Ron Adams leaves Celtics to join Warriors’ coaching staff
The Boston Celtics’ top assistant coach, Ron Adams, will leave the team to join Steve Kerr’s new coaching staff with the Golden State Warriors in a similar role, reports Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. He had two years remaining on his contract with the Celtics.
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One of the most highly respected assistants in the league, Adams joined the Celtics in 2013 after being the top assistant under Tom Thibodeau in Chicago. Coming off a messy departure from the Bulls, he helped rookie Celtics coach Brad Stevens adjust to his first professional job, and will now apparently do the same with Kerr in Golden State.
By moving from Boston to Golden State, Adams also moves from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to one of the league’s legitimate contenders. The Warriors are in the midst of a complicated offseason featuring coaching changes, major trade rumors and the like, but remain a threat given their talented core, which includes Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala.
At 67 years old, it’s not surprising to see Adams pursuing a better opportunity to win, as the Celtics are firmly in a rebuilding period unless they manage to acquire Kevin Love from Minnesota. The move is also something of a homecoming for Adams, as Holmes notes that he grew up in California and attended from Fresno Pacific University.
During his incredible career, which started in 1969 as an assistant at his alma mater, Adams has earned a reputation as one of the game’s top defensive minds. Since 1992, he’s been an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder in addition to his stints with Boston and Chicago.