C’s leaders two good
Ainge, Stevens sign extensions
WALTHAM — Those Hoosiers who still leave a candle in the window for Brad Stevens to rescue Indiana University basketball can finally save a little money on matches.
The Celtics coach and his boss, Danny Ainge, signed long-term contract extensions yesterday. Stevens, who still had three years left on his contract, is not going anywhere. According to a team source, the extension is for another three years.
“We’re lucky to have Brad and Tracey with us in a long-term situation,” Ainge said of Stevens and his wife, who doubles as his agent.
“They don’t have to answer any more questions about Indiana and Butler, and Duke, North Carolina,” Ainge said, rattling off the most common college destinations that have been attached to Stevens’ name in recent years. “We’re very excited to have Brad. Who he is and what he does on the court is unmatched. We’re grateful he wants to stay with us. In the three short years he’s been with us, and it’s good he’s making a long-term commitment to us as well.”
Asked about the length of his own extension, Ainge declined to answer. Stevens, looking relieved, nodded at the Celtics president of basketball operations and said, “He’s my spokesman.”
Celtics co-owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca, with fellow managing partner Robert Epstein standing off to the side, now believe the toughest part of their job — to bring in the best possible management — is done.
Both men were first approached about the possibility of extensions at midseason.
“Watching players come in here and then step up their careers here as Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder (have done), watching players like Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and others develop, that’s what we want in a coach,” Grousbeck said. “That’s what we want in the long term. This isn’t a move for any short-term reasons. This is a move for the future of the Boston Celtics, hopefully for Banner No. 18 and beyond.”
Grousbeck disputed the notion that this long-term investment was made with big-name free agents such as Kevin Durant in mind, but the Celtics can now boast more stability than most other NBA organizations.
That stability, as well as Celtics history, will be a major part of every presentation that’s made once free agency begins July 1.
“Continuity helps if you have the right people, sure. It can ruin you if you have the wrong people together,” said Ainge, laughing at the truth in his joke. “I’m glad we have the right people. That’s why I love working here. From the time I’ve been here, our ownership has been fantastic to work with and we’ve grown. And so I think stability makes a lot of sense to free agentsto-be and players that we draft. It makes players more comfortable, understanding what’s happening. I think it’s a troubling environment in some organizations where coaches are on the hot seat and become distractions. I think there are no distractions (here) and I think that’s very important.
“I think sometimes that when there is not stability, and I’ve seen this in the NBA and in other pro sports, where there is a lot of pressure and stress in an organization to do something. ‘I have to save my job’ and you do something wrong. You make bad decisions. I’ve never felt that pressure from ownership. I feel that pressure internally to win. That’s what drives me, is the fear of failing. I think that we have stability and the stability is very, very important from a perception of our fan base, of all the people around us in our entire league, of the players. I think all those things are very important, that they see the stability.”
Nor has Stevens ever felt that level of pressure from Ainge. Yesterday, he sounded grateful for those working conditions.
“I think when you ask around the league, you call around the league, one of the things that’s very obvious to other coaches or people in leadership situations is that this place really values continuity and they really value their people,” Stevens said. “And, hey, there’s a lot of places that do that, across industries, but coaching is not the most stable profession from the standpoint of the hiring and firings. I really haven’t even thought about the latter at all, I’ve just felt empowered to do my job well every day and let the chips fall where they may.
“I think the biggest thing is, I feel like we all have a role to play in the organization and my role is to coach the team. Whoever is on that team, certainly my opinion is asked and those types of things, but I’m not involved in the day-to-day of that. It’s good. I think we all just try to play our role as well as we can and, again, I think we have great ownership that allows us to do that.”
Some coaches eventually want more control, more power over personnel. His employers considered, Stevens doesn’t sounds as if he has that need at the moment.
“My voice is plenty loud. I’m not worried about that,” he said. “I think that’s why you work around people that are really talented as what they do and you surround yourselves with those type of people and you feel good about that. It’s not only Danny and the owners and the front office, but also our staff. Those guys have a lot of responsibilities that help develop, grow, enhance young players and so we all have a role to play in helping us, hopefully, get better every day.”