Boston Celtics: Should Mike Longabardi Be Promoted to Lead Assistant?

Despite the fact that Mike Longabardi was promoted as the team's bench assistant coach last week, it might have more sense for Doc Rivers and the Boston Celtics front office to have Longabardi take over as the lead assistant coach as Lawrence Frank is no longer with the team.

Boston Celtics top assistant coach Frank decided to leave with the team to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons on a three-year contract. Assistant coach Roy Rogers has also left the team, as the Celtics then decided to promote Mike Longabardi to bench assistant.

For one, Longabardi has had a plethora of experience as an assistant with the team, which is one of the big reasons why he could make an impact. He was with the Celtics just before the 2007-2008 seasons, where the team would win an NBA championship and post as solid a threat as any team in the league on the defensive end.

Four seasons is a solid tenure for an assistant coach, as he has a good understanding of the ball club and how they get it done on a nightly basis.

Longabardi also has a total of 10 seasons experience in the NBA, as he was formerly an assistant coach and video coordinator with the Houston Rockets prior to coming to Boston to join Doc Rivers and company. At the college level, Longabardi also coached seven years with Pfeiffer University, Adelphi University, Lafayette College and Towson University.

On top of experience, the Celtics hire a guy that will needs significantly less money than big names around the league like a Lawrence Frank or former assistant with the team Tim Thibodeau. With the Celtics already suffering from as high a payroll as they have, saving money with the promotion of Longabardi to lead assistant coach could prove to be a strategical move financially.

Having good chemistry with an assistant coach is another essential factor in the hiring process. If the assistant and head coach are not on the same page, inevitably, there are problems. As Longabardi has been in the system for as long as he has, there is an understanding of the style of play that make the Celtics. Not to mention Doc Rivers has publicly made clear he is a fan of Longabardi:

"I'm looking forward to adding Mike to our bench," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said in an article from ESPN Boston in regard to his promotion to bench assistant. "He has been in the fold the last four years and he's more than ready for the next step."

Whether or not the Celtics promoted Longarbardi for the right position is still a big question mark, as he might be the right choice for lead assistant coach with the team.