How the Celtics can get Austin Rivers

[clover]

it'll be pretty awkward if we're on the board and we pass on him.  thats what Im worried about, it'll put Ainge in a weird position.  He's gonna have to explain to Doc all the reasons why he thinks Austin WON'T be a good pro.

If Austin slides to the C's that'll definitely be awkward.

[clover]

If he slides to the Celtics:

The Celtics could draft Austin and trade him to a team that Doc and Austin both feel good about.
As a dad with natural concern for his son's well being, this doesn't seem so unreasonable, especially considering that Austin will definitely have significant value in a trade...

What I'd hate is for the Celtics to give up anything in order to reach for him. 
Definitely against that.

It'd be a sad thing to see the C's use their 1st rounder in the deepest draft in years to do their coach a favor and stop his kid from sliding: they'd be sure then not to get equal value in trade and we'd already know the other teams aren't valuing him that highly.

[xmuscularghandix]

Release anonymous reports of injuries/problems that don't exist.

[ManUp]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who isn't impressed with Rivers. I also think a Father coaching his son at this level is a bad idea, at the very least no so early. Maybe down the line when Austin is more established in the league it would work, but not right away and not under Doc. I can already imagine Rivers pouting after being yanked by Doc, for a missed assignment or bad shot.

[RebusRankin]

Overrated.

[More Banners]

Not sure where someone like him will fall.  He's a guard who is  a total project at this point.  He can't go that high.

[wiley]

If he slides to the Celtics:

The Celtics could draft Austin and trade him to a team that Doc and Austin both feel good about.
As a dad with natural concern for his son's well being, this doesn't seem so unreasonable, especially considering that Austin will definitely have significant value in a trade...

What I'd hate is for the Celtics to give up anything in order to reach for him. 
Definitely against that.

It'd be a sad thing to see the C's use their 1st rounder in the deepest draft in years to do their coach a favor and stop his kid from sliding: they'd be sure then not to get equal value in trade and we'd already know the other teams aren't valuing him that highly.

Completely agree.  I'm talking about if he'd already slid and there was nothing else the Celtics liked that much, or if the Celtics liked what another team was offering.  It's all about Danny IMO.  It's his decision through and through.  But we should remember that drafting is an inexact science.  Teams waver all the time between guys but ultimately have to choose one player.  At that gray area point it's natural for other considerations to start to have some play.

[Galeto]

I'm very surprised he's coming out.  With all his connections in the NBA, he has to know that his draft stock is late lottery at best right now.  If he improves on his weaknesses next season, which he's certainly capable of, he could go much higher.  I guess he's very independent.  Good for him.

I hope he's not a future Celtics.  For his sake and Doc's, it'd be a very awkward mix.  From the look of Austin's game, with his hero shots and isolation focus, Doc seems to have stayed away from coaching his son and just being a dad who enjoys watching his son game.  Austin's the antithesis of the style of play Doc preaches.  To coach him really for the first time, as well as not being able to just watch his son as a dad, that's not good.

I don't regard Austin's ceiling as too high either.  His overall package, from his size, skill level, basketball IQ, athleticism doesn't project as a star.  If he ends up having a long basketball career, it might be more as a scoring reserve off the bench.

[KevinConnor]

Doesn't it all depend on where we pick? If we pick around 17 or 18 wouldn't Rivers be a good pick up(talent- and skillwise)? I'm also a bit curious how much playing time Doc would give him.

If we were to pick in the lottery I wouldn't want Austin.

With the first pick a guy like Leonard would be great. With the second pick I would pick Quincy Miller or McAdoo. Two guys with alot of potential.

[chambers]

Don't really want him to be honest. I don't think he's as good as he's hyped up to be.

Way more picks available who will become better players in the NBA. Austin is going to need a lot of work to be a star in the NBA.

[greenpride32]

I think Autin Rivers wants to come out now because his draft stock is at its high.  He did not live up to expectations this past year and didn't really show signs of being able to either.  Another sub-par (based on expections) year at Duke, and having to compete with incoming recruits and transfers at Duke, and that could slip him to late 1st round or even the 2nd.

[aporel#18]

I don't know if another year under coach K would help him with his draft stock. Look at Singler the year after being MVP... coach K isn't UK's Calipari. And while he could develop his game in college, I doubt it too. Watching Singler here in the ACB league tells me the NCAA isn't very good at developing prospects. Kyle seemed to be one of the more mature players in college basket, but he still looks a bit lost on the court. By the way, I love Singler's game and he will be a solid player. And ACB league is a good league, but nowhere near the NBA, but transitioning to professional ball is not that easy coming from the NCAA.

I guess he wants to learn with the pros, and being a coach's son, you can bet he's had a good teacher at basketball knowledge. He's too young to be consistent, and he's got the talent. I'm sure Doc will give him good advise on everything,and his connections over the league will guarantee his kid the best scenario.

If he was drafted by the Celtics, Doc would know how to handle the situation, but I'm not sure about Austin and us fans. If he's available at 17-18th, he'll probably be the best available talent, and Danny should pick him.

He's not the Celtics messiah, but he will be a star in the NBA. And I hope he is able to destroy LeBron 

[the_Bird]

Don't really want him to be honest. I don't think he's as good as he's hyped up to be.

Way more picks available who will become better players in the NBA. Austin is going to need a lot of work to be a star in the NBA.

What you see, though, is the flashes where he might be *able* to become a star in the NBA.  If you're picking at around #20, you're usually getting guys that - if you pick well - become solid rotation players.  

Rondo was a great pick at around that point in the draft because while he had a lot of flaws, you could see that he had the potential to become a star.  That's why I don't begrudge Danny taking a chance on Gerald Green at #18; he was a kid who could have become something special.  If you're trying to jumpstart a franchise and you aren't picking high enough to get a sure-thing kind of player, you've got to be a little aggressive.  We've got to get the team's future leading scorer.

Usually, at that point in the draft, I'm thinking of guys we drafted like Delonte and Avery Bradley and Tony Allen; good players, guys who belong in the rotation, but role players.

Austin Rivers may flame out and never be anything in the NBA.  But, his ceiling is pretty [dang] high.  If he's available, I think you draft him based on that potential.

Having the two picks helps, too - make one safer pick, and one high-upside gamble.  

And, I know Rivers had a disappointing season, I know there are concerns about attitude, and I know he's probably not a point guard.  I still think this team can use a Monta Ellis-type going forward; someone who can run with Rondo and just get some points on the board.  Bradley will be around to help with the D, and we need to get a good young big man - but Ray's probably gone, and Pierce probably retires in a year.  We have some good young players in Rondo and Bradley (and hopefully JJJ proves to be good, too), but there isn't really a *scorer* in the group.

[Jon]

per ESPN

[ESPN.com's rankings] currently have him as the 15th-rated prospect on our Big Board and going No. 21 in our latest mock. However, as I reported on Wednesday, a number of NBA GMs think that we have him too low. I think you can expect he'll go somewhere between 10-20 on draft night. Expect teams like the Cavs, Jazz, Blazers, Nets and Rockets to give him a long look. But the most interesting scenario might be in Boston if Rivers is still on the board. Currently the Celtics are slated to pick 17th. The team will be in rebuilding mode this summer and they'll want to build around someone with star potential. Would Austin's dad want to coach Rivers? Would Celtics' GM Danny Ainge allow it? Such a move would put a lot of pressure on both Doc and Austin and one source close to the process said that they're hoping Austin's off the board before Doc and Ainge have to make that call.

Exactly.  There is just about a zero chance Danny trades up for him.  However, if he's on the board and the best player available when the pick rolls around, I could see it happening.

And I don't know if we'd see favoritism out there.  If anything, some of the complaints about Doc not playing rookies might get even louder, as I could see Doc going out of his way to show he's NOT playing favorites and being extra hard on Austin. 

[lightspeed5]

people who say it'd be awkward are clueless. theres always fathers coaching their sons, and its been done before in the NBA. its nothing new, and it would add another interesting chapter in celtic's lore and history.