Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has put together an interesting roster and it’s now up to head coach Brad Stevens to figure out who fits where, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes. At this point, Washburn writes that a starting five could be comprised of Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, and David Lee, though that leaves Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, and Isaiah Thomas on the outside, not to mention the likes of Evan Turner, Jonas Jerebko, and Tyler Zeller. While Stevens attempts to figure out that puzzle, here’s a look at more items out of the Atlantic Division..
- All signs continue to point to No. 58 overall pick J.P. Tokoto remaining unsigned this season, according to Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link). Tokoto let the Sixers know he was open to playing in the D-League or overseas before Philadelphia drafted him, as Fischer previously reported. Fischer added at that point that Tokoto would have a chance to impress the team during summer league and claim a roster spot anyway, but with summer league in the books, the chances of that happening are apparently slim.
- Former Nets exec Bobby Marks (Twitter links) wouldn’t be surprised if Richaun Holmes‘ contract with the Sixers is similar to what Jerami Grant received last year. Grant inked a four-year deal with Philly in which the first two years were guaranteed and the last two were non-guaranteed. Marks gives the Sixers credit for controlling the process for second-round picks and he says that the player is somewhat at the mercy of the team in these situations.
- The Raptors announced that they have hired Jerry Stackhouse, Rex Kalamian, and Andy Greer as assistant coaches. The hiring of the trio completes head coach Dwane Casey‘s staff. Stackhouse, who played 18 years in the league, is coaching for the first time in the NBA.
- Earlier today we rounded up more news out of the Atlantic.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
It’s always a challenge for coaches to keep players happy. Brad Stevens is going to have a tougher job than most trying to dole out playing time, since virtually everyone on the roster is used to being in his team’s rotation.
One thing I could see Stevens doing is running an really up-tempo system with a 10-man rotation. They’ve got the depth and the young legs to do it.
I could see Stackhouse as a head coach some day. He was a legitimate tough guy as a player, and he could be a no-nonsense coach who would demand the best out of his players.
Given the trend of players going quickly into head coaching jobs, I wouldn’t be surprised if Stack is a head coach within just a few years.