Clippers' Rivers calls Celtics' rebuilding 'a masterful job'

Doc Rivers knows as well as anyone that when done properly, rebuilding can bear championship fruit.

Rivers, who coached the Boston Celtics from 2004-05 to 2012-13, experienced both a bottom-out and a championship season alongside general manager Danny Ainge. The latter required the former, with the Celtics stockpiling assets that eventually enabled them to land Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to put alongside Paul Pierce.

That's what Boston is doing once again, with Ainge hoarding a ridiculous number of draft picks, as outlined in the post below. While it may mean a frustrating couple of seasons for those still in Boston, Rivers, now competing for a title with the Los Angeles Clippers, thinks the franchise is on the right track:

It takes time. It’s hard. I’ve been through it with Danny. It’s not a one- or two-year build. I knew that when they decided to do it, and Danny did, too. But I think it’s a city that can handle it, because they’ve done it before and people there know the game. You do have to get a little lucky, but, man, they have so many picks.

I think they’ve done a masterful job with the way they’re doing it. Danny has put himself into a position to take the risk he wants to take at some point — to gather enough assets to go get that one guy that then gets the second guy that then gets the third guy. Eventually Danny’s going to get that one piece and then that second piece. But they’re set up to do it. Look at all the rebuilding teams, the Celtics are so far ahead of the game than everyone else, in my opinion, from what they’ve done.

The Celtics are a little thin on high-end prospects, but they have a handful of impressive young rotation pieces, and Marcus Smart may yet be great. Combine those young players with cap flexibility and loads of picks and the Celtics won't need to bottom out completely in the coming years.

They also own the league's fifth-worst record, something Rivers' Clippers helped them out with Monday, putting them in a good position to add another piece in June.