Didn't See That Coming

One of my favorite things about my current job is that I spend a decent amount of time every day in the car listening to ESPN radio. I enjoy hearing the breaking news as soon as it happens, but the other day it was a good thing I was alone on a particular stretch of road as I heard some of the most stunning news ever: Brad Stevens had been named the new head coach of the Boston Celtics.

Will Brad Stevens succeed in the NBA? I'll bet so.

I literally started screaming because I was so shocked. I wasn't screaming anything in particular or at anyone specifically, I was just genuinely stunned at the news. My favorite college basketball coach in the country was no longer a college basketball coach.

My logical mind was trying to convince my heart that this is a good thing. It still hasn't worked.

It's just that I never expected something like this. Brad Stevens is everything you'd ever want in a college coach. He teaches and lives by The Butler Way, which I've mentioned before is something I buy into. He's smart. He works hard. He turns overlooked players into superstars. And even though he never said it, we all thought he was going to stay at Butler forever.

Even though I'm shocked and perhaps even a little dismayed at it, I think it's a smart move for both parties. The Celtics are rebuilding, so why spend money on a big name and veteran NBA coach? And it can't hurt Brad Stevens' career to go to the NBA. If he flops, he'll still be a great college coach. But he is incredibly smart so I think he might make it. In fact, I'm betting he will. It'll be a slow start because the Celtics are going to be absolutely awful the next year or two, but that means the expectations are low so it could give him time to adjust.

The biggest question I have is whether or not he will be able to get the respect of Rajon Rondo, who is really the only star left on the roster. Rondo's had some authority problems before, so will he respect a coach who's only a few years older than him and has no NBA experience whatsoever? If he can get Rondo to buy in and get the team to rally around Stevens, Boston's rebuilding will go a little smoother. If not, they just may ship Rondo out somewhere else. They're clearly not afraid of rebuilding and risks.