Doc Rivers: Do young players 'want to stand out ... or win?'

Sam Amick | USA TODAY Sports

Doc Rivers has heard all the hype, the chatter about how his addition as Los Angeles Clippers coach turns them into instant title contenders and may be the most impactful move of the offseason.

But after his stunning exit from Boston that left so many Celtics fans feeling spurned as they enter a rebuilding stage, Rivers doesn't need a reminder that he can't do this alone. He remembers the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons in Beantown, when his teams went a combined 78-86 and no one was deeming him coaching royalty as they so often do now.

And he certainly remembers that July day in 2007 when he took part in an even splashier news conference than the one had by the Clippers on Wednesday: Kevin Garnett was introduced as a member of the Celtics after he was traded from Minnesota, the original Big Three was born with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and their run that included the 2008 title and constant contention would follow soon thereafter. As Rivers begins this challenge of turning these Clippers players into champions, he spoke with USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday about his new life in Los Angeles that he's so thrilled about, how this team compares to his old one, whether he's at peace with the way his departure from Boston was perceived and his thoughts on his replacement, new Celtics coach Brad Stevens.

Q: Doc, you've been a part of big splashes before, and I have to imagine that as Chris (Paul) and those guys were introduced (at the Wednesday press conference in Los Angeles) that the presser with KG crossed your mind at some point. Does this experience remind you of that one at all in terms of the major makeover and instant expectation?

A: "Well, Chris is going to be a Hall of Famer, and so should Blake (Griffin) and DJ (DeAndre Jordan), hopefully, but we were getting (surefire future Hall of Famers). Paul was and Ray and Kevin are, so in that terms, that day is bigger just because of those three guys. You just don't bring those three guys together very often. This was neater in one way in that it was more about the key guys, signing Chris back, bringing Matt back, and getting Darren Collison and JJ Redick and Jared Dudley, it's more that we're building this team, and that was a great message … I couldn't have asked for a better day."

Q: So let's talk about this new team of yours. We're all so guilty of over-hyping teams so often, so what's realistic about what folks should expect the Clippers to accomplish and what's fair in terms of where you set that bar?

A: "You know, I don't yet. I know what I think we can be, and I think we have a realistic chance of being the winner at the end of the year. But what I don't know yet, and one of the things that I found that was interesting when we got Kevin, Paul and Ray together, was that they were over themselves. It was time for them to focus on one aspect of their career, and only one, and that was winning. This is a younger team. This is a younger group. And so I think it will be really interesting to find out, 'Do you want to stand out, or do you want to win?' For young guys, that's hard to understand that if you win, you do stand out. Or, you can stand out alone and you'll get a lot of accolades, but you won't win and that's an individual thing. For us, and I don't know our guys yet, but for the young ones – that's DeAndre, Blake, and Chris – that'll be the key is sacrificing even some of their games for the good of the win. And that's what – if we can get that right, then I think we're going to be really good. That's why Matt (Barnes) signed back. And I think that's why JJ Redick wanted to join the team. That's why (Jared) Dudley was so excited, because they've been through it. JJ Redick was in the Finals his second year, and he probably assumed he'd be there every year. And now he realizes how hard it is to just get to the Finals. Forget winning it, to just get there is hard. I know the guys on this team who haven't been there don't understand how hard that is, but having JJ and a couple of other guys, they know how hard it is and that's important."

Q: For all the talk of the new additions, there are plenty of folks who feel like Blake's ability to keep improving will be as big a factor as there is for you guys. What's your early read on him and do you have much of a relationship with him?

A: "I don't have a relationship with any of them. I'm having relationships with them now. I'm taking DJ out to dinner tonight, I'm going to meet Blake tomorrow, so my impressions of them so far have been fantastic. I met with Blake and DJ yesterday, and they've come in and worked every day. Just talking to people around the organization, you find out about Blake that his work ethic is just unbelievable. It's incredible. And to me, that only goes one way and that's a positive way. You have a worker, and he's talented, then it's going to work out. That's what you know."

Q: I've heard the same thing about Blake's habits for a while, but to hear you say it puts that on a different level.

A: "No, I watched him through my window yesterday with a couple of our coaches, and I mean he puts in hard minutes and hard time in the summer, and that was really nice to watch."

Q: Is that the important stuff right now, just connecting with guys?

A: "Yeah, my job the rest of the summer is just communication – get the message across, get guys to understand what we're in this for and get them ready for it."

Q: I know you're not looking to look backward, but I am wondering: are you comfortable and OK with the way things ended in Boston, the way people look at it and whether people understand the situation? (Rivers had three years and $21 million left on his Celtics contract, but was allowed to leave and sign with the Clippers on a three-year, $21 million deal in exchange for Boston receiving a 2015 first-round draft pick)

A: "I think some people do, and some people don't. But listen, I'm here now, and there's nothing I can do about it. I think it obviously was a very good fit for me being here. My daughter lives here, it was just good for me. I know for a fact that (Celtics general manager) Danny (Ainge) got exactly out of this deal what he wanted to get out of it when he went into it. How it went down will be debated, and I know the truth, you know what I mean? But other than that, I think for the most part the people in Boston know what I gave them. I gave them everything I had and that's all you can do. And then when you make a change, you make a change, and you've got to live with it. Listen, I live by Chuck Daly's famous words, that every decision you make has a 50-50 chance of working. You make it, and you just live on with it. I had nine wonderful years in Boston, from more than just the basketball standpoint.

"Some of my better friends, for the rest of my life now, will be – two or three of my best friends now – are guys who I met since I've been there and who I've probably talked to every day since I've been in LA. … Those are relationships that never go away. Danny and I, we talk – he's playing at my golf club today in Orlando. Listen, fan-wise, I hope they understand. And if they don't, there's nothing I can do with it. Some do, some won't. You know how that works. It was just a wonderful time for me. They treated me like everyone should be treated. I got great treatment there, and that's all I can ask for."

Q: I've heard you say a couple of times that there are parts of the truth that aren't out there. So what, specifically, do you feel like people don't see?

A: "You know, I don't get into it, and I won't. I think the only thing I keep hearing is that I initiated this, and I really didn't. That's where I think the miscommunication has been in that. But once it was initiated, I definitely pursued it. I thought it was a good thing to pursue for me. But the one thing I didn't do was initiate it. That's not true, so whoever says that – that not true. But once it was communicated to me, I thought, 'Wow, this is a great opportunity. I think I'm going to go for it.' "

Q: There was a win-win component here, it seems, with Danny being able to turn you into an asset to speed up the rebuilding process and then they obviously bring (former Butler coach) Brad (Stevens) in.

A: "I think (the Celtics) have done a hell of a job. I'm a big Stevens fan, have always been. It's funny, I talked to him about a month ago about another (NBA head coaching) job where somebody else was thinking about hiring him and the GM from there called me to talk to Brad to get a feel if he wanted to coach in the NBA."

Q: A head job, or an assistant job?

A: "No, a head job. And then the way it works out, four weeks later, he takes my job (laughs). It's funny. I told him that he'd be an excellent NBA coach, and he's ready for it. Whether you want to leave Butler or not, now that's up to you. I said that's a personal situation, and it's funny because I told him, I said, 'I'm going through that right now, and I don't know what I'm going to do.' Maybe the fact he saw me leave, he thinks, 'Well (expletive), I'm leaving too.'"

Q: You inspired Brad Stevens to leave Butler. So there it is.

A: "Yeah, I hope not. I hope not. I hope he inspires me somehow."

Q: You know I'm dying to know which team it was now, right?

A: "No, no, I can't say. They hired someone else, and it would've be smart to share."