It remains to be seen whether there is a fit with the Houston Rockets, but one thing appears certain: Doc Rivers does want to continue being an NBA head coach, according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
Rivers and the Los Angeles Clippers mutually agreed to part ways after a disappointing loss in the second round of the 2020 playoffs to Denver. The Clippers led the series, 3-1, before dropping the final three games.
The Rockets have interest in Rivers as a potential replacement for Mike D’Antoni, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
That said, given his lengthy coaching career of 20 years, some had initially wondered whether Rivers would want to keep going. Per Wojnarowski, who spoke to Rivers on Monday night, Rivers absolutely does.
In an ESPN appearance on Tuesday morning, Wojnarowski said:
I communicated with him last night. He still wants to coach. There’s certainly some jobs out there available, that I think he could have a conversation with, if he decides to.
In the video, Woj mentions the Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans vacancies — but not the one in Houston — as among the leading options. However, that part of the conversation appeared to be based on his own speculation, rather than what he had been told by Rivers.
Over parts of 21 seasons as a head coach, Rivers has a 943-681 coaching record (.581) in the regular season, and 91-89 (.506) in the playoffs. Now 58 years old, he ranks 11th in all-time wins in the regular season, and seventh in playoff victories. He guided the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010, headlined by the 2008 championship.
Austin Rivers, who is the 28-year-old son of Doc, has played in Houston for the past two seasons. As a result, there is familiarity between the Rivers family, the city, and organization. The younger Rivers has a player option in his contract to potentially return for the 2020-21 season.
Doc Rivers hits coaching market, and Rockets are interested https://t.co/nPwZIwfeo8)
— Reid Laymance (@ReidLaymance) September 29, 2020
Salary could also be something to watch. With an average annual salary of more than $10 million, Rivers was one of the league’s highest-paid coaches with the Clippers. Given the amount of open jobs on the market, he probably has the leverage to command a similar figure.
Is Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta willing to spend to that extent? For perspective, media reports in 2019 indicated that Houston’s extension offer to D’Antoni included a base salary of only $2.5 million.
For now, it seems clear that the Rockets have at least some interest in Rivers, who does want to continue coaching. The next step is seeing whether the interest is reciprocated, and if Rivers wants an interview.
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