Rajon Rondo Trade Rumors: Doc Rivers Right to Be Upset About Murmurs

Trade rumors have been heating up surrounding Rajon Rondo as the March 15 deadline draws closer.

And Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers has heard just about enough of them.

Rivers said before the Celtics played the New Jersey Nets on Friday, via NBA.com:

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“I don’t mind any rumors that are true. I think I’m pretty up front with [the media] about it. I do get upset when they’re not true. In my opinion, sometimes news is created. And then people report on the news that they created. And when that happens, I’m not really happy with it.”

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Who knows if some of these rumors are true. Coaches have been known to blast rumors in the past, only for them to prove fruitful.

But, regardless, Rivers has a right to be upset.

The only thing worse than dealing with a disgruntled star is to see rumors sprout up about your "interest" in dealing said disgruntled star. It potentially creates more distance between the organization and the player and simply presents an unpleasant situation.

I don't blame whoever reported the rumors. It's the job of these reporters to talk to league sources and present the information to the public.

But I also don't blame Rivers. He's not exactly the kind of person who backs down from a challenge and I don't doubt that he wants to make things work with Rondo.

Rivers noted:

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“Everybody has issues. Some issues are harder. Some are not. But it’s called, to me, human relationships. And if it’s worth anything, you’re probably going to have some issues sometimes. It’s never going to just be vanilla. That would be nice. I would probably sleep more, but that’s never going to happen in any place.”

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Rivers' relationship with Rondo is an issue he's had to deal with this season, among others. But he's not about to give up. And these rumors make it harder for him to patch up his relationship with his 26-year-old All-Star.

ESPN reported on Friday that the Celtics were "aggressively trying to trade" Rondo. This comes after rumors of the Celtics looking into a swap of Rondo and Pau Gasol.

Regarding the Gasol rumors, Rivers said:

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"That was just ridiculous. I don’t know where it came from. When that stuff happens, it bothers you, because it’s being created by somebody outside of your touch, and you can’t do anything about it.”

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Coaches are put in this position all the time. Rivers already has to deal with an aging squad that is a few years removed from being "The Beasts of the East." The last thing he wants is more friction with Rondo, who is by far the Celtics' best player right now.

The worst part of all of this for Rivers is that the Celtics may not even trade Rondo, but the situation has the potential of driving Rondo away and becoming a distraction down the stretch.

No coach or organization wants that, and at this point the Celtics can only hope Rondo is taking it in stride.

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