HoopsHype.com Rumors

David 'Dubi' Pick: Ex-Detroit Mercy PF-C Eli Holman, who registers double-double stats in Israel, will be tested by the Boston Celtics in Orlando SL. Twitter @IAmDPick

Boston Celtics, Free Agency, Summer League, Eli Holman 

Chris Mannix: Cody Zeller says he interviewed with Toronto, Portland, Houston and Boston. Denies wingspan is 6-8. Says closer to 6-11. Twitter @ChrisMannixSI

Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Draft, Cody Zeller 

Charles F. Gardner: Rice said he had interviews with Golden State, Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia and San Antonio. Twitter @cf_gardner

Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, Draft, Glen Rice Jr 

Alex Len arrived in Chicago on Wednesday night night and promptly met with four teams — the Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics. The Jazz, Kings and T-Wolves all hold lottery picks and are three of 10 such teams scheduled to meet with the 7-foot-1 Len this week. Several others outside the lottery, like the Celtics, have also lined up interviews. Washington Post

Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Draft, Alex Len 

Gary Washburn: Among those players the #celtics interviewed at pre-draft camp Wednesday night was former Georgia Tech swingman Glen Rice Jr. Twitter @GwashNBAGlobe

Boston Celtics, Draft, Glen Rice Jr 

Gary Washburn: Rice on #celtics interview: "It was good. We talked basketball. We talked on the court, off the court. I let them know I was ready to work." Twitter @GwashNBAGlobe

Boston Celtics, Draft, Glen Rice Jr 

Yannis Koutroupis: Glen Rice Jr. feels like he's helping ease team's concerns about his off-the-court issues at Georgia Tech. Says they're letting him explain. Twitter @YannisHW

Boston Celtics, Draft, Glen Rice Jr 

Though Ainge regularly talks with Rivers, he said he has not had contact with either Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett, whose futures figure prominently in his immediate plans. Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Trade, Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett 

Doc Rivers is off on a golf course somewhere, pondering his future with the Celtics and asking for time to think. But that hasn’t stopped the Celtics coach from taking regular part in the team’s plans for next year, according to president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “I talk to Doc all of the time, and we’re talking about our plans for next year,” said Ainge, who left yesterday for Chicago to attend the NBA’s pre-draft combine. Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge, Coaching 

Though Ainge is unsure of whether Rivers will make an appearance in Chicago, he continues to move forward as the coach will remain in place. “I only expect Doc to say something to me if he is not coming back,” Ainge said. Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Danny Ainge, Coaching 

Those close to Paul Pierce believe he will not return to the Boston Celtics next season, according to CSNNE sideline reporter Greg Dickerson – and Pierce might think his days in green are done, as well. "I don't think they will (bring Pierce back)," Dickerson said Sunday on CSNNE. "And I know that the company that Paul Pierce hangs around in, they do not believe – and I don't think Paul Pierce believes – that he is going to be brought back next year at $15 million. I know for a fact that people around Paul Pierce have pretty much resigned themselves to the fact that he's played his final game in a Boston Celtics uniform. Again, Paul wants to stay – obviously for $15 million, but he wants to finish his career in a Celtics uniform." Booth Newspapers

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce 

Clearly Wilcox doesn’t want to leave town this way. “I mean, yeah, I would love to come back,” Wilcox said. “I would love to come back and be a part of this, because I just feel like I didn’t. . . . I wasn’t me, you know what I mean? So I want to come back healthy. I want to come back and be healthy right from the start of training camp and get a preseason in and find my way from the beginning. “I think me being hurt and just rushing everything kind of put a toll on me and had me sitting when I could have been playing. I mean, I’ve just got to go back to the drawing board, get healthy and get ready.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Chris Wilcox 

But after dealing with an enlarged aorta for years that put him on the surgeon’s table in late March 2012, Wilcox has developed a strong sense of perspective. “If it’s meant to be, it’ll be,” he said of continuing with the Celtics. “I’m going to be prepared for any situation that I get into from here on out. “I really didn’t have that much time to prepare this year. But at the end of the day I’m blessed. This was definitely a tough year, but at the end of the day it’s a blessing for me to be able to play and come out and be able to do what I did. Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Chris Wilcox 

Jackson also wanted input into personnel decisions -- not control, but a say that would be respected. Lacob and Guber agreed. "I was influenced a little bit by Boston," said Lacob, who'd been a minority owner of the Celtics. "I saw what Doc did, his background. I saw you could come out of the broadcast booth if you had the NBA playing career, and be very successful. And I saw that the most important thing that Doc Rivers provided was leadership, and the guys were willing to follow him ... if you can't lead people, whether you're the CEO or the basketball coach, the Xs and Os and all the other stuff is important. But if you can't lead them, they're not going to follow you, anyway." NBA.com

Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Doc Rivers, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Joe Lacob, Owners 

No matter how much the Celtics personnel chief will again insist that he’s not looking to trade Rajon Rondo, he will once again be on alert in case a deal makes sense. Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Trade, Rajon Rondo 

The effect of retired players on the salary cap - which could eats into play with Kevin Garnett - is not uniform in the new collective bargaining agreement, meaning how it impacts a team's cap is undetermined until a buyout or settlement is negotiated. The Celtics had a situation like with Rasheed Wallace, who retired with two years remaining on his contract. He and the Celtics agreed to a buyout so the final two years of his contract would not impact the salary cap. The buyout amount, however it, does affect the cap. Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Rasheed Wallace, Salary Cap, Kevin Garnett 

Gary Washburn: The #Raptors have asked for permission to speak with #celtics asst. Tyronn Lue for position on Dwane Casey's staff, according to Danny Ainge Twitter @GwashNBAGlobe

Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Danny Ainge, Coaching, Dwane Casey, Tyronn Lue 

Paul Flannery: Philly had talked to Hinkie and Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren last summer, among others. Twitter @Pflanns

Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Mike Zarren, Sam Hinkie 

McDonough said he expects his philosophy to be very similar to the one of Danny Ainge, who he learned the job from in Boston. “Danny Ainge is probably my professional mentor,” he said. “I think my philosophy will be the same. In Boston, one of the things Danny did so well, he was very aggressive in acquiring draft picks and trying to get the best players through whatever means necessary. One of the things that I learned from Danny Ainge is to be unafraid, and that not very move is going to be perfect. I’ll probably make some mistakes. But if you’re willing to work at it, and correct some of those mistakes — and again, if you’re unafraid — then that can lead to some great results.” NBCSports.com

Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Danny Ainge, Coaching, Robert Sarver, Ryan McDonough 

Ben Rohrbach: Ainge: "We're more than 1 player away unless it's a great player. It'll be tough to become a championship team from where we are." Ouch. Twitter @brohrbach

Boston Celtics, Free Agency, Danny Ainge