This summer could be a bittersweet one for the Boston Celtics. According to NBA Insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Dallas Mavericks have interest in interviewing Celtics assistant coach Tony Dobbins for their vacant head coaching spot.
“Sources say that the Mavericks have either already registered official interest or plan to do so with a number of prominent assistant coaches,” Stein wrote on Thursday. “Those include Minnesota's Micah Nori, Houston's Royal Ivey, Toronto's Jama Mahlalela, Boston's Tony Dobbins and Miami consultant Noah LaRoche.”
Dobbins has been with the Celtics for nearly a decade at this point. He joined the coaching staff back in 2017 and has worked his way from the film room -- the place where many NBA coaches begin their careers -- all the way to Boston’s bench; where he is now one of Joe Mazzulla’s top assistants.
The tenured assistant would be a tough loss for the Cs. He’s beloved within the organization, by all accounts, and is, of course, part of the staff that Mazzulla consistently gave credit to once his name began being mentioned in Coach of the Year conversations.
Any time you remove someone as well respected as Dobbins, it leaves a tough void to fill.
Now, that’s not to say that his many fans at the Auerbach Center wouldn’t be happy for him. There are only 30 NBA head coaching jobs (for now). Filling one of those spots, or being considered for one of them for that matter, is a massive achievement.
The Celtics could lose multiple assistant coaches this summer
Dobbins isn’t the only Celtics assistant who could be getting a promotion elsewhere.
Last week, Fischer reported that Tyler Lashbrook was one of the finalists in the Portland Trail Blazers coaching search. He, Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter, Nori, Utah Jazz assistant Mike Williams, and Jeff Van Gundy are all reportedly under consideration.
Lashbrook joined the Celtics in 2023, after spending nearly a decade with the Philadelphia 76ers. His journey, similar to Dobbins’, began in the 76ers’ film room. Last season, he spent his time up in Portland, Maine, overseeing Boston’s G-League affiliate team, the Maine Celtics.
Both he and Dobbins have played important roles in the Celtics’ player development. Dobbins worked with Jaylen Brown for years, and Lashbrook could be seen coaching up rookie wing Hugo Gonzalez ahead of every game.
Though both men would be severely missed, there’s no doubt that they’d have the support of the entire Celtics franchise. Well, except for the two games each would be competing directly against the Cs. Then Mazzulla would likely try and avoid speaking to them on gameday, as he does former assistant and now Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee.
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