Doc Rivers finally became the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers this week after a marathon trade session with the Boston Celtics, taking over a team on the cusp of Western Conference supremacy.
The Clippers and Celtics worked for more than a week on a swap to send Rivers to L.A. , one that seemed dead at several points. The league does not allow coaches to be traded, so the teams had to arrange a swap that sent a first-round draft pick to Boston in exchange for the Celtics releasing Rivers.
The trade only went through after the teams broke off talks on a separate trade sending Kevin Garnett to the Clippers for center DeAndre Jordan, which the league viewed as a thinly veiled attempt to bypass collective bargaining agreements barring coaches being traded.
Now that Doc Rivers is finally taking over in Los Angeles, he finds a team close to challenging the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder for the Western Conference.
The Clippers have a bright future. After winning their first-ever Pacific Division crown last year, they enter as favorites again as the Lakers appear hobbled, with Kobe Bryant’s status unclear.
But to get over the hump, the Clippers are in need of a few changes. Despite the record-breaking season, one that saw the team rattle off a 17-game winning streak, the Clippers faltered in the first round, losing to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Clippers have locked down the most important part of their future. Chris Paul, who once seemed a lock to re-sign a long-term deal with the Clippers but reportedly grew angry for taking the blame for Vinny Del Negro’s firing, now appears again likely to sign an extension .
Sources say it was Chris Paul who pressured Clippers management when it appeared the Doc Rivers trade was dead.
With Chris Paul in place, the Clippers have several pieces likely for trade. Paul’s backup, Eric Bledsoe, has gotten a lot of interest on the trade market, as has Jordan. The Clippers have reportedly been shopping Blake Griffin as well.
Doc Rivers seems well-suited for the task. In Boston he was adept at bringing together a team filled with high-profile stars — the blueprint the Miami Heat would follow with their own Big Three — and led the Celtics to a title.
The Clippers hope Doc Rivers can now do the same thing on the opposite coast.