The Celtics Gave Brad Stevens A Contract Extension Which Hopefully Is A Lifetime Deal
(NBA.com) - The Boston Celtics have signed head coach Brad Stevens to a contract extension, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Stevens, who was named the franchise’s 17th head coach on July 3, 2013, has produced a 318-245 win-loss record (.565) in six-plus seasons with the Celtics. His 318 wins are the fourth-most by any Celtics coach in franchise history (795-Auerbach, 427-Heinsohn, 416-Rivers).
“Brad is an accomplished coach and an outstanding person,” said Boston Celtics Lead Owner and Governor Wyc Grousbeck. “We are proud to have him lead our team forward in our quest for Banner 18.”
“We are thrilled that Brad Stevens will continue to be our coach,” said Boston Celtics Co-Owner Steve Pagliuca. “He has become one of the best coaches in the NBA, and is a real leader on and off the court. This is a great day for the Boston Celtics.”
Advertisement
“Brad is one of the most intelligent and hard-working coaches in the game today,” said Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. “More importantly, his character and integrity have contributed to a culture that we all highly value here. Brad is a great teammate, and a leader people want to follow. We are honored to have him with us as we continue to pursue our next championship.”
With Stevens at the helm, the Celtics are poised for their sixth consecutive playoff appearance in 2019-20, marking the franchise’s longest such streak since doing so from 2007-08 to 2012-13. Stevens helped guide the Celtics to back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-17 and 2017-18, marking the first time since the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons that the organization has reached the Conference Finals in consecutive seasons.
Well isn't this a nice little surprise! I had completely forgotten about Brad's most recent addition to his 6 year extension back in 2013 running out. The terms obviously weren't disclosed but I'm going to assume this is a lifetime contract. Why not? The team is trending in the right direction, Brad has shown he can win at the NBA level, and look around the coaching landscape. What name is out there now or do you think will be out there in the future that you would rather have instead of Brad? Exactly.
First there was Smart's extension, then Jaylen's, now Brad's, and Tatum's is right around the corner. You have to love that shit. I keep thinking back to what makes franchises like the Spurs so successful and obviously it's the elite talent but there's also something to be said about a rock solid front office and coach. We know Ainge isn't going anywhere, this is an ownership group that will spend whatever, and now Brad is locked up for the foreseeable future. Having that sort of consistency matters.
Is Brad perfect? Lord no. Guy just figured out he could call timeouts to stop runs like 15 seconds ago. But it's clear the core players on this team respect and trust him, he's been much better this year at controlling the locker room, and it makes me happy that he'll be here to see through the development of the two Jays. He does have to prove he can get this team over the hump and not just make an NBA Finals but actually win the whole thing. He has the talent to do it, so now it's on him to hold up his end of the bargain. Ainge got him the talent, Brad's job is getting the most out of it. I'm just happy I don't have to worry about any college rumor down the road. Brad is here to stay and that's a good thing.
Seriously though, it better be a lifetime deal.