Doc Rivers' Press Conference Delay Gives Celtics Final Shot at Clippers Trade

The most anticipated press conference since the NBA Finals was scheduled for Friday in Boston, as Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and general manager Danny Ainge were set to address the media amid rumors of Rivers' imminent departure. 

As fast as it was scheduled, the phantom press conference was then rescheduled for Monday. 

The quick trigger announcement and redaction gives the Celtics roughly 72 hours to complete the much-rumored deal with the Los Angeles Clippers over the weekend. After that, it would be reasonable to consider Rivers destined to return to the sidelines for his 10th go-round with the C's. 

Then again, maybe not. 

Despite the fact that Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday afternoon that the talks were completely dead, it's still very strange that the timing of the press conference coincides with what feels like the final chance for these two teams to complete a trade that has been cooking on high for the past several days. 

As reported by ESPN's Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne on Thursday, the Clippers turned their full attention to prying Rivers away from Boston after league sources let it slip that any deal (or separate deals that mirrored one trade) would be vetoed if consisting of both the coach and any players. 

But the two sides have hit standstills at several different points in the negotiation process, and Friday's scheduled press conference was likely going to be an exclamation of mutual support between Rivers and Ainge—one to "patch" any holes that needed mending. 

As Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk noted in his piece on Friday, you don't call press conferences for guys that you are sending out the door. 

Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe was one of the first to report that the franchise had sent out an email to the media about the proposed press conference:

After that, either the trade phone line re-opened, or someone within the organization was reprimanded for a serious gaffe by sending out an invitation prematurely. Heck, both of those scenarios could have happened with the way the Celtics-Clippers reports have been filing in the past few days. 

CSNNE.com then had a tweet with some analysis once things were mysteriously then changed to Monday just before media personnel had the chance to drive to TD Bank Garden:

As this satirical post from CBS Sports' Ken Berg would suggest, things aren't going smoothly right now for a franchise just five years removed from winning the NBA Finals in 2008:

Rivers, who has three years and $21 million left on his current contract with the Celtics, has been one of the hottest head coaching candidates for other teams this offseason despite carrying a long commitment to his current franchise. 

Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that the Denver Nuggets offered Boston a first-round pick for Rivers after their decision to part ways with George Karl was final, and with the way the negotiations with the Clippers are going now, Boston might wish it pulled the trigger on that deal when this saga is over on Monday. 

As Wojnarowski also reported on Friday, the Clippers continue to balk at that price:

It's clear that the Celtics are at a crossroads with respect to the direction of the franchise. Aging stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have value and experience but can't anchor a championship-caliber franchise and carry significant cap numbers, too. 

If Rivers is traded away, the Celtics get a draft pick and a potential trade partner for both Garnett and Pierce in the coming weeks following a move for the head coach. 

If no deal can be struck by Monday and the press conference stands, then the Celtics will have to deal with the idea that Rivers is adamantly opposed to getting rid of stars like Garnett and Pierce in cap dumps in favor of starting over. 

They will also have to deal with former comments (via Chris Broussard of ESPN) that Rivers made about grappling internally with the idea of change for the first time since he took over the job in Boston. 

There's a good chance the postponed press conference was a last-ditch effort from Boston to get something out of Rivers' contract, open the door for former stars to find new homes and officially begin rebuilding the roster from Rajon Rondo up. 

Of course, this is a last-ditch chance for L.A., too. 

As noted by Ric Bucher on Twitter, Chris Paul is thought to be the driving force behind the Rivers-KG conversations:

He's not technically even under contract, but the idea that Paul needs Rivers—or a coach of that caliber—to take over the bench at Staples Center could have far-reaching impacts on his personal free agency.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling has long opposed the idea of a high-priced head coach, and Rivers is just that. He would also have to surrender a first-round draft pick, it seems, but at this point you be the judge on what's worse—overpay Rivers and lose a first-rounder, or lose CP3 to another team?

Hopefully Clippers fans everywhere chose door No. 2 on that one. 

It's crunch time in these negotiations, and the weekend will prove to either be the breaking point or the turning point in this long-discussed deal between two playoff teams from the 2012-13 season. 

If the press conference is cancelled again, expect a deal. If not, expect a facade of smiles and handshakes from Rivers and Ainge on Monday, and more questions than answers when it comes to expectations for the 2013-14 Boston Celtics. 

For all we know, Rivers could surprise us all and opt for the broadcast booth or to take some time away from the game completely—not uncommon among NBA coaches these days following the rigors and demands of an 82-game regular season. 

Wojnarowski notes that his sources are claiming truth to the idea that Rivers is still struggling between coming back to Boston or leaving coaching behind for now, so there's any number of resolutions still on the table for Monday's press conference. 

Whatever the decision is, expect it to be resolved on Monday at the latest. Speaking for NBA fans everywhere, let's hope this back-and-forth comes to a close for good at the start of NBA draft week, and we can move on to analyzing what's next for all parties involved. 

Follow Bleacher Report FC Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.