Per the New York Post’s Mark Berman, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens interviewed former Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff at the NBA Combine on Thursday.
Bickerstaff, who went 48-97 as the head coach of the Grizzlies, isn’t held in a particularly high regard but recently interviewed for the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching position before Cleveland hired former Michigan Wolverines’ men’s basketball head coach John Beilein.
With former assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry leaving the Celtics for an assistant head coach role at Purdue University, there’s now a vacancy on Stevens’ bench. Bickerstaff, though struggling as a head coach of a team with All-Star caliber players in Mike Conley and Marc Gasol (prior to his trade to the Toronto Raptors), did lead the Houston Rockets to the playoffs as interim head coach in 2015-16.
He also has a strong basketball pedigree, with the his father Bernie having made a career as a longtime NBA coach and front office executive.
Bickerstaff may be better suited for an assistant coach role that utilizes his basketball knowledge but doesn’t require him to be the face of the team and manage star players or their personalities. There would be less pressure on Bickerstaff and that seems to be what would be best for the 40-year-old.
