Boston Celtics: Is it time for a woman head coach?

The search for a new head coach quickly became the top priority for the Boston Celtics this offseason. With Danny Ainge retiring and Brad Stevens taking his place, the head coaching job is open for the first time since 2013.

Many insiders consider the likes of Chauncey Billups and Sam Cassell to be top options. However, the most qualified candidates may be the ones the media chooses to ignore.

A billboard recently popped up near the Celtics’ practice facility in Boston. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweeted out an image of it with the caption “Is it time?”

Women have been making strides in the NBA, with the most notable being Becky Hammon. Hammon is Gregg Popovich’s top assistant in San Antonio.

There are now tons of women in coaching roles around the NBA. Some notable examples include Lindsay Gottlieb of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Natalie Nakase of the Los Angeles Clippers.

These women worked extremely hard to get to the position they are in and deserve to be considered for head coaching jobs around the league. So why is it that the media continues to downplay these possibilities?

Hammon recently interviewed for a couple of head coaching positions, and Kara Lawson is considered a top option for the Boston Celtics job, but other than that it seems like radio silence.

In reality, these women could be some of the best options available to replace Brad Stevens as the head coach. Hammon is a basketball genius and Lawson already has a great rapport with most of the players on the C’s.

There are obviously male candidates around the league who are well qualified as well, but the difference between them and the likes of Hammon is the lack of exposure by the media. Billups has been a coach for one year, yet most would consider him a better fit than Hammon due to media coverage.

Hammon was a six-time All-Star in the WNBA who was voted a top-five player in league history by her peers in 2011. Since then, she went on to become the top assistant for the Spurs and the first woman to act as the head coach in an NBA game.

As for Lawson, she was absolutely adored during her time in Boston. She was moved to tears when talking about her relationship with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown after accepting a job as the head coach for Duke’s women’s team.

"“Jaylen Brown came up to me and said he never thought he’d cheer for Duke, and now he’s going to cheer for Duke,” she said. “Just the support of those guys, the texts. Every day, they come up to me, even if they’ve already told me congratulations, they come up to me again, every day since it happened. They’re just so excited. Enes Kanter wants a courtside seat. We’re going to have to work on that.”"

Both should be considered ideal candidates for the job. However, the media seems to prefer other candidates such as Billups and Jay Larranaga.

All this could be a smokescreen. Maybe Brad Stevens is seriously considering both Hammon and Lawson, but the news just hasn’t been leaked. That’s happened many times in the past.

The media doesn’t know everything, but from what has been reported thus far, these women deserve more consideration for the Boston Celtics HC job.