For all Doc Rivers’ vision as a veteran point guard, legendary coach Pat Riley saw something in Rivers that Rivers could not see himself.
And Rivers, now in his 20th year as an NBA head coach, is grateful for it.
“Never thought about coaching. Really never wanted to coach,” said Rivers, the sixth-year Los Angeles Clippers skipper who is in town for preseason training camp. “Pat Riley … when I (played for) the Knicks, he would tell me every day, ‘you’re going to be a coach. Don’t go into broadcasting.’ He told me it was a waste. If I didn’t coach, he would send me letters. So my first three years (after playing), I did TBS, TNT. And every time we did a Heat game, he chided me, ‘get back in the fray.’ And then when I finally took a job, he was right. He knew all the time. He knew better than me, that’s for sure.”
Rivers and the Clippers play the Sydney Kings of Australia’s NBL in the Clippers Hawaii Classic at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center, the first of five preseason games for a team forming a new identity in the wake of some prominent player departures the last two years. He’s been tinkering with lineups amid a 20-man preseason roster.
Rivers, the coach of the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics, was in a reflective mood speaking to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser after Wednesday’s morning practice session in the Sheriff.
He considers himself fortunate for having an alpha dog to throw the ball to for most of his playing career — Dominique Wilkins in Atlanta, Patrick Ewing with New York, David Robinson in San Antonio. He noted the upcoming season is unique for L.A. — there is no clear-cut go-to player — but added every season has its challenges.
He called himself “lucky” for avoiding bad seasons for most of his career. Only two of his teams he coached a full season had a win-loss record under .500, and he is 846-624 to date.
Notables he’s coached include Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The last two were here for camp last year, but are now in Detroit and Dallas, respectively.
“I’ve had great players. I’ve had some success,” Rivers said. “But what I like most about it is all the relationships from all the players that you’ve coached. You know, I have (former) players now that have kids that are thinking about coming into the league. For me, that’s pretty cool and special.”
His approachable nature and emphasis on building personal ties have endeared him to many.
The Clippers’ defensive-minded point guard Patrick Beverley has appreciated Rivers’ mentorship since Beverley came over from Houston in 2017’s blockbuster trade for Paul. It surely helped that his coach had a similar hard-nosed reputation in his playing days. For his career, Rivers averaged 10.9 points, 5.7 assists and 1.8 steals.
“Oh, man. Doc’s like a father figure,” Beverley said. “He talk to me any kind of way, but it’s good. He’s real tough on me, and especially at that point guard position, that’s what I need. You know, he’s coached some of the best point guards to play this game, the last 10, 15 years for sure.
So I try to be like a sponge, I try to soak up as much knowledge as I can from him. But his voice, his energy, his passion, his (attention) to detail is all off the charts. Everyone feeds off that, for sure.”
Rivers, a native of Chicago, is no stranger to the islands, playing here with Marquette in the 1980 Rainbow Classic. In the mid-’90s, he came back with Spurs teammates. He did not return until the league lockout in 2011, when his son, Austin, was playing for Duke in the Maui Invitational.
Austin Rivers, whom Doc coached the previous four years in L.A., was dealt to Washington in the offseason to shore up the Clippers’ frontcourt. The elder Rivers, who is no longer making decisions on personnel moves, dismissed his son’s absence as an issue heading into the season.
“It’ll be great for Austin to be there. You know, our relationship is great,” Rivers said. “The only difference now is I have two teams to watch, mine and his.”
Rivers, who playfully took some jump shots at a Sheriff Center basket between interviews Wednesday, is now officially a Hawaii aficionado. He vowed the team would come back after last year’s camp, and he was here twice this summer.
So, anything left he needs to experience?
“No, I think I experienced too much. I really do,” he said with a laugh. “I think I experienced every one of the restaurants, and all the delicacies. I had 10 pounds when I came back to prove it. So, this year, I’m going to the opposite. I’m eating healthy — I’m trying. So if I do go in any of these restaurants, I’m asking everyone to feed me right, no unhealthy foods.”
Little League champs to be honored at game
Members of the 2018 Little League World Series champion Honolulu team will be honored at center court during a timeout of the action in the second quarter, the Clippers announced Wednesday.
Tickets for the game range in price from $25 to $150 for standard seats and are available at www.clippers.com/hawaii or by calling 944-2697.
