Stephen A. Smith claims Stevens had a "suspect relationship" with Smart & bashes racial component of promotion

Well there's at least one person who really doesn't like Brad Stevens as the new Head of basketball Operations for the Celtics, and that's Stephen A. Smith. Smith actually makes a fair point that its rather irregular for a coach after a season of struggles to get promoted. That's true. But also the national media was always off on the Stevens story. He was NEVER on the hot seat with Celtics ownership or Ainge. They just signed him to a coaching contract extension last summer.

Stevens is not the first coach to become a general manager or whatever each organization labels their shot caller, so it's not some huge reach for him to be hired for the role. If anything I question the Celtics ownership for considering have one person handle both roles. Stevens wisely said he didn't want to run the team and coach. Smith wants the Celtics to have interviewed some Black executives, but that's another story for another day. Yes the NBA is lacking in diversity among the people calling the shots. Should that mean the Celtics owners can't hire the guy they like though?

The bigger bomb to me was Smith's claim that Brad Stevens had a suspect relationship with the Marcus Smart's of the world? Where is this coming from? I've never heard anything of the kind. This would have been a breaking story at any point this past year. Again, where is this coming from?