Celtics Rumors: Frank Vogel, Stephen Silas Could Be Added to Joe Mazzulla's Staff

Rather than firing head coach Joe Mazzulla, the Boston Celtics may tweak the staff around him this offseason.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported Tuesday the general belief "was that the Celtics would afford Mazzulla, 34, quite a bit of runway to grow into an elevated role on the team's sideline." Fischer added Boston has been linked with former NBA head coaches Frank Vogel and Stephen Silas for assistant roles next season.

The Celtics trail the Miami Heat 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the nature of their all-but-guaranteed playoff exit has prompted many to wonder about Mazzulla's future.

Boston had the NBA's second-best record (57-25) in the regular season, but the postseason is exposing his lack of experience at this level.

Still, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix theorized the Celtics could stick with Mazzulla and floated a scenario that aligned with Fischer's reporting:

The Celtics promoted Mazzulla after giving former head coach Ime Udoka a season-long suspension in September for "multiple violations of team policies." Mazzulla was a first-time head coach suddenly helming a title contender with less than a month to go until the regular season tipped off.

Teams typically cater their coaching staff to whoever is leading the unit. Boston suddenly had Mazzulla in charge of a staff built for Udoka and had to work around that.

Perhaps the fallout from the postseason is so severe that the Celtics front office deems a coaching change necessary. It certainly won't reflect well on Mazzulla's leadership if the Celtics deliver another stinker after getting blown out in Game 3 against Miami.

But bringing in the right assistants could go a long way toward resetting the narrative on his suitability for the position next season.