Doc Rivers Named Celtics Head Coach

[BULLO12]

Ainge hopes Rivers has the cure

By Dr. Jack Ramsay

Special to ESPN.com

 

Because of the presence of a lone superstar and the reliance on bench play, some will say that Doc Rivers is going to a situation in Boston that appears similar to the one he had in Orlando. But I disagree -- there are few similarities between his former team and his new one.

First of all, Rivers had a much stronger lineup in Orlando than he does now. Danny Ainge seems to be in the process of rebuilding the roster and that could impede Rivers from winning immediately in Boston. There will probably be more moves made before and after the draft to remake this roster, so no one can be sure what the finished product will be.

Second, Rivers had much more authority with the Magic when it came to personnel matters. When he had differences with players such as Horace Grant and Darrell Armstrong, those players were let go. That may not be the case in Boston. Hopefully, he and Ainge have worked out the delineation of duties for both because it seems that Ainge wants a coach who will merely do that ... coach. That can be a difficult transition for a coach to make, especially if he and the general manager disagree on a player.

Rivers and former Magic GM John Gabriel worked together in building the team and that allowed Rivers to get players who fit his philosophy. Luckily for Rivers, he and Ainge both put a priority on offense instead of defense. That shared offensive philosophy should help Rivers and Ainge work together.

Finally, Rivers already has proven he can coach. When he went to Orlando, it was his first head-coaching job and there were some doubts as to if he could make the transition. He proved his naysayers wrong by being voted Coach of the Year in 2000. His record in Orlando was 171-168 during the regular season and 5-10 during the postseason. He also went to the playoffs from 2000-02 and won a career-high 44 games in 2001.

Even though it's a different situation for Rivers, I wouldn't be surprised if he cures what ails the Celtics -- but it may take awhile for him to pull it off.

[smazza]

why take the job when he will have no say in personnel and red will tell him what drills to run

"the celtic way"

[BULLO12]

Why not take the job??  Prestige...Glory...

[smazza]

he took it for the money and prestige which is ok I guess

there is no glory