With the players already profiled, we turn to the coach of the Celtics. Doc had been criticized by most Celtics' fans for his in game substitutions, his lack of a set rotation, and his in game coaching. He has also not shown any kind of realization that defense is important in building a championship team. It is believed by most of us that Doc is on the hot seat and if his coaching doesn't improve this year, especially his lack of emphasis on defense, he may be on his way out. Danny has steadfastly supported Doc, while at the same time stressing the need for more work on the defensive end. This year will be very important, not only for the players, but for the coach as well.

Glenn "Doc" Rivers is entering his third season as the coach of the Boston Celtics. He is the 16th Head Coach in the franchise's history. Before coming to Boston, Rivers spent four seasons as the Head Coach of the Orlando Magic. In his first year as Head Coach in Orlando, he led a team predicted by most to finish near or at the bottom of the league to a 41-41 record. For his efforts, was named the 1999-2000 NBA Coach-of-the-Year. Rivers is only the fourth coach in Celtics history to have earned the NBA Coach of the Year Award, joining Tom Heinsohn (1972-73), Bill Fitch (who won it with Cleveland (1975-76) and Boston (1979-80)) and Red Auerbach (1964-65) for whom the trophy is named. In his four-year tenure at Orlando, Coach Rivers continued to lead the team to outstanding victories including three consecutive trips to the playoffs. The 03-04 season started off poorly for the Magic as they slumped to a 1 and 10 record. The result was that Doc was fired as Head Coach. Doc was an assistant coach for the 2001 USA Basketball Goodwill Games. Rivers played 13 seasons in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks (1983-84 to 1990-91), Los Angeles Clippers (1991-92), New York Knicks (1992-93 to 1993-94) and San Antonio Spurs (1994 to 1995-96). Rivers averaged 10.9 ppg., 5.7 apg. and 3.0 rpg. over the course of his career. His teams advanced to the NBA Playoffs 10 times, where he averaged 11.4 ppg., 5.9 apg. and 3.3 rpg. Rivers saw action in 864 regular season games over the course of his career and 81 playoff games. He averaged a double-double in 1986-87 (12.8 ppg., 10.0 apg.), was selected to play in the 1988 NBA All-Star Game and averaged a career-best 15.2 ppg. in 1990-91. He also shares an NBA single-game playoff record for most assists in one half (15 vs. Boston, May 16, 1988). Rivers was drafted after his junior season out of Marquette University (Wis.) by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round (31st overall) of the 1983 NBA Draft. He played the first eight years of his career with Atlanta, setting the Hawks' single-season assists record with 823 in 1986-87. He is Atlanta's all-time leader with 3,866 assists. Rivers played the 1991-92 season for the L.A. Clippers, before going to New York and concluding his career in San Antonio in 1995-96. A product of Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, Rivers earned the nickname “Doc” from former Marquette coach Rick Majerus, when he wore a “Dr. J” t-shirt to a summer basketball camp. Rivers earned a pre-law/political science degree from Marquette in 1985 and was honored by the Pro Basketball Writers with the 1990 J. Walter Kennedy Basketball Citizenship Award. In between his coaching stints, Doc worked as the lead NBA analyst for ABS Sports and also as an analyst on TNT. Doc and his wife, Kris, have four children. They decided not to uproot the children who were all settled in school in Orlando, with the older children very active in sports. Doc has been traveling back and forth from Boston to Orlando every chance he gets to see his wife and children and to watch his children's games when he could. His son Jeremiah will be attending Georgetown University and playing basketball in the coming school year. Although known for his defense as a player, he hasn't exactly been defensive minded as a coach. Hopefully that will change this year. He has 2 years left on his contract with the Celtics but many fans don't expect him to be around for both years unless he does a better job of handling the roster and in-game coaching. Danny continues to support Doc, even reportedly saying he will leave if Doc does. Maybe Danny knows something we don't... but time will tell... Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!