Salary, Roster Issues Could Compromise Next Year's Playoff Run, Rivers' Return

COMMENTARY | Doc Rivers might actually return as coach of the Boston Celtics for next season. This was an important question that plagued the Celtics all year, and it seemed like Rivers was primed to take a year off from the NBA. He has a son who plays basketball, and the consensus opinion had been that he would be done after these playoffs.

ESPN reported on many comments that Rivers made Wednesday night after his Celtics lost their series against the Miami Heat. Among the most important was the statement that, "I'm leaning heavily towards comings back." Rivers went on to say, "I haven't made that decision. But I can tell you that I probably will. I've kind of come to that over the last couple of weeks. I'm a Celtic and I love our guys."

That's a pretty definite statement right there, and it seems like Rivers is almost guaranteeing he will return to coach the Celtics again for the 2011-12 season. Maybe the most important component of his decision comes from the core of the team returning. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo are all going to be back for another run at an NBA title. With such a group of dedicated players, it would be hard for any coach to just walk away.

The Celtics definitely had some problems competing against the Miami Heat this postseason, and that isn't going to change unless the franchise can add another player or two to the depth chart. It will be a tough goal to accomplish, especially with how much in salary the team will have to pay out over the next few years. The salaries of the Boston Celtics were the fourth highest (as a team) this past year, reports Hoops Hype; in the 2011-12 season, it will still be at just over $72 million. At least that's what it will look like if they can get Jeff Green to accept his qualifying offer and Allen doesn't opt out of his contract.

With a team salary that is already going to be over the cap, it won't be easy for the Celtics to make moves to improve this squad. The big item working against the franchise is Glen Davis is a free agent, meaning that the roster might be getting worse before it can get better. That could mean a heavy reliance on the Draft, and possibly the team mortgaging the future in order to get at least one more year out of its current core of players.

Boston is still packed with talent, but it is hard to foresee this team doing any better against Miami next year.