Brad Stevens is currently in the process of finding the Celtics' next head coach after he left the position earlier this month to become president of basketball operations.
One thing he wants to make clear: He has no intention of looking over the next coach's shoulder. Stevens was the Celtics' coach for the last eight years and obviously knows the roster well, but he also knows that the best way to do his new job is to trust his new coach and stay hands-off when it comes to day-to-day game-planning.
"I'm just there to support them," Stevens said during a press conference Monday. "I don't know how good I can be at this job. That's to be determined. I'm pouring everything into it. It's been a lot of work the first 17 days. It's been nonstop for however many days it's been now. But the one thing that I should be good at is supporting the head coach and not being involved. My door's open, but I do not want to be anything but supportive."
Believe it or not, Stevens is even looking forward to the first time his new hire loses a game.
"I've told everybody that I've talked to that in a weird way, kind of a messed up way, I'm looking forward to the first time we lose and I can walk in there and put my arm around them and say, 'I've lost a ton here. Let's go get a coffee, let's go grab a beer. It's OK. It's part of a long journey.' I think I'm looking forward to that, just being a support and staying out of the day-to-day coaching perspective," Stevens said.
Whoever the next coach is, they'll be inheriting a roster that has already seen one significant change from last season. That's because Stevens already made his first trade last week, sending Kemba Walker, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick.
Stevens was asked if any consideration had been given to hiring a new coach before making any roster shakeups, and he said that while they discussed that internally, they ultimately felt the deal was too good to wait on.
"We talked about everything. Obviously it was an early deal, but we felt like it was the right one," Stevens said. "Again, not easy, but the right one. We didn't feel like waiting, especially with the ability to get a return player of Al's caliber, experience and leadership."
Stevens did not take questions about any specifics of the Celtics' coaching search during his press conference on Monday, saying that out of respect to everyone they've interviewed he wanted to wait until the process was complete.
