Doc Rivers: KG trade rumors are “silly”
Coach Doc Rivers said he is more than frustrated by the recent trade rumors surrounding Celtics star Kevin Garnett. Rivers claims that all of these rumors were started by the media, and not from himself or the team.
“All from [the media],” Rivers said of trade rumors. “None from us. Really. I would like to say that. Sometimes I like [the media], sometimes, some of the stuff that happens is just silly. It really is. When I wake up in the morning and I hear a trade rumor that I haven’t heard in my office, that’s silly, and that’s what happens.”
It’s not even just the trade rumor that has Rivers on edge right now. Other rumors have been flying around as well.
“I heard one report — I honestly did — that me, Chauncey [Billups], Kevin [Garnett] and Paul [Pierce] had dinner. And I was like, ‘I wish I would have known about it. That would have been terrific, because I would have made them pay and I could have had a free dinner.’”
“But it’s just silly what goes on. And I don’t think it’s honestly [the Boston media]. I think someone can sit behind a computer and write something. The problem is, now you guys have to actually report it, which you shouldn’t do. But you do, and it becomes an issue.”
The recent trade rumor was that the Los Angeles Clippers were interested in taking Garnett from the Celtics.
Garnett is not frustrated by these rumors, though. He knows that this time of the season there are always trade rumors going around. Feb. 21 is the trade deadline, which is less than three weeks away.
“It’s part of the year, All-Star [Game], right after All-Star you start to hear things, and some of it’s chatter, some of it’s real, and you just have to be able to block certain things out, be able to play through certain things,” Garnett said. “If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. It’s out of your control a lot of time. The things you do control, you control those — your play, obviously family, and if a situation comes up where you have to move, then you get ready for it.”
Pierce said the rumors don’t bother him either.
“I don’t really pay too much attention to it,” Pierce said. “Whatever happens just happens. It’s going to play out the way it’s going to play out, just like in the draft. When I got drafted, it played out the way it’s supposed to play out. So things of that nature really don’t bother me. It has no effect on how I’m going to perform, how I’m going to practice, how I’m going to approach each and every day. I’m taking each day day by day. I’m enjoying it, I’m enjoying my teammates, and like I said, whatever happens, it just happens. It’s out of my control.”
Rivers said he’d be surprised if his current roster changes at all, especially since the biggest discussion he and Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations, had on Sunday was about the Super Bowl.
“Yeah, I would be [surprised]. but, again, you don’t know,” Rivers said. “But the fact that Danny and I have only talked about how Kaepernick should have run a couple times in the fourth quarter tells me where we’re at right now.”
