The Boston Celtics are rebuilding in a big way after trading away stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets and shipping off Doc Rivers to the Clippers and now the team is prepared to begin that process in full, as the team hired Brad Stevens as the new head coach.
According to ESPN.com, Stevens decided to leave Butler for the NBA after six seasons and he is being brought to the Celtics on a six year, $22 million deal to be the new head coach. The Celtics are looking at a tough season after trading away the stars and with Rajon Rondo coming back from a serious injury, chances are it will take a few years to build the team back up. Danny Ainge told reporters that he would take a while to bring in a new head coach and instead he surprised everyone by grabbing Stevens.
Teams have attempted to lure Stevens away from Butler over the past few years as he took the Bulldogs to national prominence, but he repeatedly spurned those offers to stay. This time though, Ainge made an excellent pitch to the coach and said that he is the first step into bringing another championship to the Celtics. Stevens is a young coach and now he will try to make the transition from the college game to the NBA.
According to courses that spoke to ESPN, the Celtics have been looking at Stevens for some time since Rivers was sent to the Clippers and they first made contact with him before the NBA draft. The report says that Ainge met with Stevens on Wednesday and he accepted the job that day. The Celtics feel they have a long term coach in Stevens and that he will be the perfect candidate to help the team rebuild after trading away its stars.
Stevens became a national sensation when he brought the Bulldogs to back to back finals appearances in 2010 and 2011 and in the first game, he had the team just one shot away from the championship as the buzzer sounded. The Celtics have 17 championships and likely will need a few years to get back in that groove after trading away Garnett and Pierce. The Clippers now have Rivers and Stevens is in Boston and Ainge will start working on bringing in new players to help get things back on track, including possibly Greg Oden. Oden is considering playing for a number of teams, including the Heat, Cavaliers and Celtics. The hiring of Stevens could help sway him and many think that the former number one overall pick will sign with Miami.
