BOSTON -- Boston Celtics Coach K.C. Jones said Tuesday he will step down after this season to become the club's vice president and personnel director. He will be replaced by Assistant Coach Jimmy Rodgers.
Jones, completing his fifth season, has led the Celtics to two NBA titles. He said he decided to make the change during last week's meeting with Celtics President Red Auerbach. However, Jones said he began thinking of leaving coaching after the Celtics lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1987 NBA finals.
'I thought, 'I've done it all and where can I go from here?'' Jones said in an interview on WCVB-TV. 'Jimmy's been here for years and would like to have a coaching job and this would be super for Jimmy, too.'
The 55-year-old coach broke the news to the players Tuesday as the club prepared for Wednesday night's playoff game against the New York Knicks. The Celtics lead the first-round series 2-0.
'I talked to the players ... it was total shock,' Jones said. 'They were happy for me because it's something I want. No one can ever talk me out of it.'
The coaching change is seen as a reward for Rodgers, an assistant since 1979 and player personnel director since 1984. The Celtics blocked him from taking the Knicks coaching job last year.
'He's the heir apparent,' Auerbach said by telephone from Washington. 'He's done a great job for the past seven or eight years. He's earned the job and we're glad to have him.'
Said Rodgers: 'It's something you spend many years thinking about. It's something you dream about. I think K.C. has done just about everything there is to do. Hopefully, we can continue to do what has been done in Boston.'
Auerbach said the decision by came after several weeks of discussions.
'I understand the toll it takes in coaching' he said. 'Hell, I retired when I was 48. He's got a young family and he wants to take some time with them.'
General Manager Jan Volk said the move amounts to a job swap by Rodgers and Jones, who will now work directly with him.
'It's not going to change the responsibilities within the organization, but rather give us an even more effective fulfillment in that role,' Volk said.
Jones has collected 12 NBA championship rings, eight as a player, one as a Lakers assistant, one as a Boston assistant and two as the Celtics head coach. He also won an Olympic gold medal, had his jersey retired by the Celtics and won two NCAA basketball titles at the University of San Francisco.
Jones led Boston to the finals every spring since being named to replace Bill Fitch in 1983. The Celtics won the title under Jones in 1984 and 1986.
Under Jones, the Celtics have a 308-102 regular-season record. Jones, who spent three years coaching Washington, has a 463-193 regular-season record as an NBA coach.
At San Francisco, he paired with Bill Russell to win the 1955 and 1956 NCAA championships. The Russell-Jones combination also led USF to 60 consecutive victories.
Jones won a gold medal with the 1956 U.S. Olympic basketball team. He was drafted in 1955 by the NFL's Los Angeles Rams.
