Robb: Celtics' Ownership Wise To Be Proactive With Stevens Extension
By Brian Robb, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- When the Celtics signed Brad Stevens to a six-year, $22 million head coaching contract in the summer of 2013, they likely had little idea about how much of a bargain the deal would look just three years later.
In the face of skyrocketing revenue thanks to a new TV contract that's about to kick in next season, money is being thrown around all over the league this summer -- and not to just the players. The likes of Luke Walton ($5 million), Scott Brooks ($7 million) and Tom Thibodeau ($10 million for coaching and GM duties) were given hefty paydays by their respective teams this offseason, making Stevens' $3.67 million annual salary rank in the bottom half of the head coaches in the league by comparison.
Celtics' ownership could have sat back and relished in the fact that they had one of the best coaches in the NBA signed for three more years at that dollar amount, but instead they wisely got proactive with one of the team's biggest assets.
The move made sense on a variety of levels. To start, if there's anything a young coach out of the college ranks values, it's security. Stevens, 39, has a couple of young kids and is just starting to put down his roots in a new area. At Butler, he was given a 12-year extension back in 2009, a number that makes Boston's original six-year deal look limited in comparison.
While Stevens still has plenty to improve upon after three NBA seasons, it's quite apparent he is one of the best in-game strategists in the NBA and can get the most out of his players at the pro level. So with three years remaining on his deal, Danny Ainge and ownership decided to swoop in and send a message to Stevens and the league about just how much they value their head coach.
It's a choice that even caught Stevens off guard a little bit.
"I guess I was kind of surprised," Stevens admitted Tuesday. "Again, it tells you the way that they think and the way that they value people around here. It's why you enjoy working here. … I don't have anybody that -- I'm not big into negotiations and I don't have a third party doing that for me. It's just, 'Hey, we want to extend you, here's what we're thinking and what do you think?' Then a little bit of back-and-forth between us. It was a pretty quick process. It wasn't very long. Again, we were flattered to be asked to do that and it provides good stability for our family, too. I understand that these things can change in coaching. Ultimately, we're excited to be offered that opportunity."
While the Celtics brass can be limited in free agency by salary cap rules in trying to attract players and hand out sizable contracts, that's not something that limits them with their coaching staff. As a franchise that has a top-five value in the league, why not give your guy a raise and proactively keep him content if he's doing a job? The gesture is surely appreciated even though being ranked among the top earners of coaches is not a priority for Stevens.
"No, not in the big picture," Stevens said of the money question. "For me, personally, I've gotten paid more to coach than I ever dreamed I would be. I certainly don't take for granted anything and I've got a heck of a deal. And that's good enough. I'm very thankful for that. No, it's not important to be up in the top whatever. That doesn't cross my mind."
Instead, Stevens values loyalty and that's exactly what the Celtics have given him here. He fought through constant roster turnover and tanking talk his first two seasons in Boston to build a playoff team ahead of schedule. He hasn't been given a team with a roster construction that makes sense yet, but he still managed to put together a top-three Eastern Conference squad.
For that, the Celtics rewarded him ahead of schedule, while also silencing any rumors of his departure for years to come.
There are few things a team can control in the unpredictability of the NBA with free agents, draft picks, trades, etc. Coaching is one thing that is a certainty, and team ownership did a wise thing locking up the right man for the job into the next decade.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
