We have some early frontrunners in the Boston Celtics' coaching search, it appears.
The Celtics hope to interview three head coach candidates -- Los Angeles Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka -- for a second time, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday.
Billups, Ham and Udoka were among the first candidates the Celtics contacted after interviewing internal candidates for the head coach job previously occupied by Brad Stevens, who is now the team's president of basketball operations.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Forsberg: C's should keep an eye on these rising-star assistants
A recent report noted the C's prefer a young coach who is Black, has NBA playing and/or coaching experience and has a reputation for relating well with players. Billups, Ham and Udoka meet those criteria, as all three played in the NBA and are regarded as top assistants with bright coaching futures.
The Boston Herald's Mark Murphy reports that Boston has "three or four" strong coaching candidates, and it appears Billups, Ham and Udoka are in that group. Murphy also noted Rick Carlisle isn't considered a serious candidate for the Celtics job after parting ways with the Dallas Mavericks.
The C's are one of seven teams with head coach vacancies, so it makes sense why they're making a push to interview their top candidates a second time.