Boston Celtics

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix has the Celtics selecting Lousiville’s Gorgui Dieng in his initial mock draft: With or without the core of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce — two players who may not be in Boston when training camp opens — the Celtics need size. Dieng, 23, has a defensive reputation (he was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year last season after swatting 2.5 shots and pulling down 9.4 rebounds per game), but his offensive game is better than most think. Dieng is a strong passer with a decent mid-range jump shot. Scouts also say he is one of the best screen men in the draft. With all due respect to Shavlik Randolph, DJ White, Chris Wilcox and Fab Melo, I endorse the selection of Dieng. He’s long, athletic and possesses a motor on the boards. It doesn’t matter that Dieng is one of the best screen men in the draft, once a big man puts on the Celtics uniform he becomes a target for cheap illegal screen calls. Media mock drafts have the Celtics selecting Dennis Schroeder (PG), Kelly Olynyk (C) and Michael Carter-Williams (PG).

Herald Sullinger encouraged by taking his rehab slowlySullinger encouraged by taking his rehab slowlyNotebook: Rookie Jared Sullinger lets Doc Rivers and Co. ‘breathe’Jared Sullinger’s a class act Globe NBA Quick Hits: 5 questionable coaching decisions Danny Ainge denies Brooklyn Nets permission to talk to Doc Rivers Celtics Green All NBA Teams Announced - No CelticsChris Wilcox is One of the Good GuysJared Sullinger Rehab Update Orlando Summer League Update: Teams, Schedule, DetailsCeltics to Begin Player Workouts for DraftMercer Island Patch NBA's Jason Terry Puts $2.5M Mercer Island Mansion on Market CelticsBlog Jared Sullinger on the comeback trail Wyc Grousbeck: "I don't know what will happen"Celtics deny Brooklyn Nets permission to speak to Doc RiversESPN Sullinger ready to work his way back Grousbeck: 'I don't know what will happen' Doc's not going anywhere -- right?Report Card: The braintrust Doc Rivers shows no signs of leaving Boston Celtics Lex Nihil Novi 32-9 Celtics Ready to Start Second Half of SeasonCLNS Radio Report Card: Brandon BassExclusive: Mickael Pietrus Wants To Return To BostonCeltics Life A Pair of 9s: The Parallel Paths of Rajon Rondo and Tony ParkerRed's Army Paul George’s outfit far worse than defense on final playWhat do we do with… Fab Melo? Sullinger ramping up rehab workouts Your Morning Dump… Where Wyc doesn’t know what will happenCSNNE Report: Lue a candidate for job with RaptorsLet's play a game of Celtics 'Would You Rather?'Grousbeck: 'Multi-year plan' for championshipWyc: Indications are Doc's returningCeltics Hub Brooklyn Nets Denied Permission To Speak With Doc Rivers About Coaching PositionWhy Is Doc Rivers Waiting to Confirm His Return to the Celtics Next Season? A Theory on The Wait Celtics Town Doc Rivers turned down an offer to be Orlando Magic team presidentGreen Street Jared Sullinger: ‘I’ll be 100 percent’ by SeptemberReport: Nets denied permission to speak to Doc RiversMass Live Jared Sullinger injury update: Boston Celtics forward feels like he played on one leg last season2013 All-NBA teams announced: Paul Pierce comes closest, but no Boston Celtics selected Yahoo Jared Sullinger Expects to Be Healthy for Boston Celtics by September Boston Celtics Must Waive Jason Terry This OffseasonOklahoma City Thunder Avoid Amnestying Kendrick Perkins Terrence Williams and the Boston Celtics Need to Part WaysSI.com Phil Jackson would take Bill Russell, not Michael Jordan, as first player to start team Bleacher Report Biggest Questions and Answers for the Boston Celtics This OffseasonPaul Pierce: Top 5 Reasons the Boston Celtics Should Hang on to the TruthBoston Celtics' Step-by-Step Guide to the OffseasonKing James Gospel On This Date in NBA Playoffs: May 23, The Beat L.A. Chant was BornWicked Local PHOTO GALLERY / 'Lucky' the Celtics Mascot visits Cushing - Scituate

Herald Sullinger encouraged by taking his rehab slowlySullinger encouraged by taking his rehab slowlyNotebook: Rookie Jared Sullinger lets Doc Rivers and Co. ‘breathe’Jared Sullinger’s a class act Globe NBA Quick Hits: 5 questionable coaching decisions Danny Ainge denies Brooklyn Nets permission to talk to Doc Rivers Celtics Green All NBA Teams Announced - No CelticsChris Wilcox is One of the Good GuysJared Sullinger Rehab Update Orlando Summer League Update: Teams, Schedule, DetailsCeltics to Begin Player Workouts for Draft Mercer Island Patch NBA's Jason Terry Puts $2.5M Mercer Island Mansion on Market CelticsBlog Jared Sullinger on the comeback trail Wyc Grousbeck: "I don't know what will happen"Celtics deny Brooklyn Nets permission to speak to Doc RiversESPN Sullinger ready to work his way back Grousbeck: 'I don't know what will happen' Doc's not going anywhere -- right?Report Card: The braintrust Doc Rivers shows no signs of leaving Boston Celtics Lex Nihil Novi 32-9 Celtics Ready to Start Second Half of SeasonCLNS Radio Report Card: Brandon BassExclusive: Mickael Pietrus Wants To Return To BostonCeltics Life A Pair of 9s: The Parallel Paths of Rajon Rondo and Tony ParkerRed's Army Paul George’s outfit far worse than defense on final playWhat do we do with… Fab Melo? Sullinger ramping up rehab workouts Your Morning Dump… Where Wyc doesn’t know what will happenCSNNE Report: Lue a candidate for job with RaptorsLet's play a game of Celtics 'Would You Rather?'Grousbeck: 'Multi-year plan' for championshipWyc: Indications are Doc's returningCeltics Hub Brooklyn Nets Denied Permission To Speak With Doc Rivers About Coaching PositionWhy Is Doc Rivers Waiting to Confirm His Return to the Celtics Next Season? A Theory on The Wait Celtics Town Doc Rivers turned down an offer to be Orlando Magic team presidentGreen Street Jared Sullinger: ‘I’ll be 100 percent’ by SeptemberReport: Nets denied permission to speak to Doc RiversMass Live Jared Sullinger injury update: Boston Celtics forward feels like he played on one leg last season2013 All-NBA teams announced: Paul Pierce comes closest, but no Boston Celtics selected Yahoo Jared Sullinger Expects to Be Healthy for Boston Celtics by September Boston Celtics Must Waive Jason Terry This OffseasonOklahoma City Thunder Avoid Amnestying Kendrick Perkins Terrence Williams and the Boston Celtics Need to Part WaysSI.com Phil Jackson would take Bill Russell, not Michael Jordan, as first player to start team Bleacher Report Biggest Questions and Answers for the Boston Celtics This OffseasonPaul Pierce: Top 5 Reasons the Boston Celtics Should Hang on to the TruthBoston Celtics' Step-by-Step Guide to the OffseasonKing James Gospel On This Date in NBA Playoffs: May 23, The Beat L.A. Chant was BornWicked Local PHOTO GALLERY / 'Lucky' the Celtics Mascot visits Cushing - Scituate [Discuss on CG Forums!]

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump. “We don’t feel like we have a championship team [at the moment]; It’s pretty obvious, we lost in the first round,” said Grousbeck. “We have to see who is with us, we have to see what offers there are for people, we’ve got to decide what to do. It might be a multi-year plan. We’ve never intentionally lost games and we don’t intend to trash things now. We’ve got players — [Rajon] Rondo, [Avery] Bradley, [Jeff] Green, [Jared] Sullinger, Brandon Bass, the younger guys are not going to let us win the lottery anyway. That’s a good roster. We hope that Paul [Pierce] and [Kevin Garnett] are back with them and we hope we can reload along the way. “I don’t know what will happen, I’ll know more about the plan in early July. At the moment, we just have to see what the options are.” ESPN Boston I love Wyc Grousbeck.  He’s a hands-off owner but he’s not uninvolved.  He hires people for jobs, sets the parameters, and lets them do what they were hired to do.  Behind every successful team, generally, is a good ownership group.  And the Celtics have been pretty successful over the past five years. But there’s also a little bit of wordsmanship here from Wyc. No, he doesn’t know what’s going to happen.  But he knows what he’s willing to do and not do.  He knows how much he’s willing to spend and he knows what’s more likely to happen. It’s like when Chuck takes a date out with a strict $25 cap on the night.  He doesn’t know what’s going to happen… but after hitting the Wendy’s dollar menu and the second-run theater…. we can pretty much guess what’ll happen (or what won’t, more accurately). So Wyc’s spending parameters will set the tone for the summer.  Do the Celtics want to be a taxpayer for next season’s team?  Or do they want to save a few bucks now, and possibly a lot more in the long run when they avoid a repeater tax, by operating under a self-imposed hard cap of whatever the tax line is? One minor complication, and it’s very minor, is the actual setting of the tax line.  That’s done in July.  A decision on Paul Pierce has to come by June 30.  The tax line last year was $70,307,000.  Chances are good that increased revenues over the past season will bump that line up, giving the Celtics a little bit more wiggle room.  However, considering the Celtics are currently committed to $76 million, the new line won’t make THAT big of a difference in the decision-making. But it could influence some decisions.  Some things that weren’t palatable before might become so after the line is set.  We will have to wait and see how that all plays out.  So Wyc isn’t lying when he says he doesn’t know because other people, as in the players the Celtics pursue and teams with which they pursue trades, will have to say yes or no.  But I’ll bet if he ventured a guess, he could get pretty close. One thing that we know isn’t happening is Doc Rivers coaching the Brooklyn Nets.  They asked for permission to talk to him, and the Celtics said no. Reached late Thursday, Ainge refused to comment on the Nets’ interest in Rivers and reiterated that he expects him back on the Celtics’ bench next season. “Doc has told me he’s coming back,” Ainge said bluntly. “I talk to him almost every day about our team and what we are going to do moving forward.” I’d like to say that will end speculation about Doc’s future, but it won’t.  I know Doc hasn’t come out and said it himself, but the guy is taking a little break from the media and trying to be a normal multi-millionaire enjoying the spoils of being rich person.  He was in Boston yesterday… so we’l

The waiting is the hardest part. At least that’s what the Celtics’ brass must feel like about their coveted head coach. A week after Danny Ainge confirmed to The Boston Globe that Doc Rivers would be returning to the Celtics’ bench next season, we’re still waiting for a direct word from the head coach himself. Wyc Grousbeck chimed in yesterday on the situation on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, reiterating Danny’s comments, while also treading somewhat carefully. “Our indications are that Doc is coming back. Typically — and it’s similar to Kevin Garnett, as an example — everyone is tired, burned out and frustrated (after the season ends); losing to the Knicks is something I never wanted to experience in my life,” said Grousbeck. “Everybody gets time to unwind and decompress. I expect Doc will help Danny with the draft workouts, to be in the war room June 27, and over the free agency period after that.” And on Danny’s comments about Doc, Wyc had this to say. “I think Danny really spoke for him. They had been in communication and I think Danny went ahead and said it. I respect Doc too much to speak for him at this point; I hope he’s back. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t, but he can change his mind on Labor Day. I hope he doesn’t do that.” So this all sounds fine and dandy, except for the same somewhat troubling issue that Rivers still won’t come out and say he’s back publicly. Throw in the revelation that other teams are pursuing Rivers’ (hello, Brooklyn Nets) and the Celtics are denying those teams permission to talk to Doc and things get a bit more interesting…or worrisome if you are a Celtics fan. So this all begs an important question: Why is Doc making the Celtics wait on a public confirmation of his return next season? And is there anything to be concerned about here? I present to you, a theory on Doc’s motives. Imagine you are Rivers right now. You’re one of the highest paid coaches in the league. According to Jackie MacMullan’s sources, other teams are after you, not only to run their team on the floor, but off the floor as well (hello, Orlando Magic). You are also signed to a long-term coaching deal, in essence limiting your flexibility in looking at other options. According to the terms of the deal, Doc can’t coach elsewhere during the duration of the deal, without Celtics’ approval….and likely compensation from another team. While picturing this though, it’s important to keep in mind how Rivers might view this Celtics’ team at a crossroads right now. Doc heads into this offseason with a bit of uncertainty surrounding his roster for next season, in the sense that he doesn’t know what it will look like come October 2013. The veteran Hall-of-Famer he has been through everything with in Boston is on the trading block. Kevin Garnett could be following him out of town as well, or walking away to retirement, if The Truth is no longer by his side. If Danny Ainge has his way, he’d trade both of those guys right now, for a package of first round picks and/or young players on cheap contracts with promise, in hopes of reloading the Celtics’ for the future. While these moves may be attractive to the long-term future of the Celtics, just how attractive are they to Doc Rivers? Without KG and Pierce, Doc would be forced to coach a roster featuring Rajon Rondo coming off an ACL tear, Jeff Green, and a variety of youngsters and overpaid veterans in supporting roles. We all know Rondo is no picnic to coach and Doc was yelling at Green probably more than anyone on the roster not named Fab Melo. With these guys at the helm, the Celtics would still be a playoff team, but probably one guaranteed for an early round exit. So tell me, just how excited would Rivers be to coach a crew like this, assuming KG and Pierce are out of the picture? Doc isn’t really crazy about coaching young guys to begin with, unless your name is Jared Sullinger. A couple years ago, after signing his contract extension, Doc sounded ready to take the rebuilding plun

Doc turned down the team presidency of the Orlando Magic. So he probably wants to go coach Joe Johnson, Marshon Brooks and Kris Humphries, right Brooklyn?Jackie MacMullan, still killing the game on ESPN Boston, uncovered a couple of fascinating nuggets in this must-read story on Thursday. According MacMullan, Doc Rivers was actively pursued by the Brooklyn Nets despite being under contract with the Celtics. Not only that, but last offseason he turned down an offer to be team president by his hometown Orlando Magic.From ESPN Boston:In fact, team and league sources confirmed to ESPNBoston.com that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was contacted by the Brooklyn Nets, who wanted to speak to Rivers about their vacant coaching position. Ainge, according to those sources, denied the Nets permission to talk with his coach, who has three years and $21 million remaining on his contract.[...]Last season, the Orlando Magic offered Rivers the job of team president, which would have entailed everything from schmoozing with corporate sponsors to running the front office. Though he had previously insisted he had “little to no interest” in running a franchise, the financial windfall and unilateral power that would come with such a position (not to mention the proximity to his home base) gave him some brief pause. Ultimately, Rivers rebuffed the Magic and determined he wasn’t done coaching.It’s interesting that the Nets covet Rivers enough to request an interview despite his current contract status, but it’s potentially more telling/interesting that Rivers turned down the position with the Magic. Team presidents make a LOT of money (like, CEO of large companies money) and the Magic were clearly aware of the draw they would have, playing in Rivers’ hometown. Yet Doc turned them down.Don’t get me wrong: Rivers makes a LOT of money. $7 million a year is more than all but a few of the highest paid professional coaches make, and it’s certainly an attractive position for him. And as we all know very well by this point, the connection Doc has forged with the Celtics is very real, as evidenced KG’s refusal to waive his no-trade clause and Doc’s emotional post-game press conference this year after the Celtics lost to the Knicks and last year after they fell to the Heat.Still, it speaks to Rivers’ loyalty that he is willing to turn down a hometown job offering him more money than most of us (all of us, even?) can even imagine. I have no sources in my ear telling me anything about whether or not Doc will continue coaching the Celtics. But given this story and the tendencies toward loyalty Rivers has shown in the past, I’ll be very surprised if he isn’t on the bench in Boston next year, regardless of what the roster looks like. Follow Tom on Twitter: @Tom_NBA.

Doc Rivers The Nets asked to speak with Doc Rivers about their coaching vacancy but were denied by Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, according to an ESPN report by Jackie MacMullan. Ainge has said that he expects Rivers to return to Boston next season. Rivers has three years and $21 million remaining on his contract as part of an extension he signed two years ago this week. “Doc has told me he’s coming back,” Ainge told ESPN Thursday. “I talk to him almost every day about our team and what we are going to do moving forward.” Ainge would not comment directly about the Nets’ interest, but he acknowledged Rivers is highly regarded around the league. “We know people want Doc,” Ainge told ESPN. “We know people want [Rajon Rondo] and [Kevin Garnett] and Paul Pierce. They are the Celtics. They’ve all had great success.”

Doc Rivers keeps saying "I'm coming back until I say I'm not coming back" which is somewhat of a non-committal type of commitment, but personally I'm happy to take him at his face-value word on that. Even moreso with this latest bit of information. Apparently the Nets wanted permission to discuss their open coaching position with Doc and were given the old Heisman by Danny Ainge. Sources -- Brooklyn Nets contacted Boston Celtics about Doc Rivers - ESPN Boston Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was contacted by the Brooklyn Nets, who wanted to speak to Doc Rivers about their vacant coaching position, team and league sources confirmed to ESPNBoston.com. Ainge, according to those sources, denied the Nets permission to talk with his coach, who has three years and $21 million remaining on his contract. Now, were they denied because he's under contract and the Celtics have the right to deny them access? Or did they talk to Doc and get a sense for how much he wanted to discuss things with the Nets first? Not that it matters in the end, just blogger curiosity. (Sarcasm alert): I guess Danny must have said something like "The Clippers are offering Blake Griffin for Doc, what have you got? And don't try selling me on Humphries and MarShon Brooks again." What is perhaps even more interesting in Jackie MacMullen's article is the anecdote that last year (presumably before he signed the contract extension with the Celtics). Doc Rivers shows no signs of leaving Boston Celtics That will not stop the offers from coming. Last season, the Orlando Magic offered Rivers the job of team president, which would have entailed everything from schmoozing with corporate sponsors to running the front office. Though he had previously insisted he had "little to no interest" in running a franchise, the financial windfall and unilateral power that would come with such a position (not to mention the proximity to his home base) gave him some brief pause. Ultimately, Rivers rebuffed the Magic and determined he wasn't done coaching. So basically Doc turned down a big promotion, much higher pay, and a chance to work near his home, all to stay with the Boston Celtics. Dear rest-of-the-NBA (In honor of the Office finale),... Boom, roasted.

If Wyc and Doc and Danny know what they are going to do, they aren't telling you and me. Nor should they. I do think that there's a consistent sense of bracing the fanbase for potential big changes, but that's just reading between the lines and conjecture at this point. To be fair, there could be things that they want to do but can't because other teams or perhaps some players aren't willing. And as Wyc says below, timing is everything. So we'll see. Grousbeck: 'I don't know what will happen' - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston Grousbeck gave a bit of a behind-the-scenes glimpse, noting that management and the front-office staff huddled this week to gauge the direction of the team. He stressed that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will examine the trade and free-agent markets and that the team likely won't make any firm decisions until late June when it knows all the potential options. "By the end of June, we’ll have different options to go in with this team," said Grousbeck. "Keeping it all together just as it was is one option, but we lost in the first round, so there is an obvious possibility that we ought to start making some changes. And we’re going to have to make those decisions. They won’t be made in May." Ok, commence thumb twiddling. Or perhaps hand wringing if you are so inclined.

That speculation about Doc Rivers leaving town? Well, it just got a little bit more interesting. According to a report from our friend Jackie MacMullan at ESPNBoston.com Rivers is being chased on the open market, despite being still under contract with the Boston Celtics. The suitor? A team probably willing to pay through the nose for him…..the Brooklyn Nets. In fact, team and league sources confirmed to ESPNBoston.com that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge was contacted by the Brooklyn Nets, who wanted to speak to Rivers about their vacant coaching position. Ainge, according to those sources, denied the Nets permission to talk with his coach, who has three years and $21 million remaining on his contract. Reached late Thursday, Ainge refused to comment on the Nets’ interest in Rivers and reiterated that he expects him back on the Celtics’ bench next season. “Doc has told me he’s coming back,” Ainge said bluntly. “I talk to him almost every day about our team and what we are going to do moving forward.” In a news packed story by MacMullan, there is also another revelation about a job opportunity Doc had last summer. Last season, the Orlando Magic offered Rivers the job of team president, which would have entailed everything from schmoozing with corporate sponsors to running the front office. Though he had previously insisted he had “little to no interest” in running a franchise, the financial windfall and unilateral power that would come with such a position (not to mention the proximity to his home base) gave him some brief pause. Ultimately, Rivers rebuffed the Magic and determined he wasn’t done coaching. As MacMullan explains in the full piece (a must-read) Doc is back in town and appears to be back in action for next season. Until we hear the official confirmation from him though, we are left to wonder if there is more to the situation. More on the story as it develops…. Tweet