The Case For Extending Doc Rivers
by Jeff Clark on May 17, 2007 4:40 AM EDT
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I’ve gone on record as saying that I don’t think extending Doc Rivers is a good idea. The reasons for that are well chronicled on this site. With that said, I am willing to admit that sometimes it is not so cut and dry. Sometimes you have to look at a situation from every angle and appreciate that it is more complex than you might initially perceive. So for that purpose (ok, and maybe to be a little contrarian), I’d like to lay out some of the reasons why it might not be that bad to have Doc Rivers back as the coach next year. (Waiting for the Bill Simmons flame email in 3, 2, 1, …)
Two Words: Jim O’Brien
I’m convinced that one of the biggest reasons Danny has stood by Doc so consistently is because of the experience he had with Jim O’Brien. Danny tried hard to make things work out with O’Brien, even going so far as to give him a contract extension. But he could never get his coach to buy into the plan. Coaches are born and bred to do whatever it takes to win every game. Forget tomorrow, the win today supersedes everything else. Taking a step back would be torture for O’Brien, so he walked.
Doc, on the other hand, has been in lock step with Ainge from day one. He took on the challenge of coaching Davis, Blount, Payton, and Walker. Just getting that group to the playoffs must have been like herding hyperactive cats into a vaccum cleaner store. When Ainge gave Doc a roster of Pierce, Wally and a bunch of kids, he didn’t throw up his hands and gripe about the management putting him in a terrible situation. He played along, took the abuse, and got the team to follow suit (they didn’t turn on him or on Ainge either).
Bottom line is that Jim O’Brien quit on Ainge and the Celtics. Ainge knows that he can count on Rivers to be on his side and stay loyal. In theory, you might be able to get that with another coach, but you just never know. Which brings us to the next point:
The Devil You Know…
Paul Silas is sited as a coach that the Celtics could have looked at this offseason. He’s got the Celtic pedigree and he had a pretty good run in Charlotte. On the other hand, he is known for being a kind of guy that doesn’t go along with the system if it doesn’t suit him. In other words, he’s the anti-Doc in that respect.
Rick Carlisle is also sited as a candidate for many open positions. He’s certainly an accomplished, well-admired coach. However, he’s twice worn out his welcome (Detroit, Indiana) with the players because he’s too controlling and micromanaging.
My pet pick Rick Adelman had some talented teams that he took to the playoffs year after year, but never seemed to be able to win the big one. He has been criticized as being too hands off, in particular in terms of defense.
The moral of this story is that there is no perfect coach. Each one has his faults and you never know how the team would react to a new face. We do reasonably know how the team feels about Doc and that is a big point in his favor. I think this is what Ainge was alluding to when he made his “X’s and O’s are slightly overrated†remark. Doc has a good handle on the locker room, and that is important.
Getting There Is Half The Fun
I’ve found that it takes a certain kind of person to take a small business and build it up from nothing. It takes a different kind of person to take a business from small-but-growing to big time force. It is just a different skill set. I think the same principle can be applied to coaching. While one type of coach is needed to get a bunch of kids to grow up and make the playoffs, a different sort of coach might be needed to take that group to the next level.
All that is prologue to this point: We aren’t there yet. We haven’t made it to the playoffs so it is a little silly to start wringing our hands over what Doc will do with his game management and substitutions patterns. Right now we are just trying to get in the door. The one time he had a decent (if dysfunctional) roster, Doc was able to get the team to the playoffs. If the team is healthy and Danny can upgrade the roster in other ways this offseason, then I think he can get us there again. At that point, you can evaluate the job Doc does and make a decision on how equipped he is to lead them further into the playoffs in years to come.
Hey, It’s Only Another Year
At the end of the day, even if you think Doc is the worst coach that ever walked a sideline, you can only get just so worked up about one more year. Perhaps more than any other coach next season, Doc is going to have to deliver the goods. He gets no more excuses.  The players are too experienced at this point to keep using the “young†excuse and you can reasonably expect (knock on wood) that the team will be healthier. Either he gets the team to perform, or he’s out of a job. It’s as simple as that.
Is that enough reason to give Doc a contract extension? Maybe, maybe not. I’m just trying to make the case that it isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen.
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I was against rivers from the time I heard he was a canditate for the job. One more year of his act will be excruciating for me. In my opinion, the decisions made with regard to the head coaching position during the Ainge era have been abysmal.
by aQua on May 17, 2007 6:15 AM EDT reply actions
I do agree with the article. Whether or not Doc can deliver the (playoff) goods is not all on him, however. Yes, the players have gained experience in the league but are they good enough? Look at it this way. Of the eight teams that made the playoffs this season, which of those would the Celtics be favored to displace? Certainly not Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland. Not a healthy Washington. Not the Nets unless they break up the team. Miami will be back and with a vengeance. The Raptors won the division and are an improving team as well. That leaves the Magic, who have cap room to find some complimentary players for Howard.
It won’t be as easy as guaranteeing the playoffs in print. They’ll also have to contend with the Bucks, who’ll have a talented roster that should be healthy by next season along with a possible top three draft pick. Also, the rest of the conference won’t be sitting around waiting for the 2008 lottery.
Ainge needs to address the point guard position where the Celtics are currently not as well staffed as most of the other Eastern squads. Either Rondo somehow makes a huge leap and develops a) some sort of quasi-dependable shot and b)consistency or the Celtics are doomed to another mediocre season, Oden/Durant or not.
by lemonadesky on May 17, 2007 6:28 AM EDT reply actions
Jeff, by G-D you’ve got it. Doc knew what he was getting into when Danny hired him. Both agreed on the type of style of play they wanted. Doc communicated to Danny the type of player he wanted and Danny worked to get players to fit the style of play they are trying to get to. Danny decided it could best be done via the draft (basically). Now it’s fine tuning time. The important thing here is the relationship between Doc and Danny. Most coaches would not have taken this job. I think both Doc and Danny have done a great job considering the situation. This has been a process and it’s now time that winning becomes important and possible.
Well, Jeff, good job playing Devil’s advocate. Those are plausible reasons why to bring back Doc this season, but it still doesn’t explain why we felt the need to extend him. Danny didn’t think Doc was going to walk away from $5 million, did he?
For me, what it comes down to is Xs-and-Os do matter. How can you expect a coach to teach his team concepts like good positioning, how to rotate on defense, how to attack a zone, etc., when that coach is a little sketchy on those concepts himself?
does Danny suck? does Doc suck?do the players suck???these last couple yrs were “everybody suck” by design…love it or hate it…now Danny needs to get a roster that can win then get rid of players AND coaches that can’t or we need a new roster guy…Durant makes everybody a winner…pick 5 is a mystery but can be done
People are gonna torch me, but I have to come out and say this.
Giving Doc an extension was actually a good move. The NBA is filled with gigantic egos, guys who are out there playing for themselves, and team play is a forgotten concept. I agree with Ainge: X’s and O’s are overrated. Doc got this group to stay together and act as a team. They always stuck together, through the 18 straight losses, through injuries, through everything that happened this season. The talent is there, we’re in a great position to add even more talent to this roster, and we have a TEAM. Say what you want, but Doc is the main responsible for that. If we stay clear of the injury bug, get lucky in the draft, amke a move for a solid veteran, the NBA is in for a big surprise next season. With Doc Rivers on the bench.
For what it’s worth: well done Danny.
celticspt, couldn’t agree more. Nice to see some nice words about the C’s. Your mention of team play is is an excellent point. In a way this has hurt the C’s because many times in a game a player passes up a shot to move the ball. Doc has been trying to get them to take the shot when they have it. There’s been too much thinking and not enough playing on instinct. But this will as come with experience and playing together as a unit for a decent period of time. The Suns, Spurs, Pistons and NJ have it down pat. The common denominators are excellent point guard play and roster continuity. (and the right coaches, [not sure about Pistons]).
From the moment Doc was hired I thought he was here to build a team for someone else to win with. His playoff record doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. I do believe that a better (tactical) coach could have gotten better short term results. Danny’s trying to build a championship team (it is unclear whether he is cabable, but he isn’t trying to be in the middle of the pack, which is by the way why he has made some dumb (high risk) trades though others were just dumb). If doc was going to be here next year he wasn’t going to be effective as a lame duck. He is here to develop talent for a really good in game manager who 1) wouldn’t have put up with the losing and 2) would be at high risk of losing some of the players along the way becuase with this much youth there was bound to be a lot of frustrating games.
My views on Rivers are well-known here.
There is no perfect coach, but some are more imperfect than others.
I see that assistants like Kurt Rambis, Jim Cleamons and Sam Vincent are interviewing. Jeff Van Gundy may be leaving Houston, and Jim Boeheim has announced his intention to retire. I’m insanely jealous of the other NBA teams with head coaching vacancies given all of the excellent choices available to them.
Amen….Excellent article Jeff. When you mentioned that Paul Silas has been “cited” as a possible replacement for Doc you hit the nail on the head as to reasons why Paul may not be the best choice at this time. He is too used to working with veteran talent.
My grief is not so much with Doc as it is with the other members of his coaching staff. Considering the abrupt change in course that Ainge was taking this team, Doc erred when he invited his friends as assistant coaches and did not instead seek to find TEACHERS.
One mark of a good leader is the ability to surround himself with capable staff since so much of everyday operation relies on their contribution. One notable exception was the hiring of Clifford Ray, which has already paid immediate dividends in the maturization of Jefferson and will similarly impact Perkins if only he stays healthy.
When you need to coach kids, you need a staff that excells in teaching fundamentals especially since we have players lacking in basketball IQ. Even our veterans could use a refresher course on TEAM offensive and defensive strategy.
A coach represents the “sum total” of his staff and it’s my opinion that Doc did not select the best mix of assistants for this particular squad. I don’t even think that they helped him with the X’s and O’s either, as though they too were impervious to the needs on the floor.
by moskqq on May 17, 2007 7:54 AM EDT reply actions
When I see the team be able to figure out a zone defense; when I see a well designed end of game play other than a Pierce isolation; when I see better defense including eliminating switchoffs that produce bad matchups for us with such ease; when I see Doc’s proclomations to give someone more playing time actuallly followed through; when I see an emphasis on getting Al the ball down low, and an inside out game developed; when I see a real commitment to run, better use of timeouts, etc., etc., etc., I will join the chorus of TrueGreen, celticspt, and others who are ecstatic over the Doc extension.
by halfman/halfoyster on May 17, 2007 7:56 AM EDT reply actions
Good article. Doc deserved to be back for many of the reasons you cite. I’m a Doc supporter for one more year and have been all this year. But he didn’t deserve an extension. He’s extracted $20 mil, for crying out loud, from this team for a lousy record (whether all his fault or not). If he coddles his players the way he expects “security” the players will continue to like him but will they dive for the loose ball in the 4th Qtr with the game on the line? We need 4th quarter junk yard dogs and you gotta be hungry and this is not the way to breed it into the players. He suffered injuries, he has brought some players along nicely, he deserves to take a healthy, more experienced group on the court next year. But $5.0 million in firing insurance in case he doesn’t is lightweight business decision making by Danny and/or Wyc.
I’m no fan of Rivers but to his credit he is much more reasonable and flexible in the long term growth of the franchise than O’Brien ever dreamed of being.
He’s a horrible coach but at least he’ll work with Danny.
by DAS on May 17, 2007 8:22 AM EDT reply actions
moskqq, I think the assistant coaches are basically all teachers. There was a link to an aritcle on Kevin Eastman yesterday. Even Danny has been seen working with players at practices. (This intimidated O’Brien. Doc welcomes it). I’ve seen pictures of Tommy Heinsohn sitting and showing Rajon something about shooting. Doc is teaching all the time, even after the game is over.
halfman/halfoyster, As the players get better individually, the things you mention are starting to happen. As to figuring out the zone defense, I think it was the last Utah game where Utah had a problem figuring it out. As to getting the ball to Al, he told a story where PP passed him the ball down low and he passed it back. PP let him have. They’re getting away from the end-of-game PP isolation. Often it happens, not because that play was called, but because the other players get it to PP to bail them out. I agree with what you say, but it takes time to teach individual players how to play, then to get them to understand basic team concepts, etc. They also don’t have the roster they want yet. All the things you mention are starting to happen. With time the C’s will get alot better at it.
Extend Doc or not extend him, this is a show me the money season, so if he fails, they just pony up the dough and get a new coach. Except for the money, it not that big a deal.
There may be a lot of vacancies out there and a lot of great coaches to fill ’em, but in three years or four, half those guys will have failed and be fired. Thats the nature of coaching. Its always easier to fire the coach, because only a small handfull make a big difference.
Wildblue: If he coddles his players the way he expects “security” the players will continue to like him but will they dive for the loose ball in the 4th Qtr with the game on the line? We need 4th quarter junk yard dogs and you gotta be hungry and this is not the way to breed it into the players.
We may be watching different games, but to me this is the way the guys are playing in the 4th quarter. Have you seen Rondo steal the ball time after time? We need to play this way for 4 quarters. The signature of this team is that they don’t quit, regardless of the score.
The fact of the matter is that Doc gets an incomplete for last year. He did as well as could be expected given the roster and injury situation. Most of the season he started coaching for next season – teaching his players and learning about them at the expense of wins and the benefit of a higher pick. That was the right thing to do and something that a coach would only do if he was in it for the longer haul. You need to align the goals of your coach (longer term) with his contract. Agreed all around on the X and Os comments – we’re not there yet. More than anything Doc needs to be a teacher to these guys and keep their motivation up.
re TrueGreen; I don’t question whether his staff was motivated to teach. Not all “teachers” are similarly effective. We can all reflect on our past school “teachers” and recognize that some were more gifted than others…and that one or two, perhaps, were really remarkably effective. THOSE are the teachers one seeks to find. In Doc’s case, I don’t think he got the stand-out teachers and I base my opinion on the teaching product. Our players did not play smart, they did not play instinctively, they did not perform like the knew the essence of the game. Those basic features come with UNDERSTANDING the fundamentals of the game.
One very basic illustration could be the need for offensive “spacing” on the floor. Another could be that all player movement should have a purpose BESIDES getting oneself open for a shot (like setting a pick for others).
by moskqq on May 17, 2007 8:46 AM EDT reply actions
Roy hit the nail on the head: Nurse was already/b] under contract for 2007-08. All the wonderful things his supporters point to would have continued, and Nurse [b]already [/b] would have had 2007-08 to prove his supposed worth.
Extending him for the 2008-09 season added nothing. It removed the main incentive for Nurse to [b]finally put up or shut up this coming season. It gave him another $5 million in leverage over our penny-pinching owner. It basically threw good money after bad and rewarded failure.
You Rivers supporters can rationalize all you want, but the losing will continue under Rivers. The idea that there will be some sort of magical turn-around is a complete fantasy.
What is very likely to happen is that the team does a little better, and gets to 30 or 32 wins with a month left in the season. Grousbeck then comes out and reiterates how much the team has “improved” under Doc, whereupon they will proceed to go something like 3-10 the rest of the way and finish with 34 or 35 wins, will once again will be trumpted by the marketeers as a major improvement.
That’s what happened last year in NY with Isiah, and that’s what will happen in Boston.
Brick; While you’re tuned in to Toronto basketball I hope that you occasionally revisit this site, especially when we pass 40 wins. On the other hand, if we get either pick #’s 1 or 2, can you stay away that long?
by moskqq on May 17, 2007 9:04 AM EDT reply actions
I’m not sure if I’m a Doc fan or a bill simmons hater, but I liked the extension.
1. I believe Doc is a decent coach and because the players do get out and bust their butts for Doc.
2. It pissed off bill simmons and brick, and inspired all of the other “chicken little” fans to go into whinebaby mode (which is great entertainment on par with Mark Cuban bursting a blood vessel over the spanking Dallas got at the hands of GS).
Win-win
Win-win
It’s pretty easy to see why Rivers was extended. It’s going to be difficult to convice a top tier coach to come to Boston right now with the team’s youth and inexperience. Doc is here as an interim coach/babysitter until Ainge thinks the team is ready to compete. Once that happens, I expect Ainge to go out and get a coach who is more than just a motivator, one who is a better tactician. Right now, such a coach would probably be waste and would probably get frustrated and quit. Doc is probably the best coach available for the sorry state of the team right now. But he shouldn’t be here forever. That’s why he only got a one year extension.
The “we couldn’t find anyone better” argument doesn’t fly. The fact is, they couldn’t find anyone worse, with the possible exception of Johnny Davis.
They never bothered to look for a better coach. They took the path of least resistance and now they are trying to cram the decision down the throat of the Celtics fan base. It’s like the Japanese in World War II, when they put a high pressure hose down the victim’s mouth and turned on the water. Only with the Celtics’ marketeers it’s not water, its Kool-aid.
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. Your article reflects this, good job taking an objective perspective.
by The Real Alaska on May 17, 2007 9:48 AM EDT reply actions
There are many good coaches out there better than Rivers. Problem is Rivers fits Danny’s system to a “T” sometimes good and sometimes bad.
We all agree that Doc is a good guy, but what has he won as a “Player” and “Coach”. Could it be that he can’t get over that “HUMP” that a Pat Riley and Phil Jackson demand out of there players.
A coach needs to get through to its players what he wants executed on the court. Veteran teams like San Antonio do not need to be coached as much because they have perfected their skill levels and are able to adjust.
Our young players would have the look of “WHAT” on there face when Doc would try explaining them to execute, whether on defense of offense. Paul Pierce and Wally were able to grasp it because they evolved and developed as Veterans do.
My only thought about Doc going into next season is “HOW MUCH DO THE YOUNG PLAYERS RETAIN AND GRASP WHAT HE WANTS THEM TO DO”
I’m willing to give next season, but that’s it. I have been a big supporter of Doc, knowing what coaching is about.
But he can’t lose this team going into next season. If his players tune him out than he’s gone!
I wish Doc the best and I hope it works out.
Supporting Doc Rivers getting an extension is like voting for the one-eyed, one armed, acne scarred, foul tempered, 3rd degree burned, 500 pound mongoloid dwarf in the Miss America Pageant. You know you’re full of it. You know that you’ve screwed up the because there were all sorts of better and deserving entrants. You simply justify it by lying to yourself, and then try to make yourself feel better by berating those who didn’t vote with you.
I think it’s safe to say that:
90% of bloggers on this site DO NOT want Doc back
10% of bloggers are okay with his return (me included)
Everyone has a right to their opinion, obviously.
NO OPINION matters but that of Danny and the C’s management.
They’ve opted to bring Doc back…so let’s 99.99% support it.
.01% (Brick) have fun on your trips to Toronto!
I’ve always wanted to visit there, and I love Indian food.
Maybe that’s a good idea for a trip with the wife.
Alright, I’ll play along and stay positive. At least the players like him and play hard for him so I’ll wait and see.
Now, the bar has gone up a bit though. I was on the mind-set that, if healthy, the 2006-2007 Celtics were a playoff team. Having said that, if Doc wants to impress me, he’ll have to lead this team to a second round playoff series(2007-2008 season)
I hope there are only two reasons Doc got the extension One is that the team was double decimated with injuries and the argument can be made that Doc deserves a shot with a healthy team. The other stems from this “freedom to coach” idea. With a team where 60% of the players have more than three years of experience, for the first time it can be said, that Doc has a veteran squad. “Freedom to coach” means that, finally, he will be given a chance to coach the team to win games; and he won’t be impeded in that by having to develop players.
If those are the reasons, I’m all for it. When he’s on track for another sub .400 season by December, I hope the owners don’t hesitate to make a change.
by ReggieR on May 17, 2007 10:55 AM EDT reply actions
Doc needs an extension? Next thing we’ll hear is Danny is on Viagra.
by The Real Large James on May 17, 2007 11:15 AM EDT reply actions
I still don’t like the phrase that O’Brien quit on the Celtics. Yes, he left in the middle of the season but Danny drew his hand. Celtics won 8 in a row and he goes out and trades for Ricky and Mihm. Not to kick a dead horse, but changes needed to be made back them, but not like a guy running a fantasy team. Danny quote that X O’s are overrated forget the fact that Obie clearly outcoached a bunch of guys in this league for that fact alone…Isiah in the playoff 03? Come on now…Danny seeks advise from MIT wiz’s and brain doctors. How about we get some REAL basketball people involved here. I really feel Danny has done a poor job in this area in trying to create this “team” in his mold…
by bostoncelts0101 on May 17, 2007 11:18 AM EDT reply actions
I think this is the one issue that I agree with both Scintan and Brickowski on whole-heartedly. Doc is a terrible coach, and even if he wasn’t going to be fired (which he should have been), he certainly shouldn’t have been extended.
Sam Mitchell did just fine as a “lame duck” coach; Doc should have been forced to earn his paycheck, as mentioned by Eeyore above.
If Doc, as “lame duck coach” next season, with an injury-free team and a top two draft pick, got the team going and somehow managed to get 45 wins, he’d be Coach of the Year, just like Sam Mitchell, even if it wasn’t entirely his merit, he’d ask for 3 times the money he makes now.
Management believes he can turn the team around. Thus, it only makes sense to extend his contract now. I think it’s a positive message for the locker room: “We trust this team and this coach to start winning, so much that we have extended his contract – prove us right”.
Not extending the contract now would be a sign of mistrust which would reflect on the players.
Speaking of players, it’s common knowledge PP feels he isn’t getting any younger and wants to win now. This is a guy Danny seems to listen to, after all he is the captain of the team. He has gone public on more than one occasion stating he wants veteran help. He never once said he wanted Doc gone, or that he believed the team couldn’t win with Doc, or demanded a trade like other superstars around the league. Is it that Pierce is simply a good professional, not a coach killer like AI? Or maybe he’s the only superstar who actually doesn’ care for a ring… or could it be possible that he knows a little more about basketball and the Celtics in particular than all of us blog rats?!
Just a thought.
With the players they put on the floor, has this team underachieved or overachieved in the past 2 seasons?
Either the GM or the coach has to have some accountability.
The more troubling question to me is what is Danny’s underlying philosophy of the game? What kind of team is he trying to build? I don’t think you can answer that question because his moves are in all directions. Including hiring a coach who has shown himself to be unadaptable and married to a system that will not produce results. But Xs and Os don’t matter. I guess it will all just fall into place, magically.
by tallpaul on May 17, 2007 12:13 PM EDT reply actions
Roy Hobbs said:
“I think this is the one issue that I agree with both Scintan and Brickowski on whole-heartedly. Doc is a terrible coach…”
The fact that the three of us could agree on anything is a minor miracle. I suppose the Rivers extension does have a silver lining: it is unifying the Celtics fanbase in their absolute contempt for the current owners.
You better learn to love Doc Brick. There is at least a decent chance that the Celtics win the lottery, get a decent vet in trade, stay healthy and win 45 games next year in spite of Doc who then will be named “Coach of the Year”. I am not kidding. The fact is Doc is a lousy coach. The fact also is that coaches don’t mean as much in the NBA as they do in the NFL. You can be a lousy coach with a good roster and still win. Also, you can catch a bunch of bad breaks one year and then catch a a bunch of good breaks the next and be “coach of the year” because your team improved so much.
by JohnCK on May 17, 2007 1:24 PM EDT reply actions
I’ll throw this idea out there: after Doc fails again next year by, say, December, after all the good coaches are spoken for, why not make Scalabrine player-coach? He seems to have a mind for the game (just not pro talent), his teammates respect him, and we’d get some value for the $3 million a year we’re paying him. (No, this isn’t an attempt to cause Master Po to have a conniption.)
EJPLAYA said:
“I hear Doc is a big fan of Indian food as well. Maybe you two can "double” Brick?!"
I’m sure that Doc could find a more amiable dinner companion. Maybe he ought to go with Mike Fratello, and they could both order the beef vindaloo, extra hot.
I haven’t been to Toronto in a few years, and there are literally hundreds of Indian restaurants, so I’m open to suggestions if anyone lives there or has visited recently. One place that has been recommended to me is Xacutti on College Street, but there are so many good ones. The Indian food in Boston pales by comparison.
i have been saying pretty much the same thing in the forum area. this team isnt ready for a top of the line coach. im not gonna fool myself after seeing them play in person last season its easy to see there improving but its gonna take some time before a top tier coach will be good for these players.
as much as we want to believe this team is ready there just not. love or hate this move we all better hope for the best otherwise where hoping for another losing season just to watch Doc fail. personaly i wasnt happy to hear the news of doc being rehired but if they dont win this season then Doc has to go no matter whats left on his contract.
by bboncorr26 on May 17, 2007 6:05 PM EDT reply actions
The one issue I think Doc has got a free pass on, which perhaps he does not quite deserve, is the number of injuries the Celtics suffered during the year.
Whilst not overly upset at the extension, I do believe injuries are a fact of NBA life and from my perception are an increasing factor of life as the athletes become ever fitter and stronger.
It is a bit like a Ferrari versus an old Dodge truck. The former is so finely tuned, that the slightest vibration is felt and affects performance. The Dodge never performed that well in the first place so it just keeps on keeping on. NBA players are becoming more and more like Ferrari’s and their bodies are more and more susceptible to injury as they and their opponents continue to become stronger.
Unfortunately, injuries will happen next year. We have to have a deep enough roster to cope and Doc needs to be able to adapt to the injury situation far better than he did during the 18 game losing streak.
The only other issue I have with Doc is his love affair with Delonte. Delonte is a fighter and gives it his all, but sometimes his hussle does not make up for his lack of talent / quickness / right hand.
I would hope this free pass ends as Rondo continues to shine, Tony returns to being the Tony we saw pre the post whistle dunk injury and (hopefully) as Gerald continues to evolve.
Bottom line, our players and Doc need to improve, significantly.
I believe both have the capacity to do so.
Here’s hoping they put in the hard yards.
Cheers
Aussie
“It’s just another year” pretty much sums up the lackadasical approach C organization has with Doc and Danny. No coach is perfect, but golly, when you look at what coaches like Scott Skiles has been able to do and countless other well qualified coaches are available it makes little sense to keep giving this guy the reins for another coaching year.
As far as given Doc credit for developing the youngsters, IMO, the main improvement was with Big Al and I give Clifford Ray a tremendous amount of credit over Doc for that. There has been some improvement with many of the others, but many of those improvements would have happened with even no coach. And 24 wins is still 24 wins, no matter how you slice it. Doc was never going to get this team this year to 40 wins regardless if the team was relatively healthy all year long. In fact it was due to injuries that facilitated Big Al getting more minutes and proving himself. So in effect thank god for the hurting players forcing Doc’s hand.
by bceltfan on May 17, 2007 11:14 PM EDT reply actions
Extending Doc really just says “We don’t know what else to do?!”
I don’t think Rivers is the worst coach, and the Celts lack of vets and healthy bodies last year would have made it difficult for any coach to win, but at the end of the day, isn’t that their job? To try and win no matter what?
And what does that say to the players they’re going to try to resign? I hope someone asked Jefferson what he thought about this…
Jeff Jeff I apreciate your effort at bring balancing to the doc discussion.
Brick I am sure you will enjoy yourself in toronto eating Idian food and watching the celtic put it to the raptors. Have fun. You love the celtics so much you can’t seem to think straight Most of the time. LOL
by Freeease1 on May 18, 2007 12:04 AM EDT reply actions
I know we’ve beaten this to death, but anti-Doc’s, do not despair. Did you notice that Doc signed on for a one year extension vs the 3-4 years that most coaches are extended. What is the deeper meaning of this. Perhaps Master Po could give us something from Young Caine to give meaning to this. As much as the anti-Docs don’t want Doc here, could it be that Doc doesn’t want to be here? What will we do then?
Aussie Celtic:
Unfortunately, injuries will happen next year. We have to have a deep enough roster to cope and Doc needs to be able to adapt to the injury situation far better than he did during the 18 game losing streak.
I like your atitude and fairness to the situation in Boston. But I need to take issue with this statement. I really don’t want to because I’m getting tired of the subject. I don’t know how many players were injured during the losing streak. At the end of the season we almost had to put an injured player in uniform to sit on the bench so we wouldn’t have to forfeit the game. There is no amount of depth or no coach that can handle this, especially if the players left to play are not your best players. It’s a problem even if they are. I forget who coaches Milwaukee, but there seems to be some agreement that they are a good team with their full complement of players. They had the same injury problem and did not have a good year with probably a better roster than ours. I don’t say we should give anyone in the organization a free pass on anything, but I do think we need to understand the reality of the situation. All I know is that this is a better team then the one Danny took over and it was a better team at the end of this past year than it was at the beginning (despite the record).
TrueGreen
I acknowledge what you are saying and agree that the injury situation was diabolical (I also agree that we are a much better team since Danny took over).
Maybe I am too harsh in my assessment of the 18 game losing streak.
It just seemed to me that a few of those games were winnable and Doc could not find a way to get the team over the line. Perhaps this is more on the players than on Doc.
As stated, I am not overly concerned at the extension. That said, I still hope I see better adjustments to injurines than I did this past season.
Then again and most importantly, I desperately hope we don’t see as many injuries next season as we did this season.
Go the Green and go those ping-pong balls.
Cheers
Aussie
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