Wasn't Ainge on his way to being an All-World Coach when he decided he didn't like his work-life balance and that's why he went the front office route.Oh yeah, absolutely - I'm sure Ainge thought it a great way to stay close to a player who might otherwise feel a little emotionally disconnected and at-risk of having his life shaken up by a trade.
Someone drew the analogy to Belichick earlier, but with 2 or 3 exceptions, the players need Belichick way more than Belichick needs the players. Whereas in the NBA, the players are fewer, more individually valuable, and each more powerful due to the structure of the CBA, so every GM and coach needs to make friends much more readily. I find that one of the more appealing parts of the league, honestly - the humanity with which players are treated, and the genuine personal relationships that clearly exist everywhere.
Given that his intensity for competition is not in question, this combination could make for a very cool boss and working environment--a guy who "gets it" on both ends of the equation.
I tend to believe that's how he landed Stevens too. Healthy organizational culture for the win.