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
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
"I know a lot about the law and various other lawyerings."
Hitters who avoid outs are the funnest.
Need to trade Rondo.
Revering4Blue (07-03-2013)
This article agrees with you.
I do, as well.
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...re-rebuilding/
Whatever you do, do your best to not allow the struggles of life to interfere with the pleasures of living.
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.
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.
Reading comprehension is not just an ability, it's a choice
So what college job will Stevens take in 2 or 3 years?
cumberlandreds (07-04-2013),jimbo (07-04-2013),Joseph (07-03-2013),New York Red (07-03-2013),Wonderful Monds (07-03-2013)
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.
Whatever you do, do your best to not allow the struggles of life to interfere with the pleasures of living.
Razor Shines (07-03-2013)
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.
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.
Whatever you do, do your best to not allow the struggles of life to interfere with the pleasures of living.
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.
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.
Great coach, I wish him the best
When I see the 2016 Reds, I see a 100 loss team and no direction.
Revering4Blue (07-03-2013)
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.
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.
Razor Shines (07-03-2013),Revering4Blue (07-03-2013)
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