What we’re seeing in Boston right now as they search for a new head coach, is what a deliberate process of hiring an integral part of your organization looks like.
It’s slow.
It’s boring.
It involves a full-blown cannonball into the sea of rumors while embracing some uncomfortable innuendos sprinkled some straight-no-chaser truths that create a random cacophony of narratives that leaves everyone involved in the process and on the periphery, wondering what the hell is going on.
But it’s necessary in order to achieve what should be the Celtics’ number one priority and that’s to find a head coach who gives the organization the best chance for success.
And while Boston was applauded for its outside-the-box approach in luring Brad Stevens from Butler in 2013, that blueprint won’t work this time around.
For starters, the man hired in that instance is now the man making the final decision on his replacement which is an oddity that has raised more than a few eyebrows throughout the association.
“At some point in the interviews, there’s gonnabe (sic) uncomfortable conversations like when they talk about last year’s team and what went wrong,” an Eastern Conference executive texted the Boston Sports Journal. “Are candidates going to keep it real about what their predecessor did wrong, the predecessor who is now their boss?”
Stevens is no different than most coaches and leaders when it comes to having a demeanor that reflects his own beliefs on what works and what doesn’t work. Stevens is a thoughtful planner, relying more on X’s and O’s than emotions to be a successful coach. He never won a title as a coach in Boston, but only three men in the storied franchise's history won more games.
And while no one knows for certain what his process will be for hiring a new coach, one thing we do know: whoever he hires will not be a Brad Stevens clone.
If there’s one thing Stevens will have taken from his time with Danny Ainge, it’s an understanding that you don’t build a team that you like but rather a team that can win. At some point along the journey, you get the sense that Ainge lost sight of this, or didn’t emphasize it enough. How often have we heard in the last year or two, Ainge expressed how much he liked the team he assembled that consisted of a lot of good guys and very few good-to-great players?
It’s the collateral damage that takes place when your top-shelf talent (Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Gordon Hayward) leaves ahead of schedule.
And it’s the reason why whoever Stevens hires as his replacement, has to come with an unquestioned ability to connect with this generation of NBA players.
If you had to lock in on one shortcoming that Stevens had during his time as the Celtics’ head coach, this would be it.
And while his most ardent supporters point out how Stevens coming from the college ranks and the NBA being younger would make it easier for him to relate to guys coming into the league, left at the depot on that train of thought was the fact that the players coming into the NBA were not the kind of players Stevens was recruiting to Butler.
During Stevens' time as Boston’s head coach, the Celtics drafted 28 players.
Of those 28 players, only three (Marcus Thornton of Williams and Mary; R.J. Hunter of George State and Semi Ojeleye of SMU) came from schools outside of Power 5 Basketball Conferences.
And of those three, only Ojeleye has carved out what most would agree has been a solid NBA career. Only six players from his 2017 NBA draft class which includes teammate Jayson Tatum, have played more games than Ojeleye (254).
There’s plenty of time to get into Stevens’ approach to team building through the draft and free agency.
For now, the focus is on who Stevens will bring in as his successor on the sideline, a situation that will force Celtics fans to do as Philly fans a few years ago and that’s trust the process.
WALKER TO THE KNICKS?
A report recently indicated that both the Boston Celtics and Kemba Walker want to part ways. While the report did not mention any specific teams Walker was interested in playing for, a league executive believes the New York Knicks are the most likely destination for Walker.
For starters, Walker has been on a Knicks target dating back to his days with the Charlotte Hornets. And when he signed with the Celtics, Walker later revealed that the Knicks were among the teams he had given “serious” consideration signing with prior to inking a four-year, $140.79 million deal with Boston.
And it makes sense when you consider the Knicks are a team on the rise having finished with the fourth-best record in the East this season with a relatively young core. Walker is also a native New Yorker and has had some of his most memorable games at Madison Square Garden when he starred at UConn.
Because the Knicks have significant salary-cap space, they can absorb the remainder of Walker’s contract ($36 million for 2021-2022 and $37.6 million in 2022-2023) with no problem while Boston, because New York can absorb Walker’s contract with cap space, won’t have to take back dollar-for-dollar talent via trade. That could provide the Celtics a bit more flexibility salary cap-wise going forward which would certainly enhance the chances of Boston bolstering its roster with a better mix of talent and depth.
COMPETITION FOR BILLUPS HEATING UP
Chauncey Billups has been among the more talked-about names when it comes to the Boston Celtics head coaching vacancy. Well, it appears the Celtics will have some competition for Billups’ services if they truly believe he should be the organization’s next head coach.
The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to make a push for Billups, currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Billups’ former teammate Rip Hamilton is among those to put their support behind Billups, a five-time All-Star and NBA champion and Finals MVP (2004).
“Chauncey wants to coach right now,” Hamilton said. “Hopefully he gets his opportunity.”
KD HEAVY PRAISE FOR TATUM
One of the clearest signs of a player’s ascension isn’t necessarily seen in numbers, but rather what’s spoken by other top players.
So the props given to Jayson Tatum by Kevin Durant hold a different kind of weight than the praise Tatum has received from others. In a recent edition of his podcast, The etcs with KD, Durant details the challenges he sees both now and in the future when it comes to facing the 23-year-old Tatum.
“He’s a tough cover; how old is he?” Durant asked moments before being told that Tatum is just 23 years old. “It’s gonna be ridiculous. He’s a tough, shot-maker. I hate that we’re in the same conference.”
Now in his 14th NBA season, Durant said he has kept a tally of key matchups and various players and series that he has been involved in.
“When I have conversations with friends, I’m like, ‘oh, I had series against Kobe (Bryant), LeBron (James), Tim Duncan, the Memphis Grizzlies … Jayson Tatum is in that conversation now,” Durant said. “He’s that elite-level of player already at 23 and I’m like, ‘alright, I can see where this is going.’ It was an honor to play against him.”
During the regular season, Tatum was 10th in the league with 26.4 points per game average. In the playoffs, Tatum was sixth with 30.7 points per game.
