Chauncey Billups
The front runner right now for the job definitely is Chauncey Billups. As of this writing, the Celtics do have a very strong interest in Billups, but there is no formal interview scheduled just yet. Unfortunately for the Celtics, other teams have the same amount of interest in Billups like the Portland Trailblazers. If the Celtics want Billups as their next head coach, they are going to have to move fast before another team swoops in. Billups is seen as the perfect coach to mentor both Brown and Tatum into the future.
Adrian Griffin
You may have forgotten about this, but Griffin did have a two year stint with the Celtics about 20 years ago. Griffin has since been an assistant coach for the last 8 years and now seems like the perfect time for the former forward to become a head coach. Griffin was a part of the Raptors coaching team during their champion run with Kawhi Leonard, so Griffin does have championship experience that the young Celtics are looking for. We predict Griffin to be one of the first group of people the Celtics offer formal interviews.
Sam Cassell
Cassell seems to be one of the fan favorites at this point for future Celtics coach. In case you forgot, Cassell did play a vital role in the 2008 championship for the Celtics providing scoring off the bench. Cassell was a major spark off the bench that year, a fact that a lot of people forgot at this point. Given Cassell’s long history in the NBA, he appears to be a strong candidate to coach Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. As with Billups, the Celtics are not the only team interested in the former guard.
Willie Green
This one is a big under-the-radar candidate. Phoenix Sun’s fans and insiders often cite Willie Green as one of the big reasons for the Sun’s turnaround this season. The Celtics probably aren’t the only team keeping a close eye on this one. Obviously Phoenix doesn’t want to let him go with the post-season success they have been having, but if the right team offers the right deal to Green, he may be within reach. Keep a close eye on this one to see if he gets moved to a head coaching position this year or next.
Becky Hammon
The Becky Hammond to the Celtics rumor has been getting a lot of traction the past week. Look on Twitter and you will see that she is a favorite of potential candidates. Obviously Hammon gets a big plus being from the coveted “Popavich Coaching Tree” something that the others on the list do not have. After being under Pop’s wing for the past 5 years, the time seem right for Hammon to make the big jump. Doing so, the Celtics would be making history naming Hamon the first official women’s NBA head coach.
And we add this as a bonus (making the total coaches six): Kara Lawson, who was the Celtics former assistant and current Duke coach is another woman coach to keep an eye on as well, and is another candidate that has been talked about in the past weeks since the coaching position to be vacant. Lawson has kept close ties with the Celtics organization since departing and is particularly close with Brad Stevens and family.
Picasso Baby 