Doc Rivers has remained relatively quiet on all the drama that went down in the offseason with the Boston Celtics. General manager Danny Ainge opted to trade the long-time Celtics coach to the Los Angeles Clippers, along with plenty of other moves. In return he got draft picks and compensation. As coaches and general managers prep for the upcoming season, the two sides are reporting different stories of how the entire trade went down.
If someone were to ask Ainge exactly what happened with Rivers, he will stress that the organization wanted to keep the coach as long as they could. He stressed it was Rivers that wanted out in the first place. Ainge said that Rivers did not want to be a part of the rebuilding process in Boston and wanted a trade to happen or be released from his contract.
"My feelings are, I planned on Doc being our coach all along," Ainge said in a team press conference. "We had discussions about him being Gregg Popovich, Jerry Sloan, Red Auerbach -- breaking Red Auerbach's all-time win record as a Celtic and being here for a long time. So I never really had thought about this day. And even then, it was so early after the season that I didn't really think it was going to happen until Monday.
Rivers does not see exactly see the story like Ainge. The new Clippers head coach went on WEEI Radio and admitted that he was very disappointed over the press conference Ainge put on after the trade happened. He adds that Ainge is not telling the truth of the whole story.
"I was very disappointed in that part of Danny's press conference. There were two people in that room, Danny and I. Anyone else who has a comment about what went on, doesn't really know because they weren't in that room; and it was more than one day, it was several days. It was an agreement. I'll put it like that."
Clearly this breakup was less than mutual. The Celtics released Rivers from the three years remaining on his contract and allowed him to leave for Los Angeles. Ainge said it was not the place he would have picked Rivers to do nor was it the place he wanted him to go. The Clipper and the Celtics meet up for the first time in Boston on Dec. 11. Rivers brought the Celtics an NBA Championship so it will be interesting just how he is received upon return.
