Boston Celtics fans were taken for the ride of their lives yesterday when the front office was shaken to its very core and the organizational structure of the team was turned on its head.
In a stunning turn of events, Danny Ainge has stepped down from the role of general manager for the Cs–a job he held for the last 18 years–to make way for head coach Brad Stevens to become the President of Basketball Operations.
Don’t say you saw this coming. No one did.
Just two weeks ago, Ainge guaranteed that he’d be back. Apparently, though, he had been planning an exit since the trade deadline in March. While he was correct about Stevens returning, no one could have quite imagined such a promotion for the former Butler coach.
The new reality is that Brad is likely here to stay if Cs owner Wyc Grousbeck is a man of his word:
Wyc Grousbeck says that he and Brad Stevens spoke this morning and agreed "to win Banner 18, or die trying."
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 2, 2021
Hope you like having the Indianan-turned-‘Masshole’ around, because it sounds like he has as close to a lifetime contract as you can get in professional sports…assuming the Cs don’t completely collapse and become an organization-wide disaster under his watch.
It won’t though. Stevens is ready for this role.
A change at head coach is a good move, but only because he is still around. Why exactly is his promotion a good thing, you ask?
Let’s take a look:
Reason #1 Boston Celtics nailed Stevens promotion: Urgent need to win
Brad Stevens isn’t likely to mail in his efforts in his first offseason at the helm of the Celtics. His responsibilities out of the gate are pretty vast, with the need to hire a new head coach and retool this roster at the top of his to-do list.
Expect an exciting HC hire and a blockbuster trade or two this offseason. Ainge hinted there would be changes, but a new front office guarantees it.