Ainge Retires - Stevens to Front Office - Celtics search for New Head Coach

[themoneyteam2]

I still believe this is going to end up with an NBA team giving the Celtics a 1st round pick to get Brad Stevens out of his contract and come coach their team. I think it's inevitable in the next year or two.

Unless Duke comes calling after the Scheyer experiment fails. Duke may be obliged to give Scheyer a shot considering his experience, familiarity and devotion to the program but I think after a year the AD will want a big name to go with their big program and Brad will be ready to jump back into the fold by then.

Yeah they aren’t firing Scheyer after 1 year on the job lol

[greenroom31]

Mazz had for about a month, and stuck with his sources saying, Danny would likely step down. He's his take on Brad's role as of this morning:

https://985thesportshub.com/2021/06/03/mazz-the-real-reason-brad-stevens-is-still-here/

Here's his view, which is pretty much in-line with what a lot of posters have said (myself included a few posts up):

So the only way they could keep Stevens was to elevate him, because it’s likely nobody wants him to coach the team anymore, Stevens included. But the Celtics foolishly and eagerly committed so much to Stevens that they were financially handcuffed. (Remind me to hire Stevens’ wife as my agent.) So they’ll keep Stevens on the payroll until another team comes calling looking for a new coach, when Stevens will eagerly jump at the opportunity and be done with what feels like a temporary position – and when the Celtics can shed their financial responsibilities and get a late-round draft pick who will likely turn into the next Ante Zizic.

You lost me when you quoted Mazz...

I can't stand Mazz either, but he deserves credit for calling the Ainge news.

[ddb]

The Celtics will be a laughing stock if they go through a whole dog n pony show promoting Stevens only to see him bail a year or two later. Again, that theory is nonsense. The Celtics organization is not the Orlando Magic. Stevens may coach again someday, but it won't be for awhile.

[greenroom31]

Draymond doesn't know sh*t. Guy just loves to talk

He's likely on target here. And don't know why you'd say he doesn't know stuff.

Why is he likely on target here? If they didn’t want Stevens, they wouldn’t promote him to arguably the most important position in the organization. If Brad wanted to still coach, he would have zero issues finding another NBA job or even any college job he wanted. To say “Brad was essentially fired” is just simply inaccurate.

Who knows what Brad's actual position is? He has an important sounding TITLE but he's surrounded by Zarren and a whole bunch of very experienced people. For all we know they're going to have him just spend more time assessing talent and sharing his perspective on players to potentially pursue. He doesn't necessarily have the final call, and I don't think his title is "GM" either.

Put another way: how will you feel if they hire someone else with the title GM? Will you still think he has the most important position in the organization?

[Zeno]

Hollinger on his podcast with Nate Duncan seemed to suggest that Carlise might not be a favorite of Luka and wondered if he might be an option for Boston. What do you guys think?

[GoCeltics123]

Hollinger on his podcast with Nate Duncan seemed to suggest that Carlise might not be a favorite of Luka and wondered if he might be an option for Boston. What do you guys think?

Yes. 100% yes

[Zeno]

Hollinger on his podcast with Nate Duncan seemed to suggest that Carlise might not be a favorite of Luka and wondered if he might be an option for Boston. What do you guys think?

Yes. 100% yes

That's what I thought, but you never know... lol.

[greenroom31]

Hollinger on his podcast with Nate Duncan seemed to suggest that Carlise might not be a favorite of Luka and wondered if he might be an option for Boston. What do you guys think?

Yes. 100% yes

Carlisle is a fantastic coach, but I'd also be stunned to learn that Luka doesn't like him. It seems like they get along really well and Carlisle is regularly publicly praising him in a grandiose way.

[bucknersrevenge]

I still believe this is going to end up with an NBA team giving the Celtics a 1st round pick to get Brad Stevens out of his contract and come coach their team. I think it's inevitable in the next year or two.

Unless Duke comes calling after the Scheyer experiment fails. Duke may be obliged to give Scheyer a shot considering his experience, familiarity and devotion to the program but I think after a year the AD will want a big name to go with their big program and Brad will be ready to jump back into the fold by then.

Yeah they aren’t firing Scheyer after 1 year on the job lol

You don't think they'd usher Scheyer out if Brad said I'm ready to go to Duke after a 2 year sabbatical?

[Zeno]

Hollinger on his podcast with Nate Duncan seemed to suggest that Carlise might not be a favorite of Luka and wondered if he might be an option for Boston. What do you guys think?

Yes. 100% yes

Carlisle is a fantastic coach, but I'd also be stunned to learn that Luka doesn't like him. It seems like they get along really well and Carlisle is regularly publicly praising him in a grandiose way.

I agree with you but Hollinger seems plugged into coaching strife at the very least. Earlier in the season, long before any negative reports about Nate Bjorkgren had come out, he said there were issues with him in Indy.

[bucknersrevenge]

He's likely on target here. And don't know why you'd say he doesn't know stuff.

Why is he likely on target here? If they didn’t want Stevens, they wouldn’t promote him to arguably the most important position in the organization. If Brad wanted to still coach, he would have zero issues finding another NBA job or even any college job he wanted. To say “Brad was essentially fired” is just simply inaccurate.

Who knows what Brad's actual position is? He has an important sounding TITLE but he's surrounded by Zarren and a whole bunch of very experienced people. For all we know they're going to have him just spend more time assessing talent and sharing his perspective on players to potentially pursue. He doesn't necessarily have the final call, and I don't think his title is "GM" either.

Put another way: how will you feel if they hire someone else with the title GM? Will you still think he has the most important position in the organization?

Yeah, I agree here. After watching that press conference, Brad looked like a guy reading a hostage letter. Wyc didn't want to eat the money from the extension but he felt like the team needed a new voice. So Brad gets fired "up". I mean that never happens. And you can spin it however you want about Brad being the best guy for the job but they took no interviews, talked to no people around the league before deciding on Brad, a former coach with ZERO negotiating experience, nor networks in the league. They're gonna have to train him how to do the job that they've given him. This is not an ideal situation at all. Everyone is trying to save face for the organization here. So Brad gets fired and a break from coaching fora bit. Gets to keep earning and Wyc doesn't have to eat his salary. And then possibly after a couple of years when the dust settles, maybe Brad finds a job somewhere else. He resigns so Wyc doesn't have to pay him anymore. Wyc thanks him for services rendered and everyone has a nice day.

[BK_2020]

Wyc doesn't save any money by promoting Brad to do nothing. it's sunk money. If Brad Stevens is appointed POBO that's because Wyc believes he's the man for the job. You can disagree with that decision, but it's ridiculous and illogical to say Wyc saves money by promoting Brad when simply firing him would cost the same.

[VeryMuchWoke]

I read in the Globe this morning that Nate McMillan has not signed an extension with the Hawks. Put him on the list. McMillan was a top defensive guard in his playing days and he preaches and teaches defense. That's what this team needs.

I would love McMillan as our next coach. I assumed he wasn't available. He'd be my top choice. It should be him or Lawson.

[Feed Your Head]

I'm chirping about it, but no animosity towards the mods from me. I don't envy that gig at all, and I do appreciate most of the work that mods here have done. I was once a mod on a board busier than this one, and I don't know what to tell anyone about where the line is from something going from insensitive or borderline to blatant racism or sexism. People are rarely going to go out in a blaze of slurs like humbebum did. I do think a lot of posting over the last week or so has been well over where a line should be, but it's not for me to report it to the mods like I'm some 6 year-old. I know that's kind of the model here, and that's fine, but I'm someone who would rather confront people directly. And yeah, I know that I push some boundaries myself.

Part of why I like the discord format is that I'm a lot more likely to have the freedom to just say, "Hey, you are being a piece of **** right now. STFU with that," when someone is going on with coded racial language and neanderthal takes. But mostly, I just like the flow of it and the easier ability to post GIFs or screenshots without having to dig up image URLs or engage in Y2K-era HTML coding. Either way, my other board went through this exact same thing last year, also driven by a flurry of racial stuff. Now there's a thriving board plus a thriving discord, and people have sorted themselves and most of their posting to the appropriate sandbox.

As to truth, he is his own man. He went to bat for me when I was banned (thanks also to SWC), and I do have his back. Both of us are old enough to handle the consequences of our posting haha. I will say this, though. He's 100% right that a league full of predominantly black players are taking note of all of this. It's going to have consequences and already has. We were a white front office with white owners and a white head coach, all trying to dictate the careers of mostly black players. Anyone who thinks we are going to hire another white GM and white coach isn't paying any attention at all.

Absolutely this. Stevens 100% knows this is a problem as well. The Celtics organization is going to get a MAJOR injection of diversity this offseason.

Later today I’m going to do your idea, and make a sticky thread to replace the attacking posters one. I’m going to be very direct, there will be an absolute ZERO TOLERANCE policy for racist or sexist posts.

The fact that we even have to do that is ******* embarrassing.

[Disinformation]

Wyc doesn't save any money by promoting Brad to do nothing. it's sunk money. If Brad Stevens is appointed POBO that's because Wyc believes he's the man for the job. You can disagree with that decision, but it's ridiculous and illogical to say Wyc saves money by promoting Brad when simply firing him would cost the same.

Devil's advocate: That's only true if Brad stays for his entire contract. If he decides he doesn't like the job and/or wants to get back to coaching and leaves by his own choice, that's where the savings are.

[BK_2020]

Wyc doesn't save any money by promoting Brad to do nothing. it's sunk money. If Brad Stevens is appointed POBO that's because Wyc believes he's the man for the job. You can disagree with that decision, but it's ridiculous and illogical to say Wyc saves money by promoting Brad when simply firing him would cost the same.

Devil's advocate: That's only true if Brad stays for his entire contract. If he decides he doesn't like the job and/or wants to get back to coaching and leaves by his own choice, that's where the savings are.

Wyc can accomplish this by appointing him to be a janitor or a similarly unimportant position.

[Red2]

Does anyone else have misgivings about brad Stevens being the new president of basketball operations? I’m sure Wyc and Pats thought about it but it seems like a huge gamble at a fairly critical time for the C’s. This off season we need to get back on track and make some really hard decisions not the least of which is who is the next coach? Also it feels like Danny still has a lot left in the tank as GM and Brad still has a lot left in the tank as a coach so I find all of that confusing and unsettling as well. The whole thing is just odd. Feels like I woke up with a hangover after yesterday’s bombshell news.

[VeryMuchWoke]

Wyc doesn't save any money by promoting Brad to do nothing. it's sunk money. If Brad Stevens is appointed POBO that's because Wyc believes he's the man for the job. You can disagree with that decision, but it's ridiculous and illogical to say Wyc saves money by promoting Brad when simply firing him would cost the same.

Devil's advocate: That's only true if Brad stays for his entire contract. If he decides he doesn't like the job and/or wants to get back to coaching and leaves by his own choice, that's where the savings are.

Most contracts have an offset clause that saves the team significant money if the coach takes another job after a firing. I think the savings by "promoting" him rather than firing him comes in the form of having some extra help finding Ainge's successor (as opposed to possibly having to bring someone in for that purpose), and the promotion could help Brad find another job more quickly as it sounds a lot better than being fired.

They had 2 options:

1) Find another GM and watch them fire Brad.
2) "Promote" Brad to see if he can run the org and if not use his services in finding someone that can.

Pretty easy choice.

[Curmudgeon]

Wyc doesn't save any money by promoting Brad to do nothing. it's sunk money. If Brad Stevens is appointed POBO that's because Wyc believes he's the man for the job. You can disagree with that decision, but it's ridiculous and illogical to say Wyc saves money by promoting Brad when simply firing him would cost the same.

They could have kept Stevens as coach and gone after Masai Ujuri as President/GM. Or a guy like Mark Bartelstein. Former player agents have done fairly well as GMs in NY and LA.

Stevens may not have been the best choice for the job but it wasn't about ownership saving money. I'm guessing that Sevens took it to spend more time with his family. The travel is a complete PITA when you are the coach. It remains to be seen if he will be good at the job.

[greenroom31]

Wyc doesn't save any money by promoting Brad to do nothing. it's sunk money. If Brad Stevens is appointed POBO that's because Wyc believes he's the man for the job. You can disagree with that decision, but it's ridiculous and illogical to say Wyc saves money by promoting Brad when simply firing him would cost the same.

Devil's advocate: That's only true if Brad stays for his entire contract. If he decides he doesn't like the job and/or wants to get back to coaching and leaves by his own choice, that's where the savings are.

Wyc can accomplish this by appointing him to be a janitor or a similarly unimportant position.

Have you ever heard of the term "material diminution"?

If not, google it. Brad could make a claim on that basis and get his money back. It's more common than you think. I used it after one of my companies got acquired to get my full payout right away rather than waiting out my term.