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Latest On Doc Rivers, Clippers

June 14th, 2013 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

With rumors continuing to swirl about Doc Rivers' future, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times spoke to several NBA executives about the saga and about reports of mutual interest between Rivers and the Clippers. Here are the highlights from Turner's piece:

  • Most of the executives who spoke to Turner agreed that the possibility of Rivers coaching the Clippers next season is "far-fetched." Asked if he could see Rivers joining the Clippers, one executive replied: "I don’t think so. It is very complicated. They [the Celtics] have a guy under contract. Maybe they’d let him out if this happened or that happened. It’s all very speculative."
  • If the Celtics were to let Rivers explore the Clippers' job, GM Danny Ainge would want significant compensation, according to multiple executives. Two execs suggested Ainge would ask for Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Jordan, and Caron Butler's expiring contract, along with two first-round picks, in exchange for Kevin Garnett, Courtney Lee, Jason Terry, and Rivers. That list of names seems somewhat speculative to me, but it provides an idea of how high Ainge might aim.
  • Even if Rivers were to part ways with the Celtics, he'd still have to negotiate a new contract with Donald Sterling and the Clippers, who likely wouldn't come close to matching the $7MM annual salary Rivers is earning in Boston.
  • Earlier today, we passed along a report indicating that former Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro could interest the Celtics if they lose Rivers.
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Mutual Interest Between Doc Rivers, Clippers

June 13th, 2013 at 8:52pm CST by Luke Adams

8:52pm: Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports that Danny Ainge had denied the Clippers permission to contact Rivers earlier this week, though Rivers is said to now be intrigued at the prospect of other coaching opportunities. 

7:57pm: Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) cites a source who tells him that Rivers ending up with the Clippers is "gaining momentum." 

4:01pm: If Doc Rivers decides to part ways with the Celtics this offseason, there would be "strong mutual interest" between Rivers and the Clippers, according to Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The ESPN.com duo reports that the idea of coaching the Clippers would be highly intriguing to Rivers, and that the current Celtics coach would be L.A.'s number one choice should he become available.

According to Stein and Shelburne, the Celtics would like Rivers to return and don't want to see him coaching another team next season, considering he has three years left on his contract in Boston. However, if Rivers decided he wanted to leave, the C's could potentially be persuaded to let him go to the Clippers if they received compensation, whether that came in the form of a veteran player or draft picks.

The ESPN.com report also includes a number of other juicy Clippers and Celtics tidbits, so we'll round them up here:

  • Trade discussions between the two teams prior to February's deadline included expanded deals which would have sent both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Clippers, with Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan among the pieces going to Boston. While those talks were unsuccessful at the time, it's possible the two sides could revisit them this summer. As the ESPN.com scribes point out, the L.A. job could become even more appealing to Rivers if Garnett or Pierce were heading west with him.
  • No matter who is hired as the Clippers' head coach, the team is expected to very aggressive when it comes to roster moves, looking to re-sign Chris Paul and then upgrade the roster around CP3 and Blake Griffin.
  • The Clippers have some interest in the rumored deal that would send Bledsoe and Caron Butler to the Magic in exchange for Arron Afflalo, but would likely want at least one more asset to part with Bledsoe.
  • If the Celtics decide to bring back Pierce, it would greatly increase the odds of Garnett playing another season, which in turn would figure to improve the chances of Rivers returning as well.
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Wolves Notes: Oladipo, Dieng, Len, Pekovic

June 13th, 2013 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities brings us his weekly Scoops column a day early this week, publishing it on Thursday rather than Friday. Wolfson's usual look at Minnesota sports is heavy on Timberwolves content this time around, so let's dive in and round up a few highlights….

  • Team president Flip Saunders will head to Washington, D.C. to meet with Victor Oladipo tomorrow morning. Considering the Wolves draft at No. 9, and Oladipo isn't expected to make it past the top five, it appears his camp has some level of confidence that Minnesota could trade up.
  • Gorgui Dieng and the T-Wolves are trying to figure out a workout time, but it doesn't look like Alex Len will visit with the team before the draft. Len is unlikely to be around by the time the Wolves pick anyway.
  • Re-signing Nikola Pekovic remains a high priority for the T-Wolves, though it's still not clear if the club will be willing to pay $12MM+ annually to retain him.
  • Minnesota is one of a few NBA teams talking to the D-League's Iowa Energy about a possible one-to-one affiliation. This past season, the Energy served as the D-League affiliate for the Bulls, Nuggets, Pelicans, and Wizards. The Wolves lost their own affiliate when the Sioux Falls SkyForce entered into a single affiliation partnership with the Heat.
  • While Wolfson wonders if a reunion between the Wolves and Kevin Garnett would be possible if the Celtics enter rebuilding mode, a source close to KG shoots down the idea, telling Wolfson it would "never happen."
  • Although the Wolves' director of player personnel, R.J. Adelman, is expected to remain with the organization, it's possible he could join Sam Hinkie's front office with the Sixers.
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Doc Rivers Wary Of Rebuilding

June 10th, 2013 at 2:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Celtics coach Doc Rivers is still leaving the Celtics hanging on whether he’ll return next season, but the coach may be waiting see what direction the club is going in before making up his mind.  Rivers’ decision on whether he will return has to do with whether Danny Ainge will look to completely rebuild in 2013/14 or keep his eye on winning, a league source told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.

“No coach wants to go through a full-blown rebuilding process,” said the source. “Doc’s already done that, so he knows how tough that is for all involved. But to be asked to go through it twice? Any coach would pause for a minute before signing on to that.“

Rivers’ decision will not be based solely on whether Paul Pierce and/or Kevin Garnett return next season, the source told Blakely.  However, if both veterans are out of the picture, its hard to see Boston contending in 2013/14.

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Odds & Ends: Celtics, Heat, Cuban

June 1st, 2013 at 10:57pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Celtics are at a crossroads and the shrouded future of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are a large reason why. Pierce is only guaranteed $5MM next year if the Celtics waive him before June 30th. But he's owed $15.3MM next year if they decide to make another run with this group, or deal him for assets.

Sources revealed to Jackie MacMullan at ESPNBoston.com yesterday, that Garnett will play next year even if Pierce doesn't come back.  But it's likely the aging star would retire if the Celtics blow it up entirely. Garnett still has 2 years and over $24MM left on the 3-year deal he signed last summer.

Then again, anything that's considered "likely" for the Celtics will be "laughed at" because nothing is certain at this point. Plus, trading Pierce and excavating the rest of the Celtics' aging roster will be hard to do with the money still owed Jason Terry, Brandon Bass and Courtney Lee. 

Chris Forsberg at ESPNBoston.com attacked the Celtics' offseason plans with a four-pronged approach, and he finally finished with his fourth hypothetical: a complete teardown. Starting over for the C's involves general manager Danny Ainge unloading the rest of the nucleus that won the Celtics a title in 2008, and was just one fourth quarter collapse away from a second in 2010. 

Here's what else is happening around the league as the Pacers beat the Heat 91-77 to force a game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night.

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Celtics Rumors: Schroeder, KG, Millsap, Rivers

May 31st, 2013 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

A couple weeks ago, ESPN.com's Chad Ford reported (via Twitter) that international draft prospects Dennis Schroeder and Giannis Antetokounmpo had each received first-round guarantees from unknown teams. According to Aran Smith of NBADraft.net (Twitter link), it may be the Celtics that have made a promise to Schroeder at No. 16. There has also been some chatter linking Schroeder to the Jazz (No. 14) and Bucks (No. 15), so the German guard may not even last until 16th overall, but if he does, it appears the Celtics are interested.

Here's more out of Boston:

  • Mike Saver of CelticsLife.com passes along a few comments of note made by longtime Boston writer Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com on CSNNE. According to MacMullan, Kevin Garnett plans to come back for at least one more year, and MacMullan believes KG would play whether or not Paul Pierce remains a Celtic.
  • MacMullan also reports that the Celtics covet Paul Millsap, and that if there's a "Plan A" for the team, getting Millsap would be it. Given Boston's cap situation, the C's would likely have to sign-and-trade for the free agent big man, unless they could clear cap room by trading or waiving Pierce and making an additional move or two.
  • While most signs continue to point to Doc Rivers remaining the Celtics head coach going forward, some people "who have basketball business with the club" are concerned that Rivers has yet to publicly state his intentions, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Within his latest piece for the Herald, Bulpett delves into the relationship between Rivers and GM Danny Ainge.
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Odds & Ends: Wizards, Orton, 76ers

May 30th, 2013 at 11:27pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Here's more of tonight's miscellaneous links: 

  • J. Michael of CSN Washington hears that despite the Wizards owning three draft picks next month, the team doesn't want to add three rookies and will try to at least deal one pick (or possibly both second rounders) in a package to land a veteran player. 
  • As much as Thunder big man Daniel Orton enjoys being on a championship contender, he tells John Rohde of NewsOK that he's open to a change of scenery if it provides an opportunity for more playing time. Orton has two more non-guaranteed years with Oklahoma City. 
  • Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com wonders why 76ers GM Sam Hinkie hasn't hired a coach yet, making the argument that it will be counterproductive if they wait to name a coach after significant roster decisions – such as selecting a player in the draft – have been made.
  • Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio took to Twitter to have a brief chat with readers, noting that there "absolutely" is interest in Rockets forward Thomas Robinson, the Cavaliers might be able to consider Danny Granger a real possibility as a trade target, Byron Scott looks to be the leading candidate for the Clippers head coaching job, and that the Celtics may go after Josh Smith if Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are done in Boston (All Twitter links here). Interestingly, Amico also tweets that Beantown could be in play for Andrew Bynum if they decide to gut the roster. 
  • Though he had originally been disappointed that he didn't land with the Knicks on draft night four years ago, Warriors star Stephen Curry now happily has the keys to the city in Golden State and wouldn't have it any other way (Will Leitch of Sports On Earth). 
  • Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles points out that not only was Michael Malone the only coaching candidate being considered by Vivek Ranadive, but notes that Jerry West – currently a consultant for the Warriors – has been counseling Ranadive throughout the hiring process. 
  • Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside notes that D-League guard Tony Taylor Jr. has an opportunity-laced summer to catch the attention of NBA executives, as the young guard will participate in a free agent camp for the Magic before joining the Thunder and Heat at separate times on their respective summer league teams. 
  • Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW thinks that Chris Paul makes much more sense for the Mavericks than Dwight Howard.
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Ainge on Pierce, Rivers, Garnett, Barbosa

May 9th, 2013 at 6:54pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Danny Ainge made his final weekly appearance on 93.7 WEEI's Salk and Holley Show to share his thoughts on the team heading into the offseason. Ben Rohrbach of WEEI passed along the highlights of the interview, notably mentioning that Ainge feels that Paul Pierce has "a lot of basketball left in him" and that he thinks Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers will be back next season. You can read more about Ainge's comments below:

  • Determining the future of Pierce will be the first difficult decision Ainge will have to make this summer.
  • He downplayed recent rumors which suggested that he and Rivers are questioning whether they can continue to coexist or not: "(Those rumors) are silly. Those are a waste of time to even acknowledge…I think I have the best coach in the NBA, and I'm not the least bit tired of hearing his voice…I think Doc'll be coaching the Celtics (next year)."
  • Garnett will be given some time to himself before the team approaches him about next season: "I'll touch base w/him some time next week…He needs time to chill and contemplate his life. I do anticipate KG will play."
  • On a side note, Leandro Barbosa has been rehabbing at the team's facility, leading Rohrbach to wonder if Boston will consider bringing him back to the team next season. 
  • Rajon Rondo has "looked good" as he continues to recover from his ACL injury and should be ready to go by training camp. 
  • Ainge thinks that the team is more than one player away from contending (unless it's a great player) and added that it would be tough to become a championship team with the way the Celtics are currently constructed. 


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Eastern Notes: Rose, Cavaliers, 76ers

May 4th, 2013 at 11:25pm CST by Ryan Raroque
Despite ongoing criticism directed at Derrick Rose for not returning to action yet after being medically cleared nearly two months ago, the Bulls superstar remains unfazed, primarily because he doesn't put himself in a position to hear about any of it, observes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. As for the theory that the "Rose camp" – whether it involves his brother Reggie, Adidas, or agent B.J. Armstrong – has decided to keep him out of action, Rose dispelled the notion, telling Cowley, “Who said that? If anything, it’s up to me…My brother and them can’t tell me what to do with my body. They give me control. I’m in control of the whole process. It’s really all on me.’’  Rose also mentions that he's still trying to prepare himself mentally for a return and downplayed the idea that the Bulls have put pressure on him to make haste on a comeback. Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight: 
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Celtics Notes: Garnett, Pierce, Rondo

May 4th, 2013 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

Could the early conclusion to the Celtics' 2012/13 season spell the end of the Big Three era?  Here's the latest out of Boston..

  • Boston needs to retool again, and Kevin Garnett could make it easy for them with retirement, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.  The big man has two years and $23.5MM left on a deal that includes a no-trade clause.  Meanwhile, around the NBA, there's belief that the hire of Flip Saunders as GM of the Timberwolves will open the door for the club eventually offering KG the opportunity to invest in the franchise.
  • If the C's don't believe that they can win with their existing core, they'll have to consider trading Rajon Rondo as he is their best asset, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
  • Even if Garnett retires, the Celtics really aren’t left with a lot of options, writes Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld.  Even if KG walks away and they amnesty Pierce, Boston still wouldn’t really have enough cap space to add a marquee free agent.  With no other moves, the Celtics would basically be bringing back the same club sans Pierce and Garnett plus a player towards the bottom of free agency’s top tier. 
  • People close to Pierce are certain that he has played his final game as a Celtic, according to Greg Dickerson of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
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