Doc Rivers Signs Contract Extension with Boston Celtics

Doc Rivers has signed a contract extension with the Boston Celtics that could keep him with the team for the next five years. In a move that seems contrary to what NBA analysts had been predicting, Rivers decided not to take time away from the game. Instead, he will be the man asked to not only try and get the Celtics back to the NBA Finals next year, but to help rebuild this franchise when the "big three" decide to retire from the game.

ESPN reports the new deal for Rivers calls for $35 million over the next five years; basically amounting to about $7 million per season. He will now be one of the highest paid coaches in the league, and may have to really live up to that deal if the Celtics are going to return to glory. Now it seems that he will have the time to help this team recover from a rough ending to the 2011 season which culminated in the Miami Heat eliminating them in the second round of the playoffs.

There are going to be some serious questions that the Celtics will have to answer, and it won't be limited to the ages of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. Those three probably still have a little bit left in the tank, but they won't be around forever. When the three veterans decide to walk away from the game, Rivers is still going to be the coach of the Celtics, and that could mean an extended rebuilding process. Luckily he has Rajon Rondo locked up for many years to come, so at least he will have a playmaker on the roster.

This offseason is going to require quite a bit of tinkering from the front office of the Celtics, because this isn't a roster that can beat the new-look Miami Heat. Boston has to figure out how to move on without Jeff Green and Glen Davis, who might be too expensive to retain for another year. Both are free agents at the end of the season, but at least they can offer Green a qualifying offer to try and keep him in town. Shaquille O'Neal might be gone too, and the bench has got to have more depth for the years to come.

The best bet for the organization to help Rivers is for the 2011 NBA Draft to yield some very talented players. They might have to get lucky with their selections, but they really need two players that can provide a nice spark off the bench and make the opposing defense actually work hard before Allen, Pierce, and Garnett get back on the floor.