Nice move by the Celtics. I mean Stevens doesn't have a lot of experience coaching top NBA talent but fortunately the Celtics don't have much of that left.
http://www.butlersports.com/sports/m...20130703gp8h85
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Nice move by the Celtics. I mean Stevens doesn't have a lot of experience coaching top NBA talent but fortunately the Celtics don't have much of that left.
http://www.butlersports.com/sports/m...20130703gp8h85
Need to trade Rondo.
So what college job will Stevens take in 2 or 3 years?
Interesting.
Great coach, I wish him the best
Trade a Kentucky guy?Quote:
Originally Posted by WMR
It a completely off the radar hire, but hard to see a downside for either side. If Stevens fails, he'll go back to a college job of his choosing, if he succeeds, he's a great hire.Quote:
Originally Posted by Razor Shines
I've seen a lot of the "College Coaches never work in the Pros" but that seems to suffer from both a small sample of college coaches and ignoring the fact that most coaches fail in the NBA.
It's a safe bet that if and when Stevens decides to return to the College game, he'll have his pick of any open -- and some non-vacated -- HC job. Even if the Celtics gig doesn't work out, It seems foolish for anyone to believe that Stevens is committing career suicide.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston Red
You beat me to it, HR.
To completely get rid of all the talent.Quote:
Originally Posted by redsfanmia
If Rick Pitino retires by that time, I'd say Stevens is the safest choice. Another possibility could include Kentucky if Calipari ever leaves (retirement or NBA). I thought Indiana was a likely landing spot, especially if IU fans would have ever gotten impatient with Crean, but that ship has likely sailed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Revering4Blue
If anything, this enhances his resume. I don't see him being a successful NBA coach, but if/when he does return to the college game, he has the NBA experience and connections to sell to recruits.
IMO, one thing that we have to keep in mind is that most, if not all, of the high-profile college coaches that have failed in the NBA were system coaches that relied on superior athletes to operate their system in college -- Pitino and (using an NFL example) Spurrier come to mind.
By contrast, Stevens managed to reach the NC game two years in a row with players recruited to play in the Horizon League. The fact that one of his players went on to become a Lottery Pick doesn't change that. That's what gives Stevens a fighting chance, IMO. If he can accomplish what he accomplished with said "talent", imagine what he can do with some of the best athletes in the World.
To that end, Ainge's job as GM will mostly make-or-break Stevens from the standpoint of success/winning percentage. The problem now is that the Celtics are kind of in no-man's land, just as the 76ers were until they wisely decided to blow it up on draft day. They are not yet Bobcats/Magic bad. In other words, a high Lottery pick may not be in their future just yet. Given that, IMO, should Stevens "fail" as Celtics coach, I believe it will be largely the result of factors that he has virtually no control over, but that is the risk you take as a coach when you jump to the NBA.
All of that said, Stevens will be under contract for six years. I'm willing to bet that Stevens lasts longer in Boston than Doc Rivers lasts in LA dealing with Donald Sterling.
This article agrees with you.Quote:
Originally Posted by WMR
I do, as well.
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...re-rebuilding/
Sucks for Butler. He could've been a legend there. He kind of already is, but he could've really cemented it.
With that said, if he is willing to be patient, he could have a lot of success. Stevens is not a traditional NBA coach. He's more of the Frank Vogel variety. He relies heavily on stats and matchups and applies it in a way that most NBA coaches do not. That gives him a better chance to succeed. He does need talent though and he ain't going to have much of that next season. If Boston is patient, he'll be a great hire for them.
That's what I thought too, assuming he has what it takes. This kind of hire is something a team can afford to do when it's rebuilding anyway. Stevens can learn the league without the win-now pressure, and if it all works out, he'll be ready to win big by the time the talent is.Quote:
Originally Posted by fearofpopvol1
And if it doesn't work, well, like the other posts said, no real harm done. Boston isn't going to win anything for awhile no matter who's coaching, and Stevens can always go back to the college ranks.
I think Stevens would have been a great hire for a team like Indiana or even Oklahoma City, a small market team that is under the radar. Even if Stevens has some success, Boston and the Lakers are the two flagship teams of the NBA when it comes to reverence, such as the Yankees in baseball. Boston fans were merciless on Rick Pitino, and he had accomplished more in college than what Stevens did heading to the NBA.Quote:
Originally Posted by Revering4Blue
His first year there are no expectations, especially if the Celtics go all in for a top pick in the draft next season. Even if they don't win the Wiggins sweepstakes, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, and Andrew Harrison are nice consolation prizes. This is nothing like the Tim Duncan draft where it was Duncan or bust. If he starts laying the foundation within the next two years and setting up a nice nucleus, unless he wins a championship, I see him getting Rick Carlisle'd in year three (replaced with a NBA experienced coach, in that case Larry Brown)
I'm a Celtics fan and I am kinda surprised George Karl wasn't the pick. The job he did with the Nuggets was remarkable and if the Celtics are looking to rebuild with young talent, Karl would have been the guy, even if he has a Larry Brown track record of alienating people.
I could definitely see that scenario being the case which would be a shame in my mind. It was a shame when it happened to Carlisle.Quote:
Originally Posted by WVRed
I will say Stevens personality is much more likely to let the Boston media criticism roll off his shoulders than Pitino was. I think this will help quite a bit. Think Terry Francona vs Bobby Valentine.
You're not likely to hear Stevens yell "Larry Bird is not walking through that door."
Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think Stevens has ever had to deal with criticism at the college level. He's been successful at Butler and a media darling due to winning. Hard to tell how that will affect him when he starts losing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoosier Red
Stevens is just somebody who will get the Celtics through at least two years of rebuilding. Once the nucleus is set, he will get a nice payday and head back to the college game, likely at either UK or Louisville.
That's definitely true so I'm speaking more hypothetically.Quote:
Originally Posted by WVRed
Media criticism in Indianapolis, even of a larger program like Indiana is probably muted compared to Boston where there are numerous media outlets and they're all looking for an edge somewhere/somehow. He'll undoubtedly face more scrutiny and have to "prove something" to the Boston press, whereas in Indianapolis, Butler either gets the benefit of the doubt, or is ignored if they're in a rare off year.
All that being said, I think it's more likely that the scenario you proposed will come true. That's likely the case no matter who they hired. The advantage of hiring Stevens, as opposed to say George Karl, is there's a lot less fuss if you fire him after two years.
I know the reason why Stevens is leaving Butler, but whenever these decisions are made I just shake my head. Stevens had pretty much cemented his legacy at Butler and pretty much guaranteed himself a lifetime contract. Couple that with Butler going to the Big East and the revenue stream coming in stands to gain quite a bit. He wasn't going to get a NBA type contract, but at what point is a "lifetime" contract getting $2m+ a season good enough?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoosier Red
What I don't quite understand is Butler proved they could win with the premier college programs. Programs like Xavier, Memphis and Gonzaga proved that you could recruit the big name player. They may not get the #1 prospect, but they could get good enough players to compete on the national scale.
I guess in the end Stevens walked away from a great, steady, well paying job. He took a better paying job in a pressure cooker where the odds are already stacked against him.
Just like anyone, Stevens probably wants to prove himself on the highest level just like his players do. He could probably stay at Butler forever but he probably wants to see if he can coach in the NBA.Quote:
Originally Posted by bucksfan2
It would take him around 20 years at Butler to earn what this contract will pay him. Could be even better if he's fired after 4 years, he still gets the rest of the contract and will, LITERALLY, have his pick of the top college jobs available when and if he leaves the pro game.Quote:
Originally Posted by bucksfan2
It was a no-brainer.
IMO, the pressure and scrutiny at Kentucky (if the coach is not succeeding) is greater than lots of pro cities. Perhaps not Boston, but it's close.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoosier Red
Competitive drive. Always looking for that next challenge.Quote:
Originally Posted by bucksfan2
Or maybe it's a more calculated move . Maybe he's thinking exactly what a lot of us are thinking. Stevens seems pretty practical maybe he thinks he'll work one NBA contract, make a ton of money and then come back to college. Maybe he thought this was the only way he could leave Butler without being hated. I know a lot of Butler grads that would have been furious if he left for another college but their attitude about him going to the Celtics is pretty much "Well it's the NBA, he had to give it a shot."
So he gets out of Butler still beloved and if the NBA doesn't work he can move onto a higher profile school without the "blood on his hands" of going there directly.
I'd agree that's probably true WMR. Neither the Colts or Pacers are as popular statewide as IU, but they are popular and I think that takes a lot of pressure off IU. At Kentucky, pretty much the entire state's eyes are on them 100% of the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by WMR
Even Louisville's often focused on UK if for nothing more than comparison's sake.
The Peyton era coming along at the same time as the Mike D/Denium Shirt era makes this statement wrong IMO, it's a Colts first state now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hoosier Red
It's a front-running state. More so than Ohio or the other surrounding states from what I can tell.Quote:
Originally Posted by redsfanmia
The one that annoys me are the IU hoops/ND FB fans. Pick a school dude. Most IU people don't even follow the football program.