Doc Rivers is a wanted man.
The Brooklyn Nets continue to search for a new head coach following their decision to part ways with P.J. Carlesimo, a quest that reportedly led them to Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.
According to Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com, the Nets reached out to Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, requesting to speak with Rivers about their head coaching vacancy:
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge denied the Brooklyn Nets permission to speak to Doc Rivers about their vacant coaching position, team and league sources confirmed to ESPNBoston.com.
Rivers has three years and $21 million remaining on his contract. The Nets did not retain interim coach P.J. Carlesimo after getting knocked out of the playoffs earlier this month.
“Doc has told me he’s coming back,” Ainge said bluntly. “I talk to him almost every day about our team and what we are going to do moving forward.”
Reaching out to Ainge was a bold move by the Nets and it’s something they likely wouldn’t have done unless they believed there was at least a chance of Boston saying yes. While they were rebuffed, their active interest is intriguing.
Had the Celtics granted the Nets permission to speak with Rivers, it would have been beyond telling.
Boston’s current direction is unclear. Both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett’s futures are still up in the air. They’re expected to be back, however, something Rivers’ return could signify.
Doc has been one of the Celtics’ greatest advocates. He’s grown attached to the likes of Pierce, Garnett and even Rajon Rondo. If he didn’t want to return to Boston, one would expect it’s because he didn’t want to coach through another rebuild, thereby suggesting that Pierce and Garnett’s departures were imminent.
Ainge’s refusal implies just the opposite. With Brooklyn being rebuffed in their attempt to court Rivers, his return is all but guaranteed, just as Ainge maintains. And if he’s coming back, it seems the Celtics are ready to give it one more go at a championship with its current core.
Of course, this may not prove entirely true. When Rivers signed the contract he is currently under in 2011, he indicated he would perhaps be willing to guide the Celtics through a rebuild.
“Well, I don’t think anyone is looking forward to [rebuilding],” Rivers said, “but I’m willing to do that. I’ve had a group that has been very loyal to me, and I think it would have been very easy to just run and go somewhere else and chase something else. … I just don’t think that’s the right thing to do. Coaches talk about loyalty and team, and I just thought it was time to show it.”
With Rivers potentially on board for any rebuild, Ainge’s decision to turn the Nets away may then not be related to Garnett or Pierce’s future at all. It is, however, indicative of the loyalty Rivers spoke of two years ago.
Photo credit: Sports Illustrated.
Boston is in the midst of yet another pivotal offseason, one that will see the team’s dynamic questioned and scrutinized to no end. Rivers’ presence is then huge. He provides some stability, some continuity. He’s easily one of the most respected sideline-meanders in the league and could be used as a building block himself.
If Rivers had to even think about his future with the team, a complete restoration is not out of the equation. Boston could have privately made him privy to their intentions. Knowing that the Celtics’ core was about to be blown up, he may have needed that time to think.
Or it could have just been the loss to the New York Knicks. We just don’t know.
I myself believe that Rivers coming back is an indication of Boston’s decision to give it yet another go with its current collections of players. Toss in Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck admitting that he wants both Pierce and Garnett back and there don’t seem to be as many changes as originally projected on the horizon.
The situation with the Celtics is so complex, though. I could also see it going the other way.
Whichever way it inevitably goes, it’s evident Rivers will be along for the ride. Which is great news for the city of Boston. Not so much if you hail from Brooklyn.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
