New Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has begun reaching out to other organizations for permission to interview coaching candidates, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojanarowski.
The early group of candidates will likely be expansive, according to Woj. A few names he has heard from sources include Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups, Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, and Nets assistant Ime Udoka.
Billups and Udoka have been mentioned before in relation to Boston, but the other three names are new. Ham, who played 12 NBA seasons, has been an assistant coach for the past decade, starting with the Lakers and then working under Mike Budenholzer in both Atlanta and Milwaukee. Lee is also a former NBA player with seven years as an assistant, all under Budenholzer. Mosley started his coaching career with the Nuggets in 2005 and has been with Dallas since 2014.
Stevens, who is in the unusual position of hiring his own replacement, recently completed interviews with several assistants who were on his staff this season. Prominent names in that group include Jay Larranaga, Scott Morrison, Jerome Allen, and Joe Mazzulla.
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Billups will wind up with either the Celtics or Blazers jobs, and I think he will do a fine job.
He’s going to be a fantastic head coach. Hoping the Bucks replace Bud with him.
I’m not disagreeing with you guys but how do you know he will do a good job? I think it’s such a tough decision to hire a fresh guy without experience. I’m not against it because the retreads don’t fare too well many times either.
But how do you know when an inexperienced former player studio guy is going to be good or not? Such a tough call to make.
I would suggest there are a few checkboxes a guy who has been in he spotlight but not in the big HC seat needs to check to be expected to do well.
__ has the respect of people from day 1 for his acumen and ability to carry himself
__ has the competitive drive that will stand up to anyone’s in the will to win column
__ has the grit to weather the most difficult circumstances and know how to push that to a positive outcome
If a candidate is understood to do well in those areas, people will want him to be their team leader and director. It’s not odd that you see old point guards who still have that competitive hunger pop up as coaching candidates. They have lots of experience communicating to players a tactical plan and inspiring them to give their best.
Whether that player is truly clever or not is the test every coach faces when one strategy clashes with another.
Nooo hope the wizards get Billups.
Udoka deserves a shot. He’s a diamond in the rough. Whoever hires him is going to get a great coach, and leader of men.
Blazers – Billups
Celtics. – Allen
Magic. – Stotts
Pacers. – D’Antoni
Bucks. – Udoka or Ham