Celtics hope ninth plus ninth will one day equal eighteenth


With the exodus of Rajon Rondo to the Lone Star State, many Celtics fans likely thought it would be awhile before they could find pleasure in meditating upon the number 9.

The wait is over as ESPN's Forecast panel has voted the top 30 executives and coaches.

In each, only eight front-office executives were picked above Danny Ainge and only eight coaches were more highly regarded than Boston's second-year prodigy, Brad Stevens.

According to the panel, San Antonio's president, Greg Popovich, occupied the top spot high above the last-placed rating of Brooklyn Nets' general manager, Billy King.

Not surprisingly, Greg Popovich also took top honors among coaches while Derek Fisher of the New York Knicks highlighted the underwhelming ball coming out of the Big Apple's this season as the most lowly rated coach.

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