3 potential Joe Mazzulla replacements for Boston Celtics if season goes poorly
The Boston Celtics have made it clear that Joe Mazzulla is their head coach moving forward. However, teams manipulate the media all the time, and I wonder if that’s what the Celtics are doing.
If the Celtics season was to go south next year, I think Mazzulla would be on the hot seat. In that case, here are three potential replacements for Mazzulla.
No. 1 Boston Celtics replacement for Joe Mazzulla: Sam Cassell
Sam Cassell is the ideal replacement for Mazzulla because he is already on the Celtics staff. I think a big reason why the team pursued Cassell was to give themselves insurance in case the season goes poorly. Also, Cassell is a former champion with the Cs, which would bring good mojo to the team.
https://twitter.com/GangCeltics/status/1678153904146759680
Another reason why Cassell is the ideal replacement is because he is a players’ coach. Cassell has had great comments this offseason about how he is going to push Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and he knows they need to be better.
Being able to build relationships is a crucial aspect of coaching in today’s NBA.
No. 2 Boston Celtics replacement for Joe Mazzulla: Doc Rivers
Although the thought of Doc Rivers returning to the Boston Celtics infuriates most Cs fans, he’s not a bad option for replacing Mazzulla. Rivers has familiarity with the Celtics and coaching superstars. What made Rivers special with the Cs was how he got everyone on the same page with Ubuntu back in 2008. I think Rivers would be able to get the best out of Tatum and Brown.
Another reason Rivers would be a good potential replacement is he would be motivated to win. If Rivers sits out this season and works for ESPN as a broadcaster, he is going to take some heat from fans. If the Celtics were to hire Rivers, he would be motivated to prove people wrong.
who has ever listened to Doc Rivers voice and said “yeah I’d love to hear that for 3 consecutive hours” https://t.co/jALPOnkVJt
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) July 18, 2023
Rivers is also due for playoff success after all of his recent failures.
No. 3 Boston Celtics replacement for Joe Mazzulla: Mike Budenholzer
The fact that Mike Budenholzer did not get quickly hired following his firing from the Milwaukee Bucks is shocking to me. Budenholzer has led two different franchises to have top offenses in the NBA, and he won a title with the Bucks. Throughout his career, Budenholzer has shown that if you give him a superstar, you will have a top offense in the league and be a top-three seed.
I think Budenholzer would be a perfect coach for the Boston Celtics, and I think he could execute Brad Steven’s vision for a dynamic offense better than Mazzulla. Although Budenholzer has failed in the playoffs over the last two seasons, I think he would relish an opportunity to lead Tatum and Brown to a title.