Brad Stevens has taken over for Danny Ainge as the Boston Celtics' president of basketball operations. But is he in it for the long haul, or should we expect him back on the NBA sideline soon?
If you ask Stadium's Jeff Goodman, it's the latter. Goodman was asked Thursday on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak & Bertrand whether he believes Stevens will remain team president for more or less than 18 months. His answer was pretty definitive.
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"I'll take the under," Goodman said. "I think he coaches a year from now. I think somebody goes after him and he decides like, yeah, this was cool, I gave it a shot. ...
"I just don't see Brad being long for this. I think he'll miss coaching. That's what he's really good at. Not that he can't be good at this, but I've got some reservations about him as kind of a general manager of sorts."
Stevens was hired as the Celtics' head coach in 2013 and helped Boston to three Conference Finals appearances during his eight seasons. His final campaign was a tumultuous one, ending with a 36-36 regular-season record and a first-round playoff exit.
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Despite the letdown 2020-21 season, Goodman believes Stevens would have been a hot commodity on the head coach market and would be highly coveted if he decides to get back into coaching next year.
"I think NBA teams right now would call Brad Stevens," Goodman said. "I really do. I think if he didn't take this job and make it public, and they kind of went behind closed doors and said 'Hey, Brad, why don't you see if something else there that comes your way.' But I think in a year, there will be other NBA teams."
"He's going to try this out," he added. "Maybe he does love it. Maybe at the end of the day he's great at it. My biggest concern with Brad Stevens as a general manager is I don't think he's a good liar. I think you need to be a good liar to be a great general manager."
Forsberg: Is Brad Stevens ready for the GM challenge?
Time will tell whether Goodman's assessment is accurate, but Ainge made it clear he believes Stevens will succeed in his new role. The former Celtics GM said Wednesday that Stevens was "born for this type of job."
We'll learn plenty more about Brad Stevens the GM during what should be an eventful Celtics offseason.