Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Brad Stevens to IU – Twitter chatter is gathering steam with report of private team meeting

Why is this man smiling? Whatever he chooses – stay in Boston or come to IU – he will enjoy earning millions for occupying the desk of his dreams.

Dave Dameshek tweeted that Brad Stevens is leaving the Celtics.  Brianna Pirre is tweeting that Brad Stevens called a private team meeting for the Celtics.

Dameshek works for NFL.com has 198.6K followers, so people are taking him seriously.  Pirre is from UStadium seems legit in that she did not tweet the news without a qualifier.

WEEI sportstalk hosts in Boston were just stunned when they saw “Brad Stevens to Indiana” went from 25-1 to off the board at Las Vegas sports books.  Yes, I’m going old school by listening to WEEI like some boob to hear the news break rather than watch Twitter for the Woj Bomb.

Actually, I’m watching Twitter as I listen to WEEI because I trust Woj and have never heard of a Dameshek Bomb.

I’m still not sold that Brad is coming because I always wait for confirmation from one of the participants in the negotiations.  I need to hear it from Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson or Brad Stevens.  A press release from IU sports information director J.D. Campbell would suffice.  Talk about old school.

Brad to IU is a 1-in-3 longshot for me – still.  That’s what it was when I woke up this morning – and that’s where I still have it.

There are more people who claim Brad flew into Bloomington to meet with Dolson last night.  We assume that didn’t happen because those meetings are almost always held at an airport in a city where no one is looking for either the participants.

I was called a “lying snake” by a Florida attorney yesterday because I ignored Brad’s non-denial denial a few days ago on Boston radio.  Like Brad might actually tell the hosts, “You know, negotiations with Indiana could go either way, so I may or may not leave to coach the Hoosiers.  You might be stuck with me if Tracy (Brad’s wife and agent) can’t work her magic”  Some people have been in the room before, and some people haven’t.  I didn’t yell at the lawyer.  I’m here to educate, not chastise or belittle.

At this moment, that’s where this sits.  Brad may or may not have called a private team meeting to either announce he is leaving the Celtics or staying with the Celtics.

So we wait, and in that waiting there is hope.

For Indiana fans on their knees hoping for Brad to invigorate this sleeping giant of a basketball program – that will do for now.

Here are the tweets for your perusal:

Brad Stevens to Indiana – denial not always a denial; Colts Ballard’s pledge of love means sell your house

Brad Stevens to Indiana – 4 reasons why he should come! Carson Wentz will love Colts for same reasons!

Brad Stevens to IU will not be stopped by a contract! Colts Carson Wentz answers 3 questions; Jim Irsay prefers an LT in draft!

Brad Stevens to IU – complications? Colts quiet – re-sign only Mack (so far)! Pacers lose 6th straight at home

Brad Stevens to IU – What will it take – is he worth it? Colts happily lose Trent Williams bidding war!

Indiana Basketball – Did Brad Stevens really refer to himself as Celtics coach in the past tense?

Is Brad Stevens coming home? The prospect became a whole lot more real last night.

Yep.  Indiana basketball fans are turning into those fans – the kind that examine every word in a quote to try to find a hint of truth as the search for a new coach is underway.

Indiana fired Archie Miller Monday, and during the last 48 hours the smoke signals that wafted our way for three weeks that Brad Stevens might be the next head coach have exploded into an all-consuming conflagration.

The fire of interest in Brad and his interest in returning to the state he still refers to as home burns like the inferno that destroyed the north side of Chicago in 1871 after Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern.

But this fire won’t destroy a city or us – it only serves to warm the hearts of Indiana fans who have been waiting patiently (kind of) for any hint of hope that a return to relevance in college basketball is coming.

When asked prior to last night’s Celtics vs. Jazz game about interest in his accepting the IU job, here is what Stevens said:

“It means a lot.  It means a lot. I know that … listen, I’ve got a lot of friends back there. I’ve got a lot of people that are really important to me there. My dad’s still there. That does mean a lot. I won’t act like that doesn’t. Like I said earlier today, it’s flattering.  But I also realize that I’m the coach of the Celtics and that’s — it’s been an amazing opportunity, an amazing challenge every day for the last eight years and I’m extremely grateful for that.”

Okay.  Does that sound like a guy closing the door on the idea of returning to Indiana to lead the Hoosiers?  Correcting himself from “that’s” to “it’s been” in talking about the “amazing opportunity” with the Celtics tells us something, right?  it’s not like Brad is some verbal oaf who is baffled by the vagaries of verb tenses.  “It’s been” is past – as in maybe Brad is ready for a different amazing opportunity or challenge.

Until I watched him say those things last night, I viewed the possibility of Brad coming to Indiana as a huge long shot – a pipe dream that might keep us engaged in athletic director Scott Dolson’s search for the next coach until some other coach was introduced to great fanfare and yammering about home runs and championships.

After watching Brad wax rhapsodic about Indiana and the meaning of the state to him and his family, my feeling was transformed from “wouldn’t it be nice if Brad came home?” to “It will be nice when Brad comes home.”  See how important verb tenses are in conveying a thought?

Does that change in phrasing mean it’s a sure thing that Brad will leave the Celtics after the season to lead Indiana Basketball?  Of course not.  But instead of this being some kind of ethereal dream – like me playing shortstop for the Cubs, it’s now more attainable, like maybe one day I’ll own a boat.

Last night, Brad Stevens walking out of the tunnel at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall became an image that is not farfetched all – not like it was before he described coaching the Celtics as a part of his past.

Colts lose chance to sign Trent Williams as 49ers make him highest paid OL in NFL history!

Trent Williams is staying with the 49ers, so Chris Ballard will have to find a different left tackle to protect Carson Wentz.

Trent Williams has signed an extremely lucrative deal to remain the left tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, so that free agent option is off the table for the Indianapolis Colts.

And that is a very good thing.

Even with the $46 million general manager Chris Ballard has at his discretion, lavishing the extreme wealth the 49ers are investing in the soon-to-be 33-year-old Williams was never an option.  The deal is worth $138 million over six years with $55 million guaranteed.

Williams would have been a wonderful security blanket for incoming Colts quarterback Carson Wentz, but $23M per year through Williams’ age 38 season would have caused more problems than it solved.  The Colts need a left tackle they can trust, but not at one-eighth of their salary cap!

In need of a left tackle, and upgrades at edge, receiver, cornerback, and linebacker, Colts fans see the quiet on 56th Street and get nervous.  They should remember Ballard is usually a slow play master when it comes to acquiring free agents.  Dumb money spends early in NFL free agency, and the draft will plug some of those holes too.

Spending a big bucket of cash on a difference maker is something Ballard is not averse to.  Last year, the Colts threw $25 million at Philip Rivers to lift them into the playoffs.  He also dealt a first rounder to the 49ers for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, and then gave him a huge extension.

It’s not that Ballard won’t spend, but that he refuses to squander.  That should make fans happy, not nervous.  His prudence is the primary reason the Colts have $46 million in their pocket to throw at upgrades or internal contract extensions.

Look for Ballard to wait for the rubes to stop throwing cash around.  Spending $10 million on a mediocre and fading quarterback like Andy Dalton is exactly the kind of move Colts should be thrilled Ballard avoided.

Cash is scarce with a salary cap reduction, and there will be high quality players still on the shelf  once the dumb money is exhausted.

Williams would have looked very nice in a Colts uniform, but not for that kind of jack.  Instead of watching the action with envy, fans should enjoy the quiet knowing that if dumb money spends early – smart money spends late.

Sometimes the best deals are those unmade.

Judge the offseason when camp opens.  Any energy toward angst prior to that is wasted.

Indiana Basketball – Brad Stevens refers to Celtic job in past tense! Colts Brissett to sign with Dolphin

Indiana Basketball needs to make Brad Stevens an offer he can’t refuse! All quiet on Colts front!