When you combine an eight-year tenure that has seen no season ended later than the Eastern Conference Finals, a roster that is growing more expensive with every offseason extension, and a season that has fallen far below expectations, you end up with the current rumors that Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens could potentially be coaching elsewhere next season.
Indiana University would reportedly relish the idea of Stevens joining the fold in Bloomington to be the head coach of the Hoosiers, according to the Indy Star’s Zach Osterman:
"Stevens, a Zionsville native son of a former IU football player who took Butler to back-to-back national title games, is many Indiana fans’ white whale. He’s been on the wish list for closing in on a decade, at once because of his background, his accomplishments and his cerebral, defense-to-offense style that would fit Indiana culturally."
Now, the usual caveat with the current Stevens rumors is that he would likely be able to land on his feet in the NBA, with other franchises ready to scoop him up. And truth be told, there are teams that likely saw what he did to expedite the Cs rebuild and go on deep postseason runs and want to replace their current locker-room voice with his.
But if he is anything like Micah Shrewsberry–his assistant at Butler and in Boston who just got hired by Penn State for his first head coaching gig–Stevens values the close personal relationships the college game nurtures as opposed to the more transactional relationships in the pros.
If that is the case, and the season ends in a second-round ouster (or earlier), there could be a new head coach on the Boston Celtics sideline next season.
Here are four potential options: