Getty Boston Celtics assistant Jerome Allen prepares for Game 4 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
For his first task as president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens has the unenviable charge of picking his own replacement on the sidelines. To that end, the former Celtics head coach would probably prefer to take his time and get the hire right for the franchise that has employed him for the last eight years.
Unfortunately, he may not be afforded that luxury.
Mere days after he ceded his position as coach to succeed the retiring Danny Ainge in the Celtics front office, the Portland Trail Blazers began their own coaching search. Now, the two clubs find themselves competing for some of the same candidates.
Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd — a top candidate for the Celtics job — reportedly holds a similar distinction in Portland. So, too, does Chauncey Billups, another former multi-time All-Star and NBA champion who could connect with Boston’s star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
They’re not the only ones, either.
According to a new report, an internal candidate and Stevens favorite who already interviewed in Beantown is now planning a trip to the Pacific Northwest.
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Jerome Allen Will Interview With the Blazers
On Saturday, the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn reported via Twitter that Celtics assistant Jerome Allen is expected to interview with the Portland Trail Blazers. This development comes less than 24 hours after the team made the decision to part ways with Terry Stotts, who compiled a record of 402-318 over nine seasons in Portland.
Allen has been part of the Celtics organization since 2015 when he was plucked from the college ranks to join Stevens staff. Since then, he was worked closely with core players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams, Marcus Smart, as well as former Cs Kyrie Irving, Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier.
Before making the jump to the NBA, he spent six seasons in the Ivy League as the head coach of the Penn Quakers. However, that chapter of his hoops career may be better left forgotten.
Allen compiled a record of just 65-104 at the school, making just one postseason appearance in the 2012 CBI tournament. In 2018, he was found guilty of accepting bribes in a recruiting scandal that later resulted in a blackballing from the college game.
That said, his team’s ill-fated bout with a Stevens-coach Butler squad during the aforementioned CBI would eventually lead to his Celtics gig. And, over the ensuing years, he has put himself in the position to vie for multiple desirable head coaching jobs at the top level.
A Stevens Disciple
When asked by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey about a potential jump to the front of the Celtics bench, Allen cited his experience as Stevens’ assistant as a key factor working in his favor.
“The old saying is, ‘What you do while you are waiting for the opportunity pretty much dictates your ability to be able to flourish in that role,’” Allen said.
“For six years I either sat behind [Stevens] or next to him and watched him not only work. I watched him prepare,” he added. “I watched him show-in to other people. Watched how he operated.”
Fans in Boston may not be thrilled with that association after the letdown that was the Cs 2020-21 campaign. But for a Trail Blazers team that has often failed to escape the first round of postseason play, Allen’s contribution toward multiple East Finals runs may be enticing.
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