The Stars never aligned for Brad Stevens, The Trades, The Departures, The Owners and Danny Ainge’s Blind Eye to the Toxic Culture That’s Brewed with Boston Celtics
At the end of the day, Boston didn’t prepare correctly: No matter how close the Celtics got, close counts only in horseshoes and hand grenades. Ainge was responsible for the decisions of a major-market organization that happens to be one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. The only metric of success is a championship.
Losing two superstars and three Eastern Conference finals in four years, as the Celtics did under Stevens and Ainge, is, therefore, a failure.
A few things will be crucial if Boston is going to exceed them. We’ll see how Stevens drafts and courts stars. He famously hated recruiting when he was the coach of Butler University, but he managed to find players others had written off and build them up into cohesive teams. Maybe he’ll see things in draft picks that other people miss.
The Boston Celtics considered other internal candidates and even pondered pursuing Sam Presti before hiring Brad Stevens to run their front office, sources tell Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Presti is a native of Massachusetts and has run the Oklahoma City Thunder since 2007.
Stevens has no front office experience but has been in the NBA since 2013 in a head coaching capacity.
Sources: Prominent member of Celtics organization wanted to fire Brad Stevens during regular season
Danny Ainge is retiring as president of basketball operations in Boston, while Brad Stevens is now transitioning from head coach to the new head of basketball operations, the team officially announced on Wednesday.
ESPN first reported that Ainge was seriously considering stepping down.
It’s worth noting that, at one point in the regular season, a prominent member of the Celtics organization wanted to fire Stevens immediately, per SNY sources familiar with the matter.
Ainge was among those in the organization who were against the decision, sources say. Clearly, the organization ultimately sided with Ainge at the time and kept Stevens.
Ainge hired Stevens in 2013 and has remained loyal to him. The Celtics at one point looked like one of the top young teams in the league. But Boston hasn’t met expectations over the last two seasons.
Danny Ainge out, Brad Stevens gets new role after disastrous Celtics season
Danny Ainge felt the heat after the Celtics’ first-round playoff elimination.
The team’s president of basketball operations is stepping down from his role, according to Shams Charania of the Athletic. Additionally, head coach Brad Stevens is “planning to transition” from that position to become the Celtics’ new head of basketball operations.
The report comes on the heels of Boston’s five-game exit in the first round of the playoffs against the Nets. The series ended on Tuesday night in a 123-109 Game 5 blowout.
The seventh-seeded Celtics finished 36-36 in the regular season and advanced through the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs. The Celtics were expected to be among the contenders in the Eastern Conference, but instead were just a playoff appetizer for the powerful Nets.
Any chance of a postseason run for the Celtics seemed to be ruined when Jaylen Brown suffered a wrist injury late in the season.
Rumors around coach Stevens’ future swirled throughout the turbulent season, though Ainge has been supportive and taken blame for any failings.
Now in the front office, Stevens will lead the search for the team’s next head coach, according to Charania.
Ainge, now 62, joined the Celtics front office in 2003, where he has remained for 18 years.
In 2009, Ainge was named NBA Executive of the Year after assembling the Celtics’ championship roster with Hall of Famers Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski to Retire After 2021-22 Season; Jon Scheyer Named Replacement
Legendary Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski plans to retire after the 2021-22 season.
Krzyzewski announced his decision in a statement on Wednesday:
“My family and I view today as a celebration. Our time at both West Point and Duke has been beyond amazing and we are thankful and honored to have led two college programs at world-class institutions for more than four decades. That, coupled with 11 unforgettable years as the United States National Team coach, has resulted in a remarkable journey. Certainly, I have been blessed to coach some of the finest young men and greatest players in basketball history as a direct result of these unique opportunities. For us, there is no greater joy than being part of our players’ respective endeavors through basketball, and more importantly, their lives off the court. Our family is eternally grateful to everyone who contributed to our career for the past 46 years. So, to the countless members of our extended family, thank you very much.”
Associate head coach Jon Scheyer was named as the successor to Krzyzewski.
Krzyzewski will be entering his 42nd season as the Duke head coach. He is the winningest coach in men’s college basketball history with 1,170 victories and has led the Blue Devils to 12 Final Fours and five national championships. He coached Army for five years before taking over at Duke.
Duke has not gotten past the Elite Eight since it won the 2015 national championship, and it struggled to a 13-11 record last season. Coach K hinted that retirement could be near in an interview with Rece Davis in February.
“It’s frustrating that you can’t do all the things you normally do and you don’t achieve that success,” he said. “Well, in about a week, I’ll be 74 years old. You know, whether it’s the light at the end of the tunnel or the end of the cave or whatever the hell it is, it’s there.
“Whenever it happens, it’s going to happen. I can’t be focused on that. I’m focused on this team.”
“In my 46 years, there’s never been a time like this.”<br><br>Coach K chats with @ReceDavis to talk about playing UNC in an empty arena, college basketball’s leadership and more.
Scheyer, 33, has been an assistant coach at Duke since 2013. The former Blue Devils guard has become a well-respected voice within the program and was promoted to associate head coach in 2018. Other programs have taken notice, with Scheyer interviewing for the head coaching position at DePaul in March.
Scheyer was the lead recruiter when Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson came to Durham. It’s possible a desire to leave the program in good hands and Scheyer’s rising star within the coaching ranks led Coach K to reportedly walk away.
Krzyzewski’s retirement means Duke and North Carolina will have lost their legendary coaches within a calendar year. Roy Williams announced his retirement following the 2020-21 season and was replaced by assistant Hubert Davis.
