5 potential replacements for Brad Stevens as Celtics head coach

3. David Vanterpool

We desperately need someone to get Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach David Vanterpool out of the frozen tundra and into the head coaching gig he deserves. There’s a reason Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and every other former player of his tweets out their disappointment every time a new head coaching vacancy is filled by someone who isn’t named Vanterpool: He’s long overdue for his shot at a head coaching job.

In Minnesota, Vanterpool was immediately passed up in the wake of Ryan Saunders’ firing by Chris Finch, an assistant from the Toronto Raptors. Finch may prove to be deserving of his own shot, but it left Vanterpool’s long-term future in Minnesota up in the air.

Lillard and McCollum — one of the NBA’s best backcourts — have credited Vanterpool with their development and teaching Dame leadership skills during his time with the Blazers, and Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would certainly benefit from that kind of influence as they look to cement themselves as an Eastern Conference powerhouse for years to come. Vanterpool may have been passed over by the Wolves (and several other teams who have interviewed him in the past), but the Celtics should strongly consider giving him a shot.