According to a report in the Boston Herald, Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is seriously considering stepping down as coach after this season. While Rivers, himself, has denied that any final decision has been made, and we've seen similar speculation, the Herald notes that "the planets are aligned" here:
This time the planets seem better aligned for a move. One of Rivers’ sons, Jeremiah, will be a senior next season on the Indiana University hoop team and daughter Callie, a volleyball star, will be in her final year at the University of Florida. Another son, Austin, is a top basketball prospect who will be finishing high school.
Even in the midst of a brutal NBA schedule, Rivers makes several detours to watch his kids play, and it is no secret he would like to be there for them on a more consistent basis.
Indeed, Doc has good reason to move on at this point, not the least of which is the current state of the Boston Celtics organization. Yeah, he wants to watch his kids play, but to think that this move would be solely motivated by watching his children's athletic events would be a little naive. The Celtics have been floundering since the All-Star break, and are currently hobbling into the playoffs having lost seven of their last 12 games.
Everyone's always liked Doc in Boston, particularly among the media. But aside from the championship season, his track record hasn't been that great at the Celtics helm. Now that the Celtics are struggling to meet expectations, he's once again facing some of the same criticism that plagued him before the Championship in '08. Maybe Doc's the problem, Celtics fans wonder. And frankly, they may be right.
So given all that, and since he doesn't need the money or another ring, maybe he'll step down, rather than face the prospect of being slowly roasted by fickle fans and media. Could you blame him?