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The 2020-21 NBA season didn’t cease because the Boston Celtics might per chance well need hoped. After reaching the Eastern Convention Finals in three of the previous four seasons, Boston fell within the gap round of the postseason to the Brooklyn Nets.
Presumably extra alarmingly, the Celtics done finest seventh within the conference and notched finest a single hang against Brooklyn.
Unsurprisingly, sweeping modifications were made after Boston’s playoff exit. Danny Ainge stepped down because the president of basketball operations, Brad Stevens stepped down as head coach and took over Ainge’s worn role. 2019 addition Kemba Walker became traded to the Oklahoma Metropolis Declare.
Heading into Tuesday night’s draft lottery, the Celtics are attempting to build up a novel begin and a route lend a hand to Eastern Convention Relevance. Here, we are going to gaze essentially the most neatly-liked buzz surrounding the team and Boston’s looming offseason.
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Stevens just isn’t the Celtic’s head coach, and Walker just isn’t allotment of the team. On the opposite hand, the 2 apparently had a rocky relationship this previous season that might per chance well need contributed to the team’s struggles.
In accordance with The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, Stevens handled Walker in a completely different arrangement than he did some completely different gamers.
“In accordance with a pair of team sources, there became some dysfunction within the locker room, with the relationship between Stevens and Walker characterized as tension-crammed,” Weiss wrote. “Sources moreover counsel that Stevens became moreover perceived to be harder on Walker than on completely different top gamers.”
Per Weiss, Stevens’ manner wasn’t remoted to Walker either.
“Several team sources felt Stevens became extra aggressive with certain gamers this season, which incorporated Walker who became criticized for his defensive errors,” Weiss wrote.
Whereas NBA gamers are consultants, a coach taking half in favorites—or on this case, singling out gamers—ceaselessly ever sits neatly with them. It be stunning to wonder if the locker room became prepared to hurry seeking Stevens rush and will doubtless be prepared to however into what the next head coach is selling.
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Whereas the Celtics are within the early stages of their coaching search, they had been centered on the assistant-coaching ranks to this level, in step with ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
Per Wojnarowski, Nets assistant Ime Udoka, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and Chauncey Billips of the Los Angeles Clippers are among the many early favorites and in-line for 2d interviews.
“Brooklyn’s Ime Udoka, Milwaukee’s Darvin Ham and Clippers’ Chauncey Billups are among head coaching candidates who Boston hopes to interview for a 2d time, sources present ESPN. Celtics’ search continues to focal level within the assistant ranks,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
In accordance with Jeff Goodman of NBC Sports activities Boston, Billups and Udoka are both “scorching” names within the Celtics’ coaching search.
Goodman moreover neatly-known that he would not judge that getting a “broad-title” head coach is a priority for Stevens. This looks to mesh with Wojnarowski’s dispute that Boston is making an strive at assistant coaches—not essentially these with previous head-coaching experience.
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Since the Celtics incorporated their 16th scheme shut within the draft to build up a Walker deal performed, their offseason will largely be centered across the free-agent and alternate markets. Keeping key contributors will doubtless be allotment of that equation.
One player Boston is reportedly drawn to maintaining is most neatly-liked alternate acquisition Evan Fournier. He became obtained in March in a take care of the Orlando Magic and went on to moderate 13 beneficial properties, 2.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds with the Celtics.
In accordance with Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the Celtics “feel better about their possibilities” of re-signing Fournier within the wake of the Walker alternate.
The Celtics are anticipated to keep roughly $20 million over the next two seasons with Walker out, which, in step with Stevens, became the rationale for the alternate.
“It gave us the opportunity to gaze at a twin carriageway forward with a pair of extra solutions, from the financial flexibility standpoint, with the picks, all of our future first-round picks previous this year, which, all but again, present you with extra solutions,” Stevens acknowledged, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Getting Al Horford as allotment of the deal became critical, however rising flexibility for the future appears to be like to be the particular impetus behind the alternate.
