LAS VEGAS – Doc Rivers refuses to talk about it, but he might be the only one in the Rivers family to take that liberty.
Jeremiah Rivers, Doc’s oldest son, is in Las Vegas for summer league with the Knicks, and talked to Metro Boston about Ray Allen’s decision to leave the Celtics for the Heat.
“I was surprised, but at the end of the day he’s the all-time NBA 3-point leader, best NBA 3-point shooter of all-time, he’s won an NBA championship, All-Star games, he has the right to do whatever he wants at this stage of his career,” Rivers said of Allen.
Despite the notion that Allen’s decision was more “personal” than “business-related”, Rivers acknowledged that his choice had to be a hard one to make at the end of the day.
“It was very tough, very tough, especially with all the medicine in Boston for his kids,” Rivers said. “I think it was very tough, but no hard feelings. He helped us win a championship.”
Allen has always been one to take younger players under his arms. That was also the case with Jeremiah, who said Allen was influential in his playing career dating back to college years.
“He definitely helped mentor me through my Indiana years and college,” Rivers said. “He really helped me mentally more than anything. He’s a great guy man. He’s definitely a guy I look up to and a guy who has a lot of knowledge about the game.”
Jeremiah hopes that the added knowledge comes in handy in the Vegas summer league. He’s working to earn a spot on an NBA team, something his younger brother, Austin, had no trouble in doing by getting drafted No. 10 overall by the New Orleans Hornets.
“Austin’s got guaranteed, I don’t. I’m working for one. I thought [Saturday] was solid. I did OK. Thought it was a good first game to get my feet wet.”
