There's no doubt now: Brad Stevens was fired as Celtics coach

There's no doubt now: Brad Stevens was fired as Celtics coach

WEEI By Alex Reimer

It never made sense that Brad Stevens willingly moved upstairs in the prime of his coaching career. The sidelines-to-suite transition usually happens when all-time great coaches reach their seventh or eighth decade, such as Pat Riley becoming president of the Miami Heat at 63 years old, or Bill Parcells trying his hand in the Miami Dolphins’ player personnel department at 66.

Stevens doesn’t fit that mold. At 44 years old, there’s still so much for him to accomplish in the coaching ranks. With three Eastern Conference Finals appearances already under his belt, the next logical step would be bringing the Celtics back to the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade.

But it’s apparent the players decided he wasn’t the right person to lead them anymore. Make no mistake: Brad Stevens was fired.

On Monday, we saw Stevens carry out his first solo press conference in his new role as president of basketball operations. He spent substantial portions of it showering praise onto Kemba Walker, whom he traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder — along with the No. 16 overall pick — in exchange for old stalwart Al Horford and lottery ticket Moses Brown.

While it’s normal for general managers to wish departing players well, there may have been an underlying public relations motive for Stevens’ generous compliments. Over the weekend, The Athletic published a bombshell report detailing the seeming tension around the Celtics last season. One of the key contributors, sources say, was Stevens’ fractured relationship with Walker. It was described as “tension-filled.”

Stevens curiously wasn’t asked about the article Monday, but he seemingly tried to deflect any incoming inquiries. “I just really liked Kemba,” Stevens said. “Period, end of story. He is a super-likable person.”

But the story doesn’t end there. It actually gets begins. Jared Weiss of The Athletic unearthed multiple gripes about Stevens in his well-reported piece: "Several players" welcomed a coaching change; Gordon Hayward told Stevens he needed to develop a stronger voice with players; players thought Stevens favored Marcus Smart; an unidentified Celtics player lobbied Blake Griffin against signing here. Worst of all, several sources told Weiss the “Celtics’ culture of competition was eroding.”

That was on display when nobody pushed back against Kyrie Irving stepping on Lucky after the final home game of the disappointing season.

When Stevens was first introduced in his new role June 2 — coinciding with Danny Ainge leaving the organization — he basically admitted he lost the locker room. “I’ve been doing this for eight years,” Stevens said. “I’ve been in that locker room with some of those guys for a long time. They’re going to get to play for a great coach with some similarities maybe, but also some great new fresh perspectives. I think that’s a good thing. People can be reinvigorated by that.”

Clearly, Wyc Grousbeck views Stevens as a smart basketball mind. The team gifted him with a five-year extension last August, despite the lack of a championship pedigree. Earlier this year, Grousbeck said in a radio interview he didn’t want to move on from Stevens or Ainge, out of fear another organization would pick them up.

“Either one of those guys would be nearly the top candidate in the league for the job,” Grousbeck said to the other guys. “It doesn’t matter who else is out there. They’re our guys and we’re sticking with them. And it was not even a question in my mind.”

After watching Monday’s press conference — and reading The Athletic story — there isn’t a question in my mind that Stevens was forced upstairs. The Celtics may not want to lose him, but they seemingly knew he couldn’t coach the team anymore.

It was a firing with a cushy landing. Instead of drawing up X’s and O’s, Stevens will now be figuring out the mid-level exception, while another coach tries to tap into what he couldn’t.

112288

Wow! Slow news time will make people sensationalize more to get attention.

I can understand that Danny was "encouraged" to step down. The rest? SMH!

Lots of conjecture.  House of cards stuff.  Almost troll-like.  Weak tea.  Too many leaps of faith (and logic)  

Fine, maybe it was time for him to move on.  Danny too.  

But to add everything up and come up with, "Make no mistake: Brad Stevens was fired."?  That's just asinine.

Focus, people, focus.  You'll never know the truth or the timeline of events.

Stop looking back, it was waaayyyy too scary!!  (LOL)



Oh well, different strokes for different folks.

Whatever.

The articles seems plausible as to how Brad became the new President. Ownership chose the younger person to keep. Danny had a limited amount of time left as President based on his age and health.

The problem that caused this souring of the organization and player rebellion I believe was caused by Danny stacking the team with too many young players and not enough veterans who would have kicked some butt if these players went off the reservation and were not listening to the coach. I may be wrong, but I would be willing to bet that the trouble makers could 3 maybe 4 guys, namely Walker, Tatum, and Brown.

You may ask why include Tatum and Brown? Because they are young rising stars and if I were Blake Griffin and interested in signing with Boston, who would I approach to ask if it was a good move? The veteran Walker or two stars in the league - Brown and Tatum, not Taco nor Langford or the rest of the team.

Now it becomes clear why Gordon Haywood left, and it was not about not liking the City of Boston. I was what he saw in the locker room.

The Celtics have a real problem on their hands with both Tatum and Brown. They are locked up with big money contracts and they are part of the elite players in the league. At some point, and I do not care who you are, your ego begins to grow based on all the superlatives thrown at these players by the press each day. Problem is, these players begin to believe they are bigger then the team, the coach and in some cases the NBA.

One thing that struck me as being very odd in this intense societal atmosphere of today, was when I heard that some of the players including Tatum wanted a black coach behind the bench for Boston. I thought the criteria for selecting a coach was selecting the best qualified person who exhibited the best resume of experience regardless of skin color or religious affiliation. This societal upheaval being interjected into sports I believe will eventually destroy the league.

May I add, who the hell is Tatum and where is his deep knowledge and experience in basketball strategy and running a team! This guy is just beginning to understand the game! His only attribute is his physical skill set and his coordination to shoot a basketball.

May I digress. Why would ANY FRANCHISE IN ANY SPORT not want to select the best qualified candidate to lead their team as coach regardless of skin color or religious beliefs. The Celtic broke all barriers by selecting Russell as the first black coach in the league, and over many decades also selected black coaches as well.

Ainge did so with Doc Rivers and supported him through tough times before winning the championship.

Someone coming in better take control of the team from the get go and command respect or this upcoming season is going to be hell.

My favorite who I would like to be our coach is a person who has a long history as an assistant coach working under one of the top coaches ever, and for a pedigree franchise of winning culture as well as a player. His name is Ime Udoka and he also happens to be black.

It is interesting that Brad became president of basketball operations. Brad also knows who the troublemakers are. It would not surprise me if Brad begins to prune the team roster and send some of the troublemakers packing elsewhere. Walking is the first, let see who else may go.

112288

Mike Zarren is the assistant general manager and now he reports to Brad Stevens instead of Danny.  In a lot of organizations he would have moved up but instead Brad gets the position and the promotion. The spin from the Celtics is that they will be on more even terms.

Don't be surprised if Zarren is gone within a year.

The Celtics organization in fact made a decision that a coaching change was needed.  That was not Brad's decision unless some believe a different narrative. Maybe he went to management and said I do not want to coach the team anymore but how about Danny's job.  I heard he was leaving and want to apply.

I hope the Celtics hire a black coach or an African American coach because the NBA is 75% AA but there are only 6 AA coaches,  The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of qualified AA coaches.  There are plenty of qualified white coaches as well.  Why are the overwhelming majority of players  AA  while the vast majority of coaches are white?

Diversity is a good thing not just in the coaching circle but in the front office and the ownership groups.  The Celtics would be well served to also expand opportunities in their front office.

dBoss,

I agree that the front office needs AA management personnel. However, ownership plays a big role in that area. So Wyc may come under the microscope sooner rather than later.

112288

I read that Danny wanted to retire or leave, or [fill in the blank]. When considering Danny's replacement, they threw Brad's name in the hat. They kicked it around and decided to go with Brad.

I'll go with that. You believe what all y'all want to.

Agree Gyso. Tired of this blowing up of stories, Weiss did not give name, just a lot of bs as far as I am concerned. Another guying looking to throw some crap against the wall and see what sticks. Really tiring of all of this. You would think that Brad was an ignorant fool or something. If he falls on his face, so be it. If not, will anyone ever say that that was bull and forget about it.

If Wyc and Pags and the rest of the owners really cared about this team, do you think they would just fire him from one job and give him another??????kind of a stupid premise in my eyes. If that is the case, then the next thing you will hear is the celtics are for sale.

Move on people, this is old news.

I agree with you Gyso. So much conjecture on so little basis. This I found laughable:

"That was on display when nobody pushed back against Kyrie Irving stepping on Lucky after the final home game of the disappointing season."

What Celtic player wanted to dignify Kyrie's inanity by getting into a tussle. A basic rule in life is to walk away from crazy people, not to engage them!

Regarding whom to hire as a head coach, if I ran a string of Greek diners (like my dad once did) staffed mostly with Greek cooks, waiters, and waitresses, I would probably hire a Greek manager. Same cultural background, same nuances in vocabulary and speech patterns, same appreciation for seasonings and the menu. Just saying...

Rosalie,

When was the last time anyone was fired for cause and then promoted to be top boss?

Never.

It’s probably true but who here GAF about the truth. People believe it when they say this sh** about other teams but of course our team is above this despite what we see on the floor. I can figure stuff out for myself and don’t give a crap what happened at this point but the denial on this site is hilarious.

Exactly…..nice pat on the back huh?

I read yesterday that Zarren would be named General Manager, Brad is President.

Too much……I am tired of it all.

Worcester…..if you ever wanted a great Italian meal…..where would you go? Me? My Grandmother and my Mom……now, me

112288 wrote:The articles seems plausible as to how Brad became the new President.  Ownership chose the younger person to keep.  Danny had a limited amount of time left as President based on his age and health.

The problem that caused this souring of the organization and player rebellion I believe was caused by Danny stacking the team with too many young players  and not enough veterans who would have kicked some butt if these players went off the reservation and were not listening to the coach.   I may be wrong, but I would be willing to bet that the trouble makers could 3 maybe 4  guys, namely Walker, Tatum, and Brown.

You may ask why include Tatum and Brown?  Because they are young rising stars and if I were Blake Griffin and interested in signing with Boston, who would I approach to ask if it was a good move?  The veteran Walker or two stars in the league - Brown and Tatum, not Taco nor Langford or the rest of the team.

Now it becomes clear why Gordon Haywood left, and it was not about not liking the City of Boston. I was what he saw in the locker room.

The Celtics have a real problem on their hands with both Tatum and Brown.  They are locked up with big money contracts and they are part of the elite players in the league.  At some point, and I do not care who you are, your ego begins to grow based on all the superlatives thrown at these players by the press each day.   Problem is, these players begin to believe they are bigger then the team, the coach and in some cases the NBA.

One thing that struck me as being very odd in this intense societal atmosphere of today, was when I heard that some of the players including Tatum wanted a black coach behind the bench for Boston. I thought the criteria for selecting a coach was selecting the best qualified person who exhibited the best resume of experience regardless of skin color or religious affiliation.  This societal upheaval being interjected into sports I believe will eventually destroy the league.

May I add, who the hell is Tatum and where is his deep knowledge and experience in basketball strategy and running a team!  This  guy is just beginning to understand the game!  His only attribute is his physical skill set and his coordination to shoot a basketball.

May I digress.   Why would ANY FRANCHISE IN ANY SPORT not want to select the best qualified candidate to lead their team as coach regardless of skin color or religious beliefs.  The Celtic broke all barriers by selecting Russell as the first black coach in the league, and over many decades also selected black coaches as well.  

Ainge did so with Doc Rivers and supported him through tough times before winning the championship.

Someone coming in better take control of the team from the get go and command respect or this upcoming season is going to be hell.

My favorite who I would like to be our coach is a person who has a long history as an assistant coach working under one of the top coaches ever, and for a pedigree franchise of winning culture as well as a player.   His name is Ime Udoka and he also happens to be black.

It is interesting that Brad became president of basketball operations.  Brad also knows who the troublemakers are.  It would not surprise me if Brad begins to prune the team roster and send some of the troublemakers packing elsewhere.  Walking is the first, let see who else may go.

112288

I agree with some of what you’ve said here especially when it comes to the “big 3” and the issues surrounding this team.
I do want address your point about the coaching situation and the race of said coach. If you are the least bit socially aware (which I’d like to think you are) then you would recognize that hiring a coach of color at this point would be the prudent thing to do. NOBODY is saying hire someone less qualified because they are of color so what’s the beef? We can’t ignore what’s happening around us. For years white coaches have been hired over more qualified Black coaches. Nobody said let’s hire a white coach. They just did it. Why? Because people generally hire other people who they either know, are comfortable with or look just like them. So for years MOST Black coaches that were qualified were not getting a look. Fast forward to today. Black coaches today generally don’t get the chance to fk up more than once or twice. Doc Rivers is an outlier. For every Doc there’s a Mark Jackson, Avery Johnson, Lionel Hollins, Sam Mitchell and the list goes on. I’m not a Stephen A Smith fan but some of what he says is right. Look at the sweet Job Nash stepped into with NO coaching experience. Ok, there’s Jason Kidd but where is he now, assisting another white coach who couldn’t win in Indy, or Orlando but lands a plum job with the Lakers. His assistants? Kidd and Hollins. So, we could have this discussion off line or continue or it here. That’s up to the administrators but in 2021 I don’t care to hear anyone make the statement of hiring the most qualified when the consensus (even here) is that that person should be African American. Finally I’ll ask, Where were you when Nash and Vogel and George Karl got hired for the upteenth time while qualified Black coaches were either assistants, in the broadcast booth or out of basketball? I’ll wait…

gyso wrote:Rosalie,

When was the last time anyone was fired for cause and then promoted to be top boss?

Never.

People get kicked upstairs all the time. It may be temporary but it does happen.

Did you ever watch “The Wire” ? well to that I say Sheeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Ktron wrote:It’s probably true but who here GAF about the truth. People believe it when they say this sh** about other teams but of course our team is above this despite what we see on the floor. I can figure stuff out for myself and don’t give a crap what happened at this point but the denial on this site is hilarious.

Denial? The title of the article suggests he was fired and then promoted. Much of the evidence leading up to that conclusion is unsubstantiated noise. Maybe some of it is true, maybe not. The conclusion is just nonsense.

Nobody here cares about the truth and we are all in denial?

-1

Rosalie, for great Italian food I would go to Sardinia restaurant in Sarasota ot to many restaurants in Roma.

Re George Carl...he was a very good coach who got hired and fired repeatedly.

Mark Jackson, another very good coach who pissed off the entire GSW staff and alienated NBA brass because he aired his Born again Christian beliefs against gay marriage. A poor career move in SF, especially with a gay owner.

Sam Mitchell, a really good coach in fact COY once. I wish he would get another shot at head coaching.
Like too many other black coaches, he probably won't. We do need more qualified AA coaches, and there are many.

gyso wrote:

Ktron wrote:It’s probably true but who here GAF about the truth. People believe it when they say this sh** about other teams but of course our team is above this despite what we see on the floor. I can figure stuff out for myself and don’t give a crap what happened at this point but the denial on this site is hilarious.

Denial?  The title of the article suggests he was fired and then promoted.  Much of the evidence leading up to that conclusion is unsubstantiated noise.  Maybe some of it is true, maybe not.  The conclusion is just nonsense.

Nobody here cares about the truth and we are all in denial?

-1

I didn’t say nobody but it appears that “some” of you don’t, especially when it comes to our team, the Celtics. Quite frankly, you appear to be very cynical when its something written about the celtics that either you don’t agree with or don’t want to believe.
You look for every article to be substantiated or a source being named and it doesn’t always work that way. Fine, come to your own conclusion but it Doesn’t mean its BS just because its not substantiated to your satisfaction and/or they haven’t named the source. Also, by saying that the conclusion is just nonsense is a conclusion in itself.

"Who here GAF about the truth" insinuates "nobody".  Your words.

I said, "Maybe some of it is true, maybe not."  I'm not arguing that point.

I said it was nonsense to say people get fired and then promoted and you said it happens all the time.  For evidence, you reference a TV show?  WTF?

In real life, people often do get promoted to their level of incompetence (kicked upstairs), that's the Peter Principal.  But they don't get fired first.

Lastly, this is a Celtics board.  Why do you think it is strange when some of us get upset when others take a daily dump on our team?  

*shrugs*

Speaking only for myself, I am ready for a coach with a pulse. Maybe the players were, too.

gyso wrote:I read that Danny wanted to retire or leave, or [fill in the blank].  When considering Danny's replacement, they threw Brad's name in the hat.  They kicked it around and decided to go with Brad.

I'll go with that.  You believe what all y'all want to.

gyso

I believe the Celtics did need a coaching change.  I do not think that was Brad's decision.  I think the organization valued him greatly and I think he will do a great job in his new role.  He was not fired! If he was fired he would not still be with the team.  Danny's planned  retirement dovetailed with the need to make a coaching change.  

What this comes down to is those who believed that a change in coach was needed and those that believe no change was needed.  In the end, the Celtics obviously believed a change in coach was needed. right?  The Celtics also believed that Brad could step into a new front office role and be successful.

Drips and drabs of stories will continue to stimulate mistrust.  Some of these stories have legs and some do not but in the end the only godamn thing that really really matters to me is that the Celtics move forward with whatever changes are needed and the end result is banner #18.

I'm rooting for Brad to do a great job and when the new coach comes in I will be rooting for him as well.  I pray our roster stays healthy and continues to grow.  I hope the team rediscovers that special  bonding and culture of winning.

Brad had a huge contract and likely a huger offer to return to Indiana. Reason would suggest he at least knew he was staying in Boston (and becoming even more of a Masshole) and likely had assurances from ownership of this. Anyways, conjecture aside I liked his first big move - who doesn’t want the next big named Moses?

Gyso and Bob, two voices of reason.