The Brooklyn Nets are in search for a head coach. That’s not a mystery. Their latest rumored interest is Boston Celtics head coach, Doc Rivers. However, the Celtics’ front office did not hesitate to shoo the Nets away.
Though talks around the NBA have it that Rivers might have coached his last game in Boston since retirement had entered his thoughts, Danny Ainge immediately refused to let the Nets have a word with the coach.
For Rivers, it was a tough season in Boston as the Celtics finished the regular season with a 41-40 record topped off by a first-round elimination at the hands of the New York Knicks. The Celtics fought, but they could only go so far without their star, Rajon Rondo on the shelf.
As rough as it was in Boston, head coaches in Brooklyn had a tough time keeping their jobs. Long gone is the memory of Avery Johnson coaching the team at the Barclays Center. The last time he was around, the Nets were 14-14 with a team that was not supposed to be playing .500 basketball. P.J. Carlesimo filled the void, though rumors said he was only a momentary fill-in. However, Carlesimo stepped up and coached like he was ready to take command of the job. The Nets finished 34-19 under Carlesimo and they finished fourth in the Eastern Conference.
The end of his brief reign came to a close as the Nets were bounced inexplicably by a Chicago Bulls team that limped into the playoffs and was on its hind legs in the back end of the series. After being down 1-3, the Nets roared back, but they couldn’t take Game 7 and win a spot in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Celtics owe Rivers $21 million over the next three years.. The Celtics have said they are confident Rivers will make a return, especially after Rivers stated, “I’ve had a group that has been very loyal to me, and I think it would have been very easy to just run and go somewhere else and chase something else. I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do.”
It looks like the Nets’ search for a head coach will continue as the Celtics are now looking forward to wooing Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for another season.