mark Jackson and Jason Kidd.  Neither were coaching at all, or ever coached at all before they were hired, there wasnt even a coaching background to project.
 
 
JohnnyTheBone said:
This is a great, well-articulated point.  The comparisons to Pitino and Calipari simply aren't relevant, yet it's been a huge talking point in the Boston media today.
 
Its times like this our media sucks.  Yes Pitino and Calipari hit close to home and that discussion gets a lot of attention, but the lessons learned there dont apply to Stevens.  Dont hire a scumbag who has a huge ego, who generally doesnt look like a great coach without elite talent and slicks his hair back.  As long as Stevens doesnt change hairstyles he is fine.  But all the focus and concern should be around Stevens system and approach, how that projects to the NBA and if NBA players will listen to him.  Thats important stuff to talk about and figure out.
 
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