Rivers welcomes fresh start
Even Doc Rivers got weary of the two-week saga of his move to the Los Angeles Clippers. He thought the unusual deal was dead several times, and he insists he really didn’t mind the prospect of returning to the Boston Celtics.
“I felt like I was the only guy in all this that was in a win-win,” Rivers said.
The Clippers think they’ve got plenty of winning in store after landing one of the NBA’s most respected veteran coaches.
The Clippers formally introduced Rivers at their training complex Wednesday after dealing a firstround pick to the Celtics. Rivers was simply grateful to end his self-described “strange ordeal” ever since the Celtics floated the possibility of moving the NBA’s highest-paid coach to a talented team determined to replace Vinny Del Negro with a topflight leader.
“The reason I wanted this when it was made available was because of what we have,” said Rivers, who also will be the Clippers’ senior vice president of basketball operations. “I clearly think this is an extremely talented basketball team. There were times last year they were the best team. I like the talent we have here.”
Rivers believes the Clippers have the ingredients to be a title contender, although unrestricted free agent Chris Paul is a major part of that recipe. Rivers’ arrival is widely expected to cinch a new deal for CP3.
RAPTORS’ COLANGELO STEPS DOWN
The Toronto Raptors are truly Masai Ujiri’s team now.
Bryan Colangelo abruptly stepped down from his role with the Raptors on Wednesday, ending their brief experiment as co-presidents of the squad.
“Having had a better chance to reflect on things for the past several weeks, I have concluded that stepping away from my position is the best course of action for the organization and everyone involved,” Colangelo said in a press release.
The Raptors said Colangelo will remain as a consultant with the team and with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.
The 48-year-old Colangelo lost his job as general manager in May, after the Raptors went 34-48 and failed to make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. He remained as president in a non-basketball role, while Ujiri was hired as general manager and president of basketball operations.
BIRD RETURNS TO PACERS
A year away from basketball has rejuvenated Larry Bird. Now he wants to win a championship.
Bird, the former NBA star who left his job last season after rebuilding the Indiana Pacers and winning the league’s executive of the year award, will be reintroduced to the media Thursday morning as the president of basketball operations. That’s the same job Bird held from 2003-12.
“The year off gave me a chance to reflect, to rest, to take care of some health issues and it re-charged me,” Bird said in a statement issued by the team. The move is hardly a surprise. He reportedly met earlier this month with Sacramento about becoming that team’s general manager and had become a regular in recent weeks as the Pacers held public draft workouts.
Donnie Walsh, who preceded Bird as the Pacers’ top decision-maker then succeeded him last summer as president of basketball operations, will now settle in his new role — as a team consultant.
RILEY: MIAMI DOESN’T LIKE CHANGE
Miami Heat President Pat Riley made the priority clear Wednesday during his post-championship state-of-the-team media session.
“We don’t like to change,” he said. “I don’t like to change that much, not when you’re winning.”
He then backed up his words with a pair of announcements, first that the team plans to pick up the $4 million 2013-14 team option on the contract of point guard Mario Chalmers, and that his preference is not to expose swingman Mike Miller to the offseason amnesty-release program, instead hopeful of having Miller back next season.
Of guard Ray Allen potential testing the freeagent market, Riley said, “I can’t speak for Ray. I really don’t know what his decision is going to be. I do know that we want him back.”
Riley said he is hopeful of re-signing Chris Andersen during free agency, and that he has visited with free-agent center Greg Oden.
BRIEFLY
The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their contract option on guard Jodie Meeks and extended a qualifying offer to center Robert Sacre. ... Power forward Carl Landry has opted out of the final year of his two-year, $8 million deal with the Golden State Warriors to become a free agent.