Doc Rivers on Danny Ainge Leaving Boston “He Believed In Me”
Earlier today, it was reported that Danny Ainge announced that he would be resigning as President of Basketball Operations. The Boston Celtics named former head coach Brad Stevens as his successor.
“It was my decision,” Ainge said at a news conference Wednesday. “I don’t know if there was a moment in time, but like I said earlier, I trust my instincts, and my instincts told me a couple months ago that it was time for me to move on, and that’s what’s best for us, that’s what’s best for the Celtics.”
Ainge on Stevenson taking over for him, he is “excited for Brad.”
“I’m passionate about this group of people, I’m passionate about the team we have, I’m passionate about the people that work in our front office, I’m passionate about our coaching staff, and that’s who I’ve spent all morning with,” Stevens said. “I do think I have a good insight into our team as Danny now steps away.”
“I’m excited for Brad,” Ainge said. “He was born for this.”
Doc Rivers and Ainge won a championship together in 2008 against the Los Angeles Lakers. On Thursday evening before the 76ers took on the Wizards in game five, Doc Rivers was asked about Ainge.
“It means the world,”Rivers said. “I did a pretty good job in Orlando, good enough to get fired at the end of it. … Literally, within a week of me getting fired, Danny Ainge is the guy that called. … At the end of the day, he just said, ‘you’re the guy.’ He believed in me.
I recently spoke with former Boston Celtics big man Ryan Hollins and asked him how safe was Ainge’s job.
“I think Danny Ainge is safe because you have to remember. He is the one that elected not to take Markelle Fultz, but decide to take Tatum and got another pick. That is still a team that Danny Ainge loaded up and just hasn’t pulled the trigger. He could have been in the Anthony Davis trade or a James Harden trade,” said Hollins.
“They still have the assets to make one of those moves, I think the question for him and Brad Stevens, who is that guy to put them over the edge. If he had pulled the trigger on one of those trades like Harden or Chris Paul, it did not work. Now, we can talk about Ainge being on the ropes.”
Before the Nets and Celtics series started, ESPN’s Rachel Nichols was asked how the Celtics could be fixed.
“I don’t know if some of the issues that they had this season are going to be fixed before this weekend’s game against Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. I’m not sure you are going to get there, but I hear you. Part of it and this is what I love about Boston Fans, the amount of passion that Boston fans wanting to be in the top-elite group every year. And Frankly, it has been an incredible ten to 15 years in Boston sports,” says Nichols.
On Thursday, Ryan was on Instagram Live with Brendan Haywood and mentioned that Stevenson could have been moved because of Tatum.
“Maybe if you are not getting along with Tatum, then maybe we should get you out of Tatum’s face,” said Hollins.
They also discussed Ainge not going after James Harden, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard.
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