Report: Rivers to sign extension with champion Celtics

Sep 10, 2008 - 5:38 AM SUNNYVALE, California (Ticker) -- Fresh off an NBA title, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers will sign a contract extension through the 2010-2011 season, according to Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday.

Exact financial terms were not disclosed, but the web site did report that the deal could be worth approximately $5.5 million per season, with incentive clauses which can raise his annual haul to as much as $7 million.

Citing a league source familiar with the deal, Yahoo! reported that Rivers, who led the Celtics to their first championship in 22 years in June, is in the process of the signing the necessary paperwork to complete the deal.

Rivers, when reached through text message by Yahoo!, confirmed that he came to terms on a new contract but said that he didn't want to make "a big deal about it."

His team's performance, however, was a big deal last season. Rivers helped Boston to the best turnaround in NBA history, guiding it to a NBA-best 66 wins after posting a 24-58 mark in 2006-07. The Celtics defeated the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win the title.

A popular television analyst in between NBA coaching stints, Rivers had considered returning to the booth to claim a more lucrative deal than he had with the Celtics, according to Yahoo!. However, the web site went on to say that Rivers never seriously flirted with that option.

Boston, which notched its league-best 17th title last campaign, has made it too tough for Rivers to walk away, especially with the presence of the star-studded trio of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge has received much of the credit for bringing those All-Stars together, but Rivers got the most out of them by preaching defense first and, thanks to his player-friendly personality, allowing each to flourish individually. Garnett and Allen were brought in via trade prior to last season.

A runner-up to the New Orleans Hornets' Byron Scott for Coach of the Year in 2007-08, Rivers has gone 339-328 in nine NBA seasons as a coach with the Orlando Magic and Celtics. He is 168-160 in five seasons with Boston.