With Doc Rivers departing the Boston Celtics for the Los Angeles Clippers, there's been much speculation about who the C's plan to hire as a replacement.
Following a tremendous coach like Rivers will be a difficult one for anyone picked to fill the void, but former Celtics forward Antoine Walker believes it's now his time to man the sidelines as the Celtics new head coach.
Walker played for seven seasons with the Celtics, where he averaged 20.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists with a shooting percentage of 41.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
Last year he talked about his desire to get back into the league whether it was playing again, coaching, front office work, or possibly being an analyst, according to an August 2012 article from CNNNE.com.
"I'll probably want to coach one day, he said. I don't know what level yet. I enjoy being around the game. I love the game of basketball. It definitely will be in sports, in some capacity. Right now it's hard to say, I'm trying to find my niche. That's why I want to come out and do these type of things. I also went to the NBA Pre-Draft Camps, talked to some GMs. I've just got to figure out what my niche will be, but it definitely will be in the game."
Hiring Walker as head coach would be a bit of a leap of faith for the Celtics, but the loss of Rivers further solidifies the notion that the Celtics are in rebuilding mode.
With Rivers' departure from the Celtics almost a guarantee, questions now arise about what lie ahead for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce with the Celtics.
Latest rumors around the league is that the Cleveland Cavaliers have spoken to the Celtics about Pierce, and are supposedly offering their two second-round picks for the 35-year-old All-Star. Pierce's $15.3 million contract for next year would become guaranteed if he's dealt.
That move would save the Celtics more than $10 million off of next year's salary cap, moving the team comfortably beneath the luxury tax line.
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