Danny Ainge: Brad Stevens-Texas Rumors 'Just Talk'
BOSTON (CBS) - Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is one of the most highly regarded young coaches in all of basketball, so it stands to reason that whenever a big job opens up in the college game, Stevens' name will be mentioned.
That was the case this week, when Texas reportedly reached out to Stevens to fill their head coaching vacancy. Stevens reportedly turned down the opportunity, and he told reporters on Wednesday night, "I'll be in Boston."
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge joined Toucher & Rich on Thursday morning, and he expressed little worry that he'd be losing his coach.
"Brad's not considering college. Brad is with the Celtics and ... it's just talk. It's just talk out there," Ainge said. "When coaching jobs open up, of course there's a lot of people that would love to have interest in Brad, but I'm not even sure that there's been any contact. I think it's just mostly talk."
Ainge didn't seem to be bothered to hear his coach's name pop up in rumors, either.
"I certainly understand it," Ainge said. "It's a compliment to Brad. He's a well-known coach, a well-liked and respected coach around college and NBA circles, so I'm sure we'll continue to hear that kind of stuff every year. But Brad's with us, and that's that."
The other major talking point around the Celtics involves Kelly Olynyk scoring 19 points in 22 minutes despite his eye being swollen shut from an errant elbow during shootaround. After the game, Olynyk let it slip that Bruins D-man Dougie Hamilton is dealing with broken ribs, a previously undisclosed injury.
"He's a hockey and football kid from Canada. He's not going to not play because he's got a swollen eye," Ainge said.
Ainge also discussed Isaiah Thomas, whether he'll be disappointed if the team falls short of making the playoffs, past trade offers for Avery Bradley, the impact of Gigi Datome, the work of Brian Scalabrine in broadcast TV, and much more. Listen below:
