Rivers believes Celtics will be great again if they stick with current roster.
Doc Rivers has spoken to ESPN SportsCenter about leaving the Boston Celtics behind and taking up his new role in Los Angeles with the Clippers.
Having spent nine years in Boston, Rivers believes that there is still plenty left in the likes of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, while the return of Rajan Rondo from injury will give them the boost they need to become a force in the Eastern Conference next season.
However, his arrival in Los Angeles undoubtedly allows the Clippers to take a big step toward becoming serious contenders in the West next year, and he is excited about the change of scenery.
One of his early priorities will be to persuade Chris Paul to opt against testing the free agency market and re-signing with the Clippers.
Although, he is also thrilled by the prospect of taking charge of a franchise he believes has a very promising future, and coupled with his experience they can achieve great things in the forthcoming years.
The Clippers will send the Celtics an unprotected first-round draft pick in 2015 as compensation for letting Rivers leave despite having three years left on his deal.
“The reason that I wanted this when it was made available [was] because of what they have and not what they don’t have,” Rivers said.
“So I clearly think this is an extremely talented basketball team. There were times last year when they were the best team [in the league]. But what we have to figure out is, with the group we have, can we now do that in the postseason as opposed to just the regular season. So, I like the talent we have here, and obviously we’re going to keep looking to improve.”
Rivers complied 416 wins in nine seasons with the Celtics and guided them to the NBA Finals twice, winning the championship in 2008 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
He will now take his title winning pedigree to the west coast, where he will hope to be equally as successful.
COMMENTS