Auerbach Onboard With Coaching Move

Doc Rivers was at the top of Red Auerbach's list.

Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach had a list of people he thought should be the next coach in the long line of successful coaches in Boston Celtics history, and along with Danny Ainge, Doc Rivers was at the top of that list.

Auerbach spoke to the Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations Wednesday and the two agreed that Rivers was the right man for the job. But Auerbach and Ainge also received approval from other members of the Auerbach family.

Prior to speaking with Ainge, Auerbach had conversations with his daughters, Nancy and Randy, in which both mentioned to Auerbach, ‘Why don’t the Celtics go after Doc Rivers.’ It was shortly after those conversations that the phone rang, and it was Ainge calling to discuss Doc Rivers.

“I was speaking with my daughters and they both asked why we didn’t get Doc to coach the ball club,” said Auerbach from his Washington D.C. home. “Just a few minutes later I got the call from Danny to discuss the very same thing.”

The call went well and Auerbach is definitely on board with the move Danny Ainge made. Auerbach said to Ainge, “we are thinking on the same wavelength.”

Auerbach, who followed Rivers while he was coaching the Orlando Magic, likes the move and thinks Rivers has what it take to motivate and unite a Celtics team that seemed to struggle with chemistry in the closing days of the regular season and in their playoff series with the Indiana Pacers.

“He (Rivers) has control, he’s knowledgeable, he’s a good motivator and he’s always right in the ballgame at all times,” said Auerbach. “When I watched him coach, he was always in control and never out-coached. This is a very good move for the ball club. I’m very pleased with the announcement of Doc Rivers as head coach of the Boston Celtics.”

Auerbach also thinks that Ainge and Rivers will make a good team in the Celtics front office. He always thought that the two players games resembled each other and that they approached the game with the same kind of intensity.

“In remembering both Danny and Doc as players, they both loved the game and had a fiery passion to win,” commented Auerbach. “They were good competitors who approached the game in a similar fashion – to win.”

Atkins Also On Board

Celtics point guard Chucky Atkins is also on board with the move Danny Ainge has made, naming Doc Rivers head coach. Atkins played for River in Orlando, before the Magic traded him to Detroit in the move that brought the Magic Grant Hill. Atkins had some high praise for his former and new head coach.

“I've been with Larry Brown and Rick Carlisle who are great coaches,” said Atkins, “but Doc Rivers is the best coach I've ever played for. I am excited to have him here.”