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Sam Cassell Will Not Be on Nick Nurse’s Coaching Staff
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Sixers assistant Sam Cassell was reportedly on the shortlist of candidates to replace Doc Rivers, but with Nick Nurse’s hiring, Cassell is going back to Boston, where he finished his playing career under Doc:
Sam Cassell has agreed to join the Boston Celtics coaching staff under Joe Mazzulla, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2023
Cassell is in kind of a weird/tough spot. He’s been a longtime Doc Rivers assistant (almost 10 years) and is more than qualified for a head coaching job. He reportedly had the respect of the locker room and did some great things with Tyrese Maxey during his time in Philadelphia.
We spitballed on Crossing Broadcast about the (possible) need for Cassell to distance himself from Doc in order to land that first gig, so maybe working on another staff creates the separation that results in front offices considering his candidacy differently. Think of how Ime Udoka stepped out from under Pop’s shadow and then turned that into a top gig. Our recent discussion:
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com