This summer was always going to be an action-packed one for the Boston Celtics. Frankly, after the disappointment of a year that 2020-21 was, it was almost certain that offseason maneuvers were needed to try and get this reeling ball club back on track.
With this said, no one could have anticipated just how quickly the organization would jump into action.
Less than 24 hours after their Game Five defeat to the Brooklyn Nets in round one of the postseason, Danny Ainge opted to step down from his roles as General Manager and President of Basketball Operations and, in his place for the latter position, Brad Stevens opted to step down from his role as Head Coach and move on up into the front office role.
Now, a week removed from their campaign’s conclusion, the rumors have been none stop in regard to what the Cs could do to shake things up even more this offseason.
While they find themselves in possession of quite a few holes that could use for some filling, we at the Houdini believe that there are 3 goals, in specific, that are the most imperative for the Boston Celtics to accomplish this offseason:
Boston Celtics offseason goal No. 1) Hire the right head coach
As stated above, Brad Stevens stepped down from his duties as Head Coach to take on the role of President of Basketball Operations for the franchise, which means that, this summer, he’ll be tasked with finding a suitable replacement for him on the sidelines to hold the clipboard.
Already, fans have seen quite a few candidates linked to the Boston Celtics via the rumor mill as being serious contenders to take the vacant gig, and we at HH have gone about and listed several potential suitors we could find ourselves enjoying to see leading this team moving forward.
As is apparent, there will be several quality candidates available this summer to take on coaching duties for this storied franchise, but the question is — which one will be the right person for the job?
Should the Celtics prioritize ‘Xs and Os’ basketball minds with NBA head coaching experience, guys like Dave Joerger and Jeff Van Gundy could make their way to the front of the odds list.
Should they prioritize culture, perhaps Kenny Atkinson could be viewed as a front runner.
Or, if they simply want a fresh face at the helm who has past experience as a professional baller, options such as Chauncey Billups, Juwan Howard, and Becky Hammon should all be highly considered.
Perhaps before anything else this summer, the C’s front office should take a long look at some of the coaching options available on the open market.
Finding the right person to replace Stevens should be the first domino to fall.