Celtics general manager Danny Ainge sounds as if he is sick and tired of being asked about the future of Boston’s head coach Doc Rivers.
Ainge is in Chicago at the NBA pre-draft combine, sans Rivers, and he told the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett that people are “reading into” Rivers’ end-of-season comments way too much.
“I don’t even know why I get asked this question,” he said. “Doc is coaching next year. As far as everything I know, he’s going to be our coach.
“I haven’t heard anything other than Doc’s coaching next year.”
Rivers, who was forced to miss the combine because of a tennis injury, seemed uncommitted over his return to the bench next season after the Celtics were eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Knicks.
“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know that right now. I can’t make that decision now. I’m under contract, and we’ll see. I mean, honestly, I just can’t even think about that right now, so I don’t know.”
Ainge said he has recently held discussions with Rivers over the team’s future plans.
“We’re talking about the future,” said Ainge. “We’re talking about next year and the year after. We’re having conversations about what we’re doing next year, what we’re doing in the draft, what we’re doing for our staff. We’re talking about this stuff all the time.”
