League OKS Rivers move to Clippers from the Celtics
LOS ANGELES — After weeks of negotiations and intrigue, Doc Rivers has officially left the Boston Celtics for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Rivers will be introduced as the Clippers’ new coach and senior vice president of basketball operations at a news conference Wednesday at their Playa Vista training complex, capping a lengthy process by completing a rare trade involving a championshipwinning coach.
The Clippers and Celtics finalized the move Tuesday when the NBA approved the deal. Boston will get an unprotected first-round pick in 2015 from the Clippers for Rivers, who went 416-305 and won the 2008 NBA title during nine seasons with the Celtics.
Boston’s front office mostly had warm words for Rivers after he took off for his new team on the West Coast, apparently not eager to stick around for the aging Celtics’ rebuilding process.
“We don’t have a championship without Doc Rivers coaching,” said Danny Ainge, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations. “He did an unbelievable job. He has a long history of great success with us in the last nine years, and we wish him the best in Los Angeles.”
Rivers is likely to be the NBA’s highest-paid coach with the deal, and he’ll also have a prominent role in the Clippers’ front office with his additional title.
Clippers owner Donald Sterling will expect impressive results for such an investment, but his longsuffering franchise has never been in better shape on the court providing Los Angeles re-signs Chris Paul, who is eligible for a five-year contract worth nearly $108 million in July. Paul is widely expected to stick with the Clippers, and Rivers’ arrival might cinch the deal.
With Boston likely to spend the next few years revamping, Rivers seized the chance to take over one of the league’s most compelling young teams. He was eagerly pursued by the Clippers, who are coming off the best regular season in franchise history with a roster built around Blake Griffin and Paul.
The 51-year-old Rivers replaces Vinny Del Negro, who wasn’t re-signed after the Clippers won a franchise-record 56 games and their first Pacific Division title last season. Los Angeles’ first-round playoff loss to the Grizzlies likely cost Del Negro, who went 128102 over three years and became the only Clippers coach to post consecutive winning seasons in 35 years.
Los Angeles also spoke to Boston about acquiring star forward Kevin Garnett in another element of the trade involving Rivers, but NBA commissioner David Stern won’t allow teams to trade active players for a coach.
It’s unclear whether the teams could swing a future deal to reunite Rivers with Garnett or fellow Celtic and Southern California native Paul Pierce, who is due to make $15.3 million next season.
DEVELOPMENTS
Shaw introduced as Nuggets coach: The Denver Nuggets officially introduced Brian Shaw as their head coach on Tuesday.
Shaw steps in for George Karl, the NBA Coach of the Year who was ousted after the team won a franchiserecord 57 games, only to be bounced from the first round of the playoffs for the fourth straight season. A longtime assistant, Shaw finally gets his chance to coach an NBA team.
The 47-year-old Shaw has been interviewed for quite a few head coaching vacancies over the years only to be passed up — until Monday. Shaw beat out Lionel Hollins, the former Grizzlies coach.
This may have played a part in the decision: With the Pacers, Shaw played an integral part in developing young players such as Paul George. The Nuggets are youthful, boasting the third-youngest team in the league last season.
NBA plans international games: The NBA says regular-season games will be played next season in London and Mexico City.
The San Antonio Spurs are set to play the Minnesota Timberwolves at Mexico City Arena on Dec. 4, and the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets will meet at The O2 in London next Jan. 16.
The NBA said Tuesday it’s the first time regularseason games in two countries outside of the United States and Canada will be played in the same season.
In March, the league announced eight preseason games would be played in several countries from Oct. 5-18.
The latest games bring the NBA’s global package next season to 12 teams playing 10 regular-season and preseason games in eight cities in six countries and territories.