Extensions For Ainge & Stevens Gives Celtics Some Enticing Stability
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Celtics are hoping for a few marquee moves this summer as they travel down their road to rebuilding the team into a title contender.
They got a good start on those moves on Wednesday, extending the contracts of president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens. No, Ainge isn't going to drain 3's like he did back in the '80s, and Stevens isn't going to pull down rebounds or give them a presence in the paint. But extending the two architects behind the team's recent string of success, however minor it may be, was a no-brainer.
Ainge has been on the job for 13 years, overseeing Boston's transformation from cellar dwellars to annual title contenders with the Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen trades of 2007. He's been tasked to orchestrate another rebuild, beginning the summer of 2013, and hiring Stevens out of Butler was the first step. Boston has enjoyed baby steps towards success ever since, and Wednesday's move was another in the right direction.
Though Boston has made the playoffs two straight seasons, winners of 88 games over the last two years, there was some fear that Stevens may get sick of NBA mediocrity and head back to the college ranks. Those fears should diminish with Stevens' shiny new contract. And while it's fair to be critical of some of Ainge's moves leading up to Rebuild 2.0, perhaps hanging on to some fading stars a little too long, the Celtics clearly trust Ainge's way of thinking and have faith he can pull some magic out of his hat once again.
Stability in the front office is one of the keys to success in the NBA, and it's something the Celtics can proudly boast. Boston's front office is a well-oiled machine, from owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca to Ainge and Stevens. Stevens recently spoke glowingly about the Celtics' chain of command, a cylinder of trust where everyone involved has faith in the others.
"One thing about Danny is he's been great about running everything by me and taking into account my opinion on things. There have been a lot of things we haven't done because of that and some things we have done as a result," said Stevens. "I spend most of my time on our team and the X's and O's, but Danny has kept me involved in all of those."
That stability up top usually leads to success on the floor. Maintaining that success and taking it a step further is next on Boston's to-do list, and with Ainge and Stevens now locked up for the foreseeable future, they can include that continuity in their offseason sales pitch to free agent targets. Stevens and his style is Boston's best selling point at the moment, and there's very little chance his time with the Celtics expires anytime soon.
They may have their extensions, but the job is far from over for Ainge and Stevens. The one thing the duo has not been able to do just yet is bring a superstar player (or two) to town, turning those progressive baby steps into a giant leap towards Boston being a title contender again. It remains difficult to convince the NBA's finest to come play in the Boston market, and having at least one star to build around is much more enticing to those players than a solid president pulling the strings and an oh-so-close-to-being-great coach calling the shots on the floor.
But now that there's no doubt Ainge and Stevens will remain part of the big picture in Boston, the hope is that next task will get easier.
