Report: Vinny Del Negro Seriously Being Considered as Doc Rivers Replacement

Boston Celtics fans haven’t been getting much sleep when it comes to getting answers about the future of their team. The questions begin and likely end with the future of Doc Rivers with the team, and while general manager Danny Ainge said that Rivers will be back, it’s beginning to look like that’s not the certainty Ainge sold it as.

But to thicken the plot, the Boston Herald is reporting that former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro is being given “serious consideration” to become the next head coach of the Celtics should Rivers step away.

"Two league sources with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed yesterday that if Rivers does indeed leave, former Clippers coach Vinnie Del Negro will receive serious consideration as his replacement."

While Celtics fans clearly would prefer to have Rivers back, the fact that Boston already has a guy they want to bring in should he leave suggests they aren’t as confident as they boasted earlier this offseason. Del Negro is an interesting choice as many believe if Rivers leaves he’s going to head west to Los Angeles and the Clippers ex-head coach would be headed to Boston in a mock-trade of head coaches.

Del Negro is an interesting choice though because of his moderate success at best with two franchises. He was literally average in his final two seasons with the Chicago Bulls and his two seasons with the Clippers also didn’t produce any basketball past the first-round of the postseason. Boston would be rebuilding if Rivers left as Kevin Garnett would probably follow him to Los Angeles and Paul Pierce would bolt as well.

Other names are probably being considered, but Boston now apparently has a ‘Plan-B’ in case Rivers leaves which means he might be closer to heading to Los Angeles than we all initially thought.