Doc Rivers almost didn’t come back to the Celtics this season. He considered taking a year off, watching his Duke-bound son Austin’s last year of high school ball, spend more time with his daughter.
But he came back. In part because of the very real shot at another ring.
But also because of the bonds and relationships he has in Boston now, and that has him thinking about signing an extension and staying there long term, he told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo.
“Two years ago, I didn’t have that thought,” Rivers told Yahoo! Sports. “But clearly this summer, I had that thought a lot. It’s because of the organization. Even after [the Big Three] leave, I still have that relationship and it’s going to allow us to be good again. If I’m going to stay in it without taking a break, it would be tough for me to go anywhere else. We’ve talked about [an extension], but I just want to wait. But to be a career Celtics coach is something I think about. I’ve learned: You don’t have what we have here somewhere else.”
Danny Ainge is a big part of that.
“He protects my culture,” Rivers said. “He knows there’s certain things I can’t have – that I won’t have – and he’ll protect that for me. I learned in Orlando: You’ve got to have a great relationship with your GM. It doesn’t have to be adversarial.”
Rivers has options. Home, television or stay with the Celtics, they all have advantages. Ones he can’t really decide amongst in the middle of the grinding NBA season.
But this summer, Rivers has some serious thinking to do.
