As sad it would be to see these guys go, wouldn’t it be great to see them reunited, on a contender?

A few hours before this WojBomb dropped and details surrounding the Celtics-Clippers trade deal came pouring in, Bill Simmons went on WEEI for the debut of Celtics Summer Cooler show with  Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell to discuss the burgeoning rumors.

In the interview, Simmons said that whether or not Doc Rivers was allowed to go to the Clippers in exchange for compensation, he thought Rivers had coached his last game for the Boston Celtics. Since Rivers has a non-compete clause in his contract, Simmons suggested Rivers would be happy to return to the broadcasting booth.

Even though talks have reportedly stalled for the time being, because the trade details became public, both teams may have gone too far to turn back without making this deal. Read more »

What’s up with Doc? Could he be headed to LA with Pierce and Garnett?

The Doc Rivers offseason dance gets crazier with each passing day. Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne reported on ESPN Thursday that Rivers and the Clippers have “strong mutual interest” and, as the LA Times previously reported, Rivers would be the Clippers No. 1 choice for their head coaching position should he leave Boston.

Sources told ESPN.com that Rivers is highly intrigued by the idea of coaching the Clippers in the event that he and the Celtics part company after nine seasons together and one championship in 2008. Sources say that the Clippers, meanwhile, would immediately vault Rivers to the top of their list if he became available as they continue a coaching search that, to this point, has focused on Brian Shaw, Byron Scott and Lionel Hollins.

According to the report, the Boston Celtics would not consider releasing Rivers from his contract–3 years, $21 million–to coach another team, unless they received compensation in return. Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe ($) reported that the Celtics would be looking for multiple first round picks over the next few years, or young talent in return.  Read more »

Paul Pierce reportedly committed to play in a pair of exhibition games next month in Mexico. The games will be hosted by Eduardo Najera, whose Wikipedia page says scouts “boasted about Najera’s quick first step” while he was in college. Presumably, said scouts have long since been fired.

The games will be hosted by Mexico native and Charlotte Bobcats forward Eduardo Najera. Organizers of the event said Tyson Chandler, Trevor Ariza, Marcus Camby, DeAndre Jordan, Corey Maggette, Jerryd Bayless and Ryan Hollins are among the other players who will participate in the games. Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash has also been invited to play.

Marc Spears also reported that Pierce will possibly travel to Mexico City on October 4, when a group of players are meeting Mexico President Felipe Calderon (no relationship to Jose, I don’t think) and businessman Carlos Slim Helu, considered the world’s richest man.

The exhibition games were hatched by Najera with the hope that the event will bring positive attention to a country battling a violent drug war. But if forgetting about drugs is the goal, I’m not sure why anyone invited Marcus Camby.