Boston Celtics History: Top 5 Coaching Fails

Mathis Bauchner

I’ll admit I was skeptical when the Boston Celtics hired Brad Stevens back in 2013. At that point he was just 36, coming from being the head coach at Butler University, a school with just over 4,000 undergraduates. True he led them to back-to-back NCAA title game appearances, but Stevens played his college ball at Division III DePauw University (no, that’s not a typo). I thought, no way could this guy handle NBA players, with their money and their egos, especially coming in on the heels of Doc Rivers, who coached the team to a championship in 2008 and was an All-Star himself as a player.

More from Chowder and Champions

I’m thrilled to say though that I couldn’t have been more wrong. Stevens inherited a team in transition, after Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were traded days before he got hired. The first year was certainly a struggle, the Celtics went just 25-57, but reports on Stevens were positive, that his players loved him and he really had their ears.

Last season, Boston traded the last of the old guard when they moved Rajon Rondo to Dallas. Yes, there were still players on the roster who played under Rivers, but for the most part it was finally Stevens’ team to really mold. By all accounts, he did a fantastic job. The Celtics improved to 40-42 and grabbed the 7th seed in the East. This offseason, NBA veteran Jared Dudley reported that players around the league are buzzing about the work Stevens has done when he sat down for a conversation with Grantland’s Zach Lowe. This gives the organization hope that free agents will want to come to Boston to play, something that hasn’t been the case in the past.

Stevens looks to be well on his way to a long and successful NBA coaching career, but enough about him. The coaches that make up this list are joined by the opposite, seasons spent manning the sidelines as opponents beat up on Celtics game after game. It wasn’t an easy list to compile, with a franchise as successful as Boston. But of the 17 coaches in team history, here are the top five duds, ranked from bad to worst.

I’d like to note that this list has four Hall of Famers on it, and the fifth has two championship rings of his own. They all experienced tremendous success in the game of basketball, just not while running the show in Boston.

Next: No. 5 - It's Not Easy Wearing Two Hats

Dave Cowens had a fantastic career with the Celtics. He won an MVP and two championships, but his short stint drawing up the Xs and Os did not go so well. Cowens was attempting to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Bill Russell, who succeeded Red Auerbach and won two championships handling both playing and coaching duties.

Cowens went 27-41 in less than a full season after he took over for another Celtics great, Satch Sanders, who started the year 2-12. Cowens was just 30 at the time and he averaged 37 minutes per game that season, clearly spreading himself thin. The Celtics finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and Cowens retired as coach after the season.

He stayed with Boston one more year as simply a player and the great Bill Fitch took over as coach. He guided the Celtics back to prominence and a 61-21 record in his first year with the team. Fitch was aided by the debut of Larry Bird, who took the league by storm and was named an All-Star in his rookie season. Cowens was also named an All-Star that year, for the eighth time in his career.

After retiring for good as a player in 1983, Cowens returned to coaching in the ’90s, first as an assistant with the Spurs and then as the head man for the Charlotte Hornets from 1996-99. He led them to a 51-31 record in 1997-98, but was relieved of his duties the following year after starting the season 4-11. He would go on to coach the Warriors for a year and some change, but went 25-80. He was an undeniable great on the floor, but Cowens couldn’t manage to transfer that success to his coaching career, certainly not the only ex-player who’s struggled adapting to a suit and clipboard.

Next: No. 4 - First For The Job Not Always The Best

John Russell accomplished a tremendous amount as he dedicated decade after decade to the game of basketball. Born in 1902, he became a pro at just sixteen and played in an astonishing 3,200 plus games in many different leagues during his career. He won championships in the American Basketball League and the Eastern League and was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1964.

His coaching career had its successes as well. He won an NIT Championship with Seton Hall in 1953, back when that tournament had as much clout as the NCAAs. He also had the honor of being the first head coach for the Boston Celtics, before the arrival of Bob Cousy and Red Auerbach and the franchise’s ascent to greatness. Russell went 42-66 in two seasons, before returning to the college ranks for his second stint as Seton Hall’s head coach.

Next: No. 3 - Second Crack At It Not Great Either

Alvin Julian coached Holy Cross to an NCAA championship in 1947 and went 65-10 in three seasons there. He also won a high school championship in Pennsylvania as a football coach, so its fair to say he felt at ease on the sidelines. His time with the Celtics didn’t go so well, however. He succeeded John Russell as the team’s second head coach and went 47-81 in two seasons.

Julian coached Bob Cousy when he was at Holy Cross, but he didn’t stay with Celtics long enough to coach his ex-player in the pros. Julian moved on to Dartmouth College, where he would remain for 17 seasons. Red Auerbach took his place in Boston, he and Cousy arrived together, and the franchise began building towards its 11-championship dynasty, which lasted from 1957-69.

Like Russell before him, Julian’s struggles with the Celtics didn’t keep him from the Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1968, one year after his death, following a coaching career that lasted four decades. He never ventured back to the pros after his short time in Boston. He led Dartmouth as they transitioned to Ivy League play in 1956 and finished his career there.

Next: No. 2 - Some Slickness Doesn't Fly In Beantown

Rick Pitino came to Boston with enormous expectations. He was supposed to be a savior who would return the franchise to its former greatness. Simply put, things did not work out. In fact, his tenure was pretty much a disaster. The Celtics went 102-146 under Pitino, who also served as general manager, CEO, and president during his time with the team. He abandoned the whole thing after less than four years when he resigned mid-season in January, 2001.

More from Chowder and Champions

Pitino coached the Knicks to moderate success in the late ’80s, but returned to the college ranks in 1989 to take one of the most coveted positions in the sport, the head coaching job at Kentucky. He succeeded in all respects, going 219-50 in eight seasons, including three Final Four appearances and an NCAA title, the program’s sixth, in 1996.

Hence the high hopes when he left Lexington for a second go in the NBA. His Boston career began with a home win against the defending champion Chicago Bulls, but things did not take off from there. The team improved by 21 wins in Pitino’s first year, but still finished 12th in the conference. They missed the playoffs the next two years as well and were 12-22 when Pitino resigned in year four.

He returned to the college ranks to take the job at the University of Louisville and has been there ever since. He won his second NCAA title in 2013 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame that same year, but his NBA coaching career remains a disappointment. Pitino might not care, and the Celtics have made it to the mountaintop since, but fans still remember the slick New Yorker who couldn’t make it work in Boston.

Next: No. 1 - Two Brutal Years And A Tanking Gone Wrong

M.L. Carr‘s coaching career got off to a rough start, as the Celtics went 33-49 in his first year. Things got much, much worse, however, in his second and final season. The team plummeted to a 15-67 record, the worst in franchise history, and the second worst in the league that season.

The silver lining was a shot to draft a once-in-a-generation talent, Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan. Unfortunately, the Celtics ended up with the 3rd pick and took Chauncey Billups, who would play just 51 games with Boston before being traded. Carr would never coach again in the NBA following that debacle. In two seasons he went 48-116, for a .293 winning percentage, the worst in Celtics coaching history by a wide margin.

Put it all together, this list went 266-450. Ready for the flipside, a decade and a half of Boston sports brilliance?

Check out:

Next: Titletown: Ranking Boston's Championship Teams Since 2001

Mathis Bauchner

Cambridge, Massachusetts, born and raised. Enjoyer of numerous Championship parades. Covering the Boston sports scene and all its craziness to the best of my abilities.