Brad Stevens out as coach of the Celtics

[Halldan1]

Danny Ainge out, Brad Stevens gets new role after disastrous Celtics season

The report comes on the heels of Boston’s five-game playoff exit in the first round of the playoffs against the Nets

nypost.com

Danny Ainge out, Brad Stevens gets new role after disastrous Celtics season​

By Jenna Lemoncelli

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.

 

[hallgrad80]

I was not surprised that Ainge was out but moving Stevens into the front office came out of nowhere .

 

[BabyBlue]

"Danny Ainge felt the heat after the Celtics’ first-round playoff elimination."

Riiight....like this whole thing was just planned overnight. This has been in the works for a couple months I'd bet. Another reason why Stevens didn't leave for the IU job.

 

[Seton75]

That Tatum kid from Duke on the Celts is some player. (And the french kid Fournier, not sure if he was just hot, but he played his ass off too.) Multiple Nets draped on Tatum all series, and he still gets 30. And the three Nets are just ridiculously talented. Nets will have issues with the better teams on D and the boards. I remember grumbling abuot all the time Joe Harris got when Isaiah was a net. Another reminder why I am not a scout...

 

[HALL85]

That Tatum kid from Duke on the Celts is some player. (And the french kid Fournier, not sure if he was just hot, but he played his ass off too.) Multiple Nets draped on Tatum all series, and he still gets 30. And the three Nets are just ridiculously talented. Nets will have issues with the better teams on D and the boards. I remember grumbling abuot all the time Joe Harris got when Isaiah was a net. Another reminder why I am not a scout...

Tatum was incredible and Romeo Langford really stepped up on both ends of the court.

Center is the weak spot for the Nets, but they didn't play DeAndre Jordan at all this series due to match-ups. Should be a great series vs. the Bucks.

I look at guys like Durrant and Claxton who are rail thin and still think about Ming being too skinny to play in the Big East.

 

[TheHall87]

"Danny Ainge felt the heat after the Celtics’ first-round playoff elimination."

Riiight....like this whole thing was just planned overnight. This has been in the works for a couple months I'd bet. Another reason why Stevens didn't leave for the IU job.

Remember Ainge suffered a heart attack a couple of years ago. According to The Athletic, he had started discussing retirement at that point. Along with that apparently the organization wanted to keep Stevens at all costs.

 

[Seton75]

Tatum was incredible and Romeo Langford really stepped up on both ends of the court.

Center is the weak spot for the Nets, but they didn't play DeAndre Jordan at all this series due to match-ups. Should be a great series vs. the Bucks.

I look at guys like Durrant and Claxton who are rail thin and still think about Ming being too skinny to play in the Big East.

lol. (ming, kittles and rip hamilton...)

I really had no idea how good Harden and Kyrie are. As a Laker fan, I watched Jerry west and then Magic and am not sure I ever saw a guard tandem as talented as these guys.

The lack of the old time center still bugs me. These guys are great shooters, but I need 2 pts and I would like a shot from the post and not a fallaway. And you beat your man, the hoops is usually yours, you dont have to say hello Kareem or any of the other shotblockers of yore. But the athleticism of the bigs is astounding. Last year, the Laskers need a hoop in the finals, AD hits a three off the dribble, then guards Butler and blocks his shot off the drive.

 

[TheHall87]

The Nets one weakness is the lack of a true big. Not necessarily on offense but they need someone who can stop Giannis and Joel Embiid consistently to get out of the East.

My other concern is their defense in general. They're usually adequate enough and have shown the ability to play well on that end of the floor when necessary but it's still a concern. Usually though, they just bludgeon you with their offense. They shot 49% from the floor for the season and actually slightly improved on that in the Celtics series. Plus they made nearly 43% of their threes against Boston.