Can Doc Rivers Save His Son Austin Rivers' Career with the Los Angeles Clippers?

It's far too soon for any "like father, like son" comparisons, but there's still plenty of time for Austin Rivers' career to pan out a little more like Doc's.

The former is in his third season of a career in which he's averaged just 6.9 points and 2.5 assists in 21.4 minutes per contest. The latter played 13 years with four different clubs while establishing himself as one of the best two-way combo guards of the '80s and '90s.

Now they have an opportunity to join forces—and potentially turn Austin's lackluster career around in the process.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported on Saturday that the "New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to send former lottery pick Austin Rivers to the Celtics to help complete Boston's looming Jeff Green trade with Memphis, according to league sources."

Only there's a catch.

The Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett reported via Twitter on Tuesday that the "Celts will send Austin Rivers to Clippers, but have to wait to clear roster space for two expiring contracts."

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Boston.com notes that Celtics general manager Danny Ainge "appears poised to clear out the additional roster spots needed to make the deal later this week," and Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix writes that Tayshaun Prince may exit via buyout.

Though it's an ideal situation for ready-made headlines surrounding a transaction that's otherwise fairly routine, few would have imagined the scenario given what both sides had to say a season ago in Dec. 2013. 

"I'm not a big believer in parents coaching kids," Doc told reporters at the time. "I don't think it's a good thing. I coach him when he wants and asks a question, but I kind of stay away from it. His love found the game. It wasn't my love. It's his love of the game, and I think that's very important. Having gone through AAU, I can tell you parents should be parents and coaches should be coaches."

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It's an understandable instinct for a skipper who is looking to avoid the perception of any conflicts of interests. And it's pretty consistent with Austin's feelings back then, as well.

"I don't want to ruin the relationship," he told reporters after New Orleans' 108-95 loss to the Clippers. "We have a great relationship. If the situation ever presented itself, I'd roll with it, but I don't think that will ever happen, to be honest with you. He's always going to have his lane, and I'll have mine. We'll wish each other the best of luck until we play each other, and that's how it will always be."

So now comes the part where Austin actually rolls with it.

And there's a good chance his career will be all the better for it. Thus far, the 22-year-old hasn't exactly been a high-impact player. He's what Grantland's Jason Concepcion recently described as "a weirdly interesting, not good NBA player."

"He clearly understands the game, has a deft handle and some genuinely tricky moves, and can get into the paint," Concepcion adds. "Most of his shots—59.9 percent, per NBA.com—happen in the restricted area. This season, he's taken 96 shots from inside five feet, which puts him in a group of guards that includes Avery Bradley, Ben McLemore and Isaiah Thomas."

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Unfortunately, modest finishing ability and an uneven in-between game have prevented Rivers from becoming much of a stud. He's never averaged more than 23.2 minutes in a season, and his numbers over the years don't wow.

They probably won't get significantly better as he would play behind the likes of Chris Paul, J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, but his minutes may count for a bit more given the renewed opportunity to carve out a niche in one of the league's premier backcourt rotations.

Season	MIN	PPG	FG%	3P%	RPG	APG	SPG
2012-13	23.2	6.2	37.2	32.6	1.8	2.1	0.4
2013-14	19.4	7.7	40.5	36.4	1.9	2.3	0.7
2014-15	22.1	6.8	38.7	28.0	1.9	2.5	0.5

It remains to be seen whether he can forge a long-term role therein, but this is a good chance for him to build his resume in advance of unrestricted free agency this summer after the Pels refused to pick up his option for next season.

"Everything happens for a reason," Rivers told reporters back in October. "At the end of the day, all that does is put a chip on my shoulder. I look at it as a challenge for me just to prove them wrong and to get better each day and, at the end of the year, to be the last one laughing about this. That's my focus.

"If anything, this is actually a good situation for me. This is a good year for me to break out, have a breakout season so I can be a free agent. And I can be a lot more comfortable this summer. I'm not mad at it at all to be honest. It actually just makes me more anxious and excited to go out there and have fun. This is my option year now. Now I am excited."

If Rivers had a chip on his shoulder before New Orleans traded him, he has even more reason to take things up a notch now. He might even be a good fit in Doc's system.

"I think this team could handle that," Rivers told reporters of his son recently. "He's a downhill a guard, which is something we need."

True enough. But Austin probably needs the Clippers even more.