Does he really expect us to believe that he left the Celtics not to avoid rebuilding but to build something here when he's done the exact opposite? Neil Olshey handed him a stacked roster and assets for him to only squander, which has now left us in a stagnant situation deteriorating into something worse. Now he's using Danny Ainge to justify his conduct by saying he takes after Ainge in being aggressive and doing what's right even if it is unpopular. Doc was given the benefit of the doubt even by me from the outset despite my skepticism and his moves were unpopular because they've all been practically wrong.
He then praises Ainge for quickly cutting his losses using releasing failed first-round picks in a not-so-subtle fashion to excuse his own horrendous draft failures and yet that somehow doesn't apply to keeping Paul Pierce's corpse on the roster or giving it playing time over even giving young players a chance to contribute or develop. And when exactly has Doc admitted to specific mistakes? He could start by owning up to the fact that he's a moronic ninconmpoop who's sorely unqualified to be a personnel executive and step down as president of basketball operations, but we all know he won't. Owner Steve Ballmer will have to pry that job title from his cold, dead hands, which is why the Jerry & Ryan West talk is encouraging for a group desperately in need of it. If he really wanted to do what was right for the organization, Doc would have done this long before yesterday.
Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald (6/4/17)
Doc Rivers told us recently the real reason he left the Celtics is because he wanted to have the chance to build his own team. He said it wasn’t because he didn’t want to rebuild with the Celts, who’ve been on an accelerated reconstruction pace since 2013.
And while some may raise an eyebrow at that explanation, what we found interesting, too, is Rivers’ hope that he’s taken some of the Celtics west to the Clippers with him.
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“You look at the Celtics, they’ve drafted well,” said Rivers, who carries the title of president of basketball operations in addition to coaching the Clippers. “But one thing I’ve always loved about Danny over all, and I think it’s the thing that I miss the most, is that he’s never been afraid to cut his losses, too. That’s really important. You can look at all the great draft picks, but I look at some of the bad ones where he didn’t hesitate. I’m talking about first-round picks that he released. Most teams wouldn’t do that. Most teams would hold on to them anyway.”
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“That’s exactly right,” Rivers said. “Danny does what he thinks is right, and that’s it. If he and I have anything alike, it’s that. I could have stayed there and been safe. I could have stayed, but I’m thinking, ‘I want to do something more. I want to do it again. I want to do something special.’
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“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “You know, I’ve made some good moves here and I’ve made some bonehead ones here. I’ve been aggressive. Unfortunately we’ve never had any cap space since I’ve been here, so you’ve been kind of handcuffed in what you do. But I have no problem pulling the trigger and no problem admitting it if a move was good or bad. You just do it, and you do it for what’s right for the team.
Bulpett: Doc Rivers Wanted to Be His Own Bulider, But Happily Uses Some of Danny Ainge’s Tools
