Brad Stevens to Celtics

[Old Coach]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/celtics/2013/07/03/brad-stevens-boston-celtics-coach/2487881/

[tornado]

that is amazing -- will any MVC coach look to jump to the open Butler coaching spot?

[BUfan14]

Wow I don't understand why you would leave a great job for a team that just joined a major conference where you have tremendous job security with a super long contract for an NBA job where the team is rebuilding and will be terrible. And you have to uproot your life and move elsewhere. Maybe some more short term money in the NBA, but still....I'd take the security. It don't look like the Celtics will be good anytime soon, and the NBA coach of the year just got fired this year for a first round exit.

[Old Coach]

that is amazing -- will any MVC coach look to jump to the open Butler coaching spot?

They have a track record of promoting from within since Thad Matta took over for Barry Collier. Since Collier is the AD, my money is on Matt Graves to take over.

[tornado]

wonder if we can poach anyone off their roster if any of their guys ask for a release...


btw - Butler was said to be paying Stevens in the $1 mil per year range --
the Celtics were paying in the $7 mil per year range - I guess I can see why a guy might make that jump...

[Old Coach]

wonder if we can poach anyone off their roster if any of their guys ask for a release...

I don't think they'll lose any players, especially if Graves is named head coach and all of the other assistants are retained.

[Da Coach]

They have a track record of promoting from within since Thad Matta took over for Barry Collier. Since Collier is the AD, my money is on Matt Graves to take over.

Matt Graves just left Butler and took the job at South Alabama. So he is no longer at Butler to be promoted.

Stevens was officially in the Horizon League, the Atlantic 10, the Big East, and now the NBA East, plus he had numerous other job offers, all within slightly more than a year.

[Old Coach]

Matt Graves just left Butler and took the job at South Alabama. So he is no longer at Butler to be promoted.

Stevens was officially in the Horizon League, the Atlantic 10, the Big East, and now the NBA East, plus he had numerous other job offers, all within slightly more than a year.

Yep. Good catch. I bet he wishes he had known this could have happened before he took the South Alabama job.

[Da Coach]

I agree, I think he would be a shoe-in if he hadn't moved. They may still find a way to get him back, but they need USA to cooperate, and that might not be easy.

[it's boogie time]

This is odd. I get the feeling we will be seeing Coach Stevens in the college ranks again soon.

[Bradleyfan1]

Will he last longer than Pitino?

[Da Coach]

Will he last longer than Pitino?

Thats a good point. Are there any examples of college coaches having great success in the NBA in recent years? There may be more examples of failure.
Stan Albeck and Dick Versace were college coaches before going to the NBA. :-)

[Old Coach]

Thats a good point. Are there any examples of college coaches having great success in the NBA in recent years? There may be more examples of failure.
Stan Albeck and Dick Versace were college coaches before going to the NBA. :-)

The worst thing that happens is that he gets paid 3X what he was making at Butler for a few years, and if he gets fired, I'm sure he'll step right back into the college game in a position as good or better than what he was in at Butler.

[tornado]

Will he last longer than Pitino?

or Tim Floyd, or Mike Montgomery, or Lon Kruger or Jerry Tarkanian or Reggie Theus or Leonard Hamilton or John Calipari....
none of whom lasted more than a couple years and none ever did squat in the post-season..

Are there any examples of college coaches having great success in the NBA ..

no....none in any of the PAST 3 DECADES....
the closest to any success might be PJ Carlesimo who has bounced around a bit but never been very successful - although as an interim coach just took the NJ Nets to the playoffs

[LongTimeFan]

I'd have to agree with OldCoach. He will earn a lot more at Boston. Even if fired he would continue to earn as long as the contract ran. If he wanted back into the college game, he would probably have a lot of offers. If there were no offers that interested him, he would just stay home and collect Boston's money. There would be other job offers as positions come available.