The Boston Celtics opted for a major organizational overhaul less than 24 hours after being eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Brooklyn Nets. The team officially announced on Wednesday that their longtime president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would retire from his role with head coach Brad Stevens stepping in as his replacement.

The Celtics will now embark on a search for a new head coach. Ainge is expected to have an input in the process despite his retirement, but Stevens is expected to have the final decision on the matter.

“I’m grateful to ownership, all of my Celtics colleagues, and the best fans in basketball for being part of the journey,” said Ainge in a statement released by the Celtics.

According to ESPN, Ainge has been thinking about retirement for several months now and discussed candidates for his successor with the ownership. They ended up deciding Stevens is the most fitting candidate given his familiarity with the organization.

Stevens, who served as Boston’s head coach for the past eight seasons, embraced the opportunity as he was reportedly “worn down” by the challenges of coaching.

“I’m grateful to ownership and to Danny for trusting me with this opportunity,” said Stevens. “I’m excited to tackle this new role, starting with a wide-ranging and comprehensive search for our next head coach.”

Danny Ainge, who won two NBA titles with the Celtics as a player, re-joined the team as an executive in 2003. He is responsible for building a Celtics team that won the NBA title in 2008, the franchise’s first in 20 years. On top of that, Boston only missed the playoffs three times under Ainge while reaching four conference finals and two NBA Finals.

The post Danny Ainge Steps Down as Celtics President, Brad Stevens to Replace Him appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although the Boston Celtics fans hoped that Gordon Hayward could end up returning faster than expected and play in the Eastern Conference playoffs, that won’t happen. Celtics’ coach Brad Stevens has definitely said that Hayward won’t play this season.

“He’s not playing this year. I don’t know what else to say,” – said Stevens.

Gordon Hayward broke his ankle in the NBA season opener against Cleveland Cavaliers and he was immediately ruled out for the season. Still, The Player’s Tribune video of Hayward practicing and looking well fueled the conversation about his possible return in this season.

“Sometimes when you’re in the midst of that long rehab, you don’t feel the progress of the day to day the way now we all might see a video or somebody that hasn’t seen him may seen a video and say, ‘Man, he really is getting better.’ But he’s a super long way away from even being on 1-on-0 workout where he’s cutting.” – Stevens added.

The road back with @GordonHayward.

Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/Rp4GT8zDkB

— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) March 2, 2018

Both Stevens and Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge previously stated that Hayward is making progress, but that he is still unable to even travel with the team on away games.

Gordon Hayward was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the ninth overall pick in 2010 NBA Draft. After a mediocre rookie season in which he didn’t play much, he started getting more playing time in his second season in NBA and his performances improved. The 2016-17 season was his most impressive one since Hayward averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. After becoming an unrestricted agent in the 2017 offseason, he signed a four-year, $128 million contract with the Boston Celtics.

The post Boston Celtics’ Gordon Hayward Won’t Play This Season Says Coach Brad Stevens appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Boston Celtics opted for a major organizational overhaul less than 24 hours after being eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Brooklyn Nets. The team officially announced on Wednesday that their longtime president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would retire from his role with head coach Brad Stevens stepping in as his replacement.

The Celtics will now embark on a search for a new head coach. Ainge is expected to have an input in the process despite his retirement, but Stevens is expected to have the final decision on the matter.

“I’m grateful to ownership, all of my Celtics colleagues, and the best fans in basketball for being part of the journey,” said Ainge in a statement released by the Celtics.

According to ESPN, Ainge has been thinking about retirement for several months now and discussed candidates for his successor with the ownership. They ended up deciding Stevens is the most fitting candidate given his familiarity with the organization.

Stevens, who served as Boston’s head coach for the past eight seasons, embraced the opportunity as he was reportedly “worn down” by the challenges of coaching.

“I’m grateful to ownership and to Danny for trusting me with this opportunity,” said Stevens. “I’m excited to tackle this new role, starting with a wide-ranging and comprehensive search for our next head coach.”

Danny Ainge, who won two NBA titles with the Celtics as a player, re-joined the team as an executive in 2003. He is responsible for building a Celtics team that won the NBA title in 2008, the franchise’s first in 20 years. On top of that, Boston only missed the playoffs three times under Ainge while reaching four conference finals and two NBA Finals.

The post Danny Ainge Steps Down as Celtics President, Brad Stevens to Replace Him appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although the Boston Celtics fans hoped that Gordon Hayward could end up returning faster than expected and play in the Eastern Conference playoffs, that won’t happen. Celtics’ coach Brad Stevens has definitely said that Hayward won’t play this season.

“He’s not playing this year. I don’t know what else to say,” – said Stevens.

Gordon Hayward broke his ankle in the NBA season opener against Cleveland Cavaliers and he was immediately ruled out for the season. Still, The Player’s Tribune video of Hayward practicing and looking well fueled the conversation about his possible return in this season.

“Sometimes when you’re in the midst of that long rehab, you don’t feel the progress of the day to day the way now we all might see a video or somebody that hasn’t seen him may seen a video and say, ‘Man, he really is getting better.’ But he’s a super long way away from even being on 1-on-0 workout where he’s cutting.” – Stevens added.

The road back with @GordonHayward.

Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/Rp4GT8zDkB

— The Players' Tribune (@PlayersTribune) March 2, 2018

Both Stevens and Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge previously stated that Hayward is making progress, but that he is still unable to even travel with the team on away games.

Gordon Hayward was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the ninth overall pick in 2010 NBA Draft. After a mediocre rookie season in which he didn’t play much, he started getting more playing time in his second season in NBA and his performances improved. The 2016-17 season was his most impressive one since Hayward averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. After becoming an unrestricted agent in the 2017 offseason, he signed a four-year, $128 million contract with the Boston Celtics.

The post Boston Celtics’ Gordon Hayward Won’t Play This Season Says Coach Brad Stevens appeared first on SportzBonanza.