Brad Stevens Should Get COY Consideration

http://sircharlesincharge.com/2015/02/04/boston-celtics-brad-stevens-get-coy-consideration/



Brad Stevens Should Get COY Consideration
by Michael Saenz 12h ago


Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens should get NBA Coach of the Year consideration this season



Throughout most of his coaching career, college and professional, Brad Stevens has been up against the odds. In college, as the head coach of Butler, Stevens was never considered the best. In fact, it wasn’t until his last few seasons that he finally received his praise.

Even then, it took trips to the NCAA Final Four in order to receive said recognition.

But still, he was never talked about in the same breath as Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, UNC’s Roy Williams, Kentucky’s John Calipari or any other of the top coaches in college basketball. Then again, why should he? Stevens was the new(ish) kid on the coaching block, winning with a team that had no national pull.

It was Butler — and Stevens was making a name for himself.


Stevens’ career at Butler

166-49 record (six years)
Five NCAA Tournament Appearances
Two Final Four Appearances
One NCAA Championship Appearance
Four-time Regular Season Horizon Conference Title Winner

Then, in 2013 Stevens was offered the head coaching job of the Boston Celtics. It was a spotlight team willing to give a “non-spotlight” up-and-coming head coach the opportunity of a lifetime — or so it seemed.

He took the job.


Boston Strong

Turns out, the Celtics couldn’t have made a better hire. Stevens, who has led a rebuilding Boston team to a 42-87 through his first year and a half in the NBA, and the Celtics are in it for the long haul together. And we’re finally beginning to see some results in just his second season on the job.

Despite trading away the former face of the franchise (Rajon Rondo) a couple of months ago, the Boston Celtics — through the direction of Stevens — have found themselves in the midst of a six-way battle for two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

At 17-30, the Celtics are three games (in the loss column) behind a struggling and injured Miami Heat team for eighth place in the conference. The question is now, though: should the Celtics strive forward for a playoff berth, or should they simply tank their way at an opportunity to strike gold on NBA draft lottery night?

That could also be asked for many teams in the Eastern Conference.

Although, at least for the time being, Stevens is kind of messing with the Celtics’ front office plans. I’m pretty sure, after cutting ties with Rondo and stockpiling a myriad of draft picks, Danny Ainge would much rather find their way to the top of the NBA draft lottery board. Stevens has other plans.

Much like his coaching career history, Stevens doesn’t have the most talented team, nor does anyone really expect anything from his squad.

Like his days at Butler, Stevens is messing around and making the Celtics a thing in the NBA again — in a blink of an eye. Which is exactly why Stevens should be considered for the NBA’s Coach of the Year award.


Coach of the Year

While the rest of the NBA is focused on what Steve Kerr and Mike Budenholzer are doing with the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks, respectively, Stevens is just going about his business quietly making the Celtics into a sleeper playoff contender.

No one expected it, and surely didn’t see this happening when Rondo was shipped to Dallas. This usually doesn’t happen in the NBA. There’s not much precedent to it.

Usually, when a team parts ways with its face of the franchise, said team doesn’t make a playoff run shortly after. It’s usually followed by a year, if not years, of rebuilding and a first class seat the road of the NBA’s irrelevancy train.

That’s not what Stevens is about, though.

Stevens has his team playing for a playoff spot right now and, after a 25-win season a year ago, is on pace to improve his record from last season. The cherry on top would be a playoff berth. And if Stevens can accomplish that with this year’s Boston Celtics team, a roster that is not impressive to say the least, he should be seriously considered for NBA Coach of the Year. Despite paying in the inferior conference.

A starting lineup of Marcus Smart (rookie), Evan Turner, Avery Bradley, Brandon Bass and Jared Sullinger doesn’t exactly scream playoffs in today’s NBA.

Stevens took a job a year and a half ago with no guarantees. Not many knew what to expect from a college coach that was hired from Butler. But, as he has done for the better-part of his young coaching career, Stevens is making believers out of his doubters.

He won’t be mentioned in the same sentence as the NBA’s top-tier coaches, such as Gregg Popovich, Tom Thibodeau, Rick Carlisle or even Eric Spoelstra, one thing he will do, however, is work his tail off and maximize the potential out of his Boston Celtics.

Stevens has been doing just that this season, and it’s time to start recognizing him.



bob



.

Might it not be a good idea to finish out the season before handing out awards?

Sam

Has anyone ever heard of the website this story came from?
You could find positives in any coach, including Stevens whose team after winning their last two games is on pace for 31 wins.
Stevens should not be praised or criticized for his team having an 18-30 record. This isn't the time to analyze him.
Coaches whose teams are 10 plus games under .500 should not be considered for Coach of Year Award. There are way too many successful teams whose coaches should be recognized before Stevens.

sam wrote:Might it not be a good idea to finish out the season before handing out awards?

Sam

Sam,

Or, at least, until the mid-season all-star break?


bob


.

tjmakz wrote:Has anyone ever heard of the website this story came from?
You could find positives in any coach, including Stevens whose team after winning their last two games is on pace for 31 wins.
Stevens should not be praised or criticized for his team having an 18-30 record. This isn't the time to analyse him.
Coaches whose teams are 10 plus games under .500 should not be considered for Coach of Year Award. There are way too many successful teams who coaches should be recognized before Stevens.

TJ,

Sir Charles in Charge is part of the Fansided Network. They publish quite a bit.

http://sircharlesincharge.com/about/



bob



.

I don't have a problem with people using the halfway point in the season to say who should be in consideration for various awards. It's not a lot different from saying who you think the title contenders are at this point. Things may look much different at the end of the season, but it's natural to take stock of where things stand at the halfway point or the all-star break or whatever.

I do agree with TJ that it's ridiculous to even mention Stevens as a COY candidate. I'm not saying he hasn't done some good things, but c'mon, the notion that he's worthy of COY consideration is absurd. Being "in playoff contention" is not a major accomplishment in the woeful East. They have the 22nd best record out of 30 teams. They'd be nine games behind eighth place Phoenix in the West. Just stop with the COY nonsense.

If you think that Stevens is doing a good job, fine, then explain what he does that makes a difference. The article offers none of that.

I have liked Stevens since he was signed. If nothing else, he has proven to me that he and his staff can help just about every player to improve in many aspects of the game to the point that I would think that every young player might want to think of playing in Boston.

He was a little rough last year as he was trying to learn the nuances of coaching in the NBA during games, but has improved in all facets this year.

He is doing a very good job, but it is very unlikely that COY accolades will land on his desk if his team is not much nearer to the top of the league's standings. Can't ever remember a coach with a losing record getting COY recognition in any sport, but I could certainly be wrong here.

wide clyde,

Doc Rivers was close, won a COY in Orlando with a 41-41 record.

http://www.nba.com/coachfile/doc_rivers/

Before taking over the Celtics, Rivers spent just over four seasons as the head coach of the Orlando Magic, earning Coach of the Year Honors in his first season for leading a team that featured four undrafted starters to a 41-41 record.

gyso

Here is a list of the NBA COY winners.  It includes W-L records.  

http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Sports/nba-coach-of-the-year-award.html

Sub-.500 winner:

1966–67 Johnny Kerr USA Chicago Bulls 33–48 0.407

.500 winners:

1977–78 Hubie Brown USA Atlanta Hawks 41–41 0.5
1999–00 Doc Rivers USA Orlando Magic 41–41 0.5

The rest are over .500

gyso

Here is a list of the NFL COY winners. It includes W-L records.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League_Coach_of_the_Year_Award

Sub-.500 winner:

1990 Jimmy Johnson Dallas Cowboys 7-9

The rest are over .500

gyso

Here is a list of the NHL COY (Jack Adams Award) winners. It includes W-L records.

http://www.hockey-reference.com/awards/adams.html

Sub-.500 winner:

(G / W / L / T / PTS)

1977-78 NHL Bobby Kromm Detroit Red Wings 80 32 34 14  78
1986-87 NHL Jacques Demers Detroit Red Wings 80 34 36 10  78

.500 winners:

1981-82 NHL Tom Watt Winnipeg Jets 80 33 33 14  80

The rest are over .500

gyso

Here is a list of the MLB MOY winners. It includes W-L records.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_Manager_of_the_Year_Award

Sub-.500 winner:

(NL only)

2006 Joe Girardi Florida Marlins East 4th 78–84

The rest are over .500

gyso

Girardi in FL is the one I was thinking about when reading this thread earlier. He took a team with no expectations at all, and had them playing at a much higher level.

I think Stevens is doing the same here. His roster has been constantly changing, half the guys on the team didn't go through training camp, and their two best players were traded away for future assets. And he has them playing better now than at the beginning of the season. Additionally, he's bringing the young guys along, helping them improve their skills and looking for situations where they can be most successful (i.e. having Smart coming off the bench after the Rondo trade, keeping him playing against the opponents' 2nd string until he was comfortable enough with the NBA game to play against their starters).

It will be interesting to see how they finish out the season. i think if he can get them into the playoffs and they win a few games there, his name will be on the list. Don't expect him to win it, but I do think he could get consideration.

-V

Brad Stevens getting consideration for COY? That is a ridiculous thought.

NYCelt wrote:Brad Stevens getting consideration for COY? That is a ridiculous thought.

We have 18 wins in 48 games played, despite an absolutely brutal November schedule.  If we extrapolate forward to 82, we would end with 31 wins.

The pre-season high water mark by just about everybody, not just board members but the "experts" too, was maybe 35 wins and that was with Rondo and Green.  Most projections were 30 or less.

If we have 6 more wins than last year without Rondo and Green for most of it, no big name addition, no one player suddenly blossoming into an all-star and carrying the team but rather everybody having their nights, all the while the roster is getting churned like Danny was making butter?  Man, now that's coaching...



bob



.

It's likely that whoever votes for COY will be much more interested in unexpected W/L achievements (see Atlanta Hawks) than in the gradual development of a rebuilding team. I just hope Brad will be encouraged to realize how grateful fans are for his enduring the trials and tribulations of someone in his situation.

Sam

Bob,

I agree Stevens that getting to 31 wins after trading away Rondo and Green would indicate that Stevens is doing a very good job, but exceeding expectations by a handful of games doesn't mean he deserves COY consideration. There are numerous teams who are exceeding expectations by a larger margin and have a winning record.

Memphis is on pace to improve by 12 games over last year. The Warriors are on pace to improve by 17 games. The Hawks are on pace to improve by 29 games. Stan van Gundy deserves credit for the turnaround in Detroit after dumping Josh Smith.

Perhaps most impressive are the Bucks, who were the worst team in the league last season at 15-67, have essentially the same roster, and yet have already won 27 games and are on pace to improve by a whopping 30 games. I don't know what kind of deal with the devil Jason Kidd made, but he deserves credit for what's going on there.

Stevens will get his chance. This year isn't it.

Outside wrote:Bob,

I agree Stevens that getting to 31 wins after trading away Rondo and Green would indicate that Stevens is doing a very good job, but exceeding expectations by a handful of games doesn't mean he deserves COY consideration. There are numerous teams who are exceeding expectations by a larger margin and have a winning record.

Memphis is on pace to improve by 12 games over last year. The Warriors are on pace to improve by 17 games. The Hawks are on pace to improve by 29 games. Stan van Gundy deserves credit for the turnaround in Detroit after dumping Josh Smith.

Perhaps most impressive are the Bucks, who were the worst team in the league last season at 15-67, have essentially the same roster, and yet have already won 27 games and are on pace to improve by a whopping 30 games. I don't know what kind of deal with the devil Jason Kidd made, but he deserves credit for what's going on there.

Stevens will get his chance. This year isn't it.

Outside,

You're probably right and, if you'll notice, I just said that was good coaching, not necessarily COY consideration.

He might get a vote or two but unless we make the playoffs and make a good fight of it that will probably be the end of it.

If somehow we make it to the second round, given how totally unlikely that is, then all bets are off.


bob



.

It's not that Stevens is doing a bad job, it's that it's too soon to tell what kind of job he's doing at all.  It's a team in transition and there is no real way to judge what kind of coach Stevens is; not yet.  

The team looks better than expected, sure, but we're in the weak sister Atlantic/East.  A team from the local rehab center with a 4 foot power forward would look at least average in our division.  Stevens' may earn a shot one day, or he may not, but to even think of considering someone who's just breaking in, with a team in a state of transition, and playing in the Atlantic, is a total joke.

I think this story is a veiled look at the tanking option, rather than an honest attempt to propose Brad for COY. It places Brad at odds with Danny, who unloaded his most prized talent for draft picks and still can't get the team to cooperate by raising his chances for good ones. But rather than an honest discussion about the merits of winning now, it joshes that Brad is too good at his job.
I like Brad's chances of being COY in the future and thought so before the recent string. I like the look of the team now, often led by recent 6th pick Marcus Smart. Hawk

bobheckler wrote:Outside,

You're probably right and, if you'll notice, I just said that was good coaching, not necessarily COY consideration.

Yeah, I did notice. We probably have similar views on the subject.

One thing I don't like about an article like this is that disagreeing with the idea that Stevens is COY material leads to explaining why he isn't, which by default gives the appearance of negative spin on his coaching, which leads to a post like yours saying he's doing a pretty good job, but because the pall of the ridiculous COY statement hovers over everything, I don't just agree with your points (which I do), I end up saying, "Yeah, but..." The COY notion subverts the entire discussion.

I suppose it's my fault for falling into the trap. It's been one of those days on several fronts, and I was easy pickings.

Sorry - just don't see it yet. I know he did amazing things with Butler, but I haven't seen anything spectacular from Brad in the pros. To be fair, he was dealt a bad hand that Danny keeps trying to make worse, but I just don't get the accolades. To be clear, I am not saying he is a bad coach in any way shape or form. With the level of talent he has been given, it is just impossible to judge; if you gave Jimi Hendrix a one-stringed broken ukulele, it might be hard to recognize his genius (but maybe this is a bad analogy, because Hendrix would probably light the thing on fire, play it with his teeth, and still pull out something beautiful... but that's Hendix).

Guess I agree with what others have said more succinctly - let's wait until he is given a decent tool set until we judge his ability to construct a quality product.

Shamrock1000 wrote:To be fair, he was dealt a bad hand that Danny keeps trying to make worse

In what way do you see Danny Ainge "trying" to make this team worse? Cant seem to wrap my head around a statement like this.

mrkleen09 wrote:

Shamrock1000 wrote:To be fair, he was dealt a bad hand that Danny keeps trying to make worse

In what way do you see Danny Ainge "trying" to make this team worse?  Cant seem to wrap my head around a statement like this.

Well, by trading away his best players. Of course I realize he is trying to make the team better in the long run. That being said, I don't think I am the only person who believes Danny would rather be in the lottery than in the last slot of the eastern conference. As a result, Danny has traded currently good players for assets, and Brad is left with an insanely young inexperienced, unbalanced team. You may not agree, but surely you recognize this argument is out there - I am certainly not the first to articulate it - and thus I am surprised you can't "wrap your head around it".

You said very clearly that Danny is "trying" to make the team worse....that is what I cant wrap my head around. How anyone can look at Danny Ainge and his history of building teams - and think he has ever had losing or "tanking" in his vocabulary is beyond me. There are a lot of things "out there" from a lot of idiots on boards like Boston.com or ESPN....so yes, some people might feel that way - but the proof is in the evidence. Anyone who watches this team can see they are playing hard, coming together in support of each other etc.

Rondo had a very high probability of testing free agency in the summer, so DA went and got assets for him rather than waiting and getting nothing for him. That was an astute move, not a move to intentionally make the team worse. Green was a similar move.

I see no evidence of Danny Ainge trying to do anything but stockpile assets to use in coming years. Sorry.