Less than 12 hours after the Celtics were pulverized by the Brooklyn Nets in the first-round of the playoffs, the organization made the decision to shakeup their entire operation from top to bottom.
The Celtics front office will have a new sheriff in town, as Danny Ainge announced his retirement from the Celtics, after 18 years as the President of Basketball Operations. Ainge’s replacement has already been announced. Brad Stevens will transition from head coach, to the new President of Basketball Operations.
Everyone knew that the Celtics would look to shakeup the roster this offseason, but nobody ever had the thought of Brad Stevens leaving the sideline for the front office. People speculated that Ainge and or Stevens were on the hot seat, but this possible scenario was never imagined.
Stevens certainly had a tough 2020-2021 campaign, as he couldn’t point the Celtics in the right direction. But, for the most part, he was still considered to be one of the top-10 coaches in the NBA. If Stevens were fired, their would have been a long list of suitors. The Celtics even went as far as to give Brad Stevens a five-year extension before the bubble last season. They seemed committed to Brad Stevens as their head coach of the present, and for the future. But, all of that is now for nothing, as the Celtics believe that Stevens would be better off in the front office. Doing something he’s never done in his entire career. It’s obvious that Stevens couldn’t reach his players anymore. The message had become stale, and this was a problem for the Celtics down the stretch.
So, how did we get to this point?
I think Danny Ainge deserves some blame, for failing to surround Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics have had a talent drain over the last few seasons, and they have failed to really replenish it.
As a whole, Danny Ainge’s tenure as the Celtics President of Basketball Operations was a success. But, as of late, Ainge has been on a cold streak. His personnel decisions have been shaky, and he failed to land returns for Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward. On top of that, Kemba Walker has not been worth that max deal, as he has failed to stay healthy.
It was clear and evident that the Celtics roster was just not good enough, Ainge’s roster failed. Sure, they dealt with injuries, and COVID cases, but this team was just not consistent enough to keep up with the class of the Eastern Conference.
Whether Ainge was pushed out, or he is legitimately done in the NBA, Brad Stevens will be tasked with the challenge of surrounding Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum with adequate talent.
If he fails, the Celtics future is in for a dark future.
So, with Stevens making the leap to the front office, the Celtics now find themselves in the market for a new head coach. Finding a head coach will be their first order of business, and will be one of the most important hires in their franchise history.
The Celtics will likely cast a wide net of potential hires, as they’ll likely look through the college ranks, current NBA assistant coaches, and even some current or former head coaches.
Expect the unexpected with this coaching search.
Some candidates could be Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Chauncey Billups, or Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach, Sam Cassell. Maybe, they try to poach Juwan Howard from Michigan? Or, maybe they try to trade for Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle? Or, make history and hire Kara Lawson?
It’s also impossible to rule out any internal candidates like Jay Larranaga, or Jerome Allen.
After the Celtics select their head coach, all eyes will point to Brad Stevens as this massive offseason gets underway. Is Marcus Smart part of the future? Is Kemba Walker and Robert Williams worth keeping around despite their durability issues? What does Brad Stevens think about this roster as currently constructed? All of these questions will be answered.
This is arguably the biggest offseason in Celtics history.
A new regime is upon us, and if this one fails, then the Celtics will be looking at an even bigger problem.
Let the new era of Celtics basketball begin…