The superstar-laden Heat have stumbled to a 9-8 record to start the season. Reports surfaced on Monday claiming some within the Miami locker room have had enough of the young coach already. And it's probably a safe assumption to say that if LeBron James had nothing to do with said rumors, he probably doesn't disagree, especially following Saturday's brush with Spoelstra.
Spoelstra's immediate future in Miami may be in jeopardy. Then again, it may not be. If he's not about to get the axe, you'd have to think the the Heat would have to revisit at some point whether or not they think Spoelstra's the right guy to lead that dream team if they continue to play inconsistent basketball.
That, is where the Boston Celtics, and an admittedly large series of "ifs" come into play.
If Spoelstra is let go by the Heat come season's end — or earlier — and if Celtics coach Doc Rivers decides that he's finally had enough, it may be worth the Celtics' while to look into making Spoelstra their next head coach.
It would take a losing streak of historically epic proportions for Rivers' job to ever be in jeopardy. However, Rivers has made it no secret that he's toyed with the idea of walking away from the Celtics to spend more time with his family. Using that logic, it's possible that the Celtics could be looking for a new head coach at the same time Spoelstra is looking for a new gig.
And before you start up the whole "If he can't do it in Miami, he won't be able to do it in Boston," spiel, think about a few things.
First, Boston is just not Miami. Sure, Spoelstra has seemingly mismanaged Miami's "Big Three," but it's a totally different set of circumstances. In Miami, Spoelstra is trying to guide three ego-driven superstars all at the top of their game. In Boston, he'd be leading three team-centered veterans yearning for another taste of team glory.
That's also assuming the Boston big three is still intact. It's no secret that Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are getting older. They're not going to be around forever. In fact, as we saw with the original big three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, injuries happen and long careers catch up to veterans quickly.
When that day actually does get here, the Celtics are going to have to start to rebuild. While Spoelstra may be struggling with his trio of prima donnas, he did have relative success with Dwyane Wade and a cast of nobodies. In fact, in his first two seasons as Miami's head coach, Spoelstra averaged 45 wins per season. It didn't earn him any No. 1 seeds, but it did get the Heat into the playoffs behind hardwood legends like Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn.
Ironically, perhaps the worst thing that happened to Spoelstra was the offseason overhaul. He was brought in as a young coach with new and fresh ideas. That's kind of tough to sell to worldwide stars.
For a team like Boston, however, that will be starting over sooner rather than later, it may work just right. Spoelstra's commitment to defense is something that should ring a bell in Boston. The Heat ranked second in defensive scoring last season and 12th in his first season in 2008-09. He's regarded as a defensive-minded guy, much like Rivers.
Spoelstra is sure to get a ton of learning experience this season in Miami. He'll learn how to manage personalities on a bigger scale than arguably any other coach ever has. His coaching reputation will certainly take a hit if the Heat continue to struggle. That was part of the deal. He wasn't going to get the credit if the Heat were the dominant force everyone expected they would be and he was going to take most of the blame if they weren't.
But, there is still a reason that when he was hired, NBA coaching legend Pat Riley said this of Spoelstra:
"This game is now about younger coaches who are technologically skilled, innovative and bring fresh new ideas. That's what we feel we are getting with Erik Spoelstra. He's a man that was born to coach."
A lot will have to happen for the Celtics to even think about the idea of Spoelstra patrolling the TD Garden sideline. Heck, the Heat could win 20 of their next 25 and steamroll their way to a ring this year and in the years to come. Spoelstra could be a long-term fixture in Miami, the young protege that Riley thought he would be.
And who knows? Maybe Rivers will decide he wants to stay in Boston for years to come.
But then again, that may not happen. Spoelstra may lose his job and Rivers may decide he's ready to move on, leaving the Celtics to start over. If the dominoes do fall that way, though, both parties — Spoelstra and the C's — may certainly have to at least entertain the idea.
If Doc Rivers were to leave, would you like to see Erik Spoelstra coaching the Celtics? Share your thoughts below.
