Even before the Finals ended, talk began to circulate about Doc Rivers' possible departure from the Celtics after the conclusion of the 2010 season, citing the coach's desire to spend more time with his family. Since the Game 7 loss, those whispers have only grown louder.
While Rivers still has one year left on his contract, the draw of relaxing and spending his days with his his wife and four kids in Orlando may be too appealing. Obviously if he opts to retire, it would be a huge loss for the Celtics.
Rivers is also a master tactician who is the rare combination of communicator, strategist and respected figure that is in short supply in the NBA. If he does return he won't have Tom Thibodeau by his side and it will be interesting to see if the defense suffers for it.
But Rivers is the right coach for this team, especially if they stand pat and his decision may be the most important one of the offseason.
Rivers has said he would take a "week or so" to decide his future, but already the Celtics' players are letting their opinions known, including Kevin Garnett, who wants coach back.
"Doc lets us deal with each other how we deal with each other. He doesn't try to control us. He lets you be who you are, but at the end of the day, he's in control of everybody. If you have an ego or if you think you're better than what you are, or you're not doing well, he does a great job of micromanaging this team," Garnett said. "I don't think you can bring any coach in here and coach this team. Especially when we get riled up and we're a certain kind of way, he does a good job of just consolidating us. I feel like at times when we're too up, he'll give us a second to come down, and when we're too down, he'll definitely jump on your stuff and tell you when to pick it up. I love him."
Follow this StoryStream for updates and reaction to Rivers' decision during what promises to be a tumultuous offseason for the Celtics.
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