Rajon Rondo now has security in the form of the five-year deal to which he’s agreed in principle. At the same time, Celtics coach Doc Rivers also has a form of security in knowing that he will have the dynamic point guard beyond the 2009-10 NBA season. And so, Rivers felt little need to hide his enthusiasm for the deal. 

“I love it. Whenever we can lock up a player like him, that’s what you want to do,” said Rivers. “I said last week that I really thought he’d be a Celtic for life. Now, with the contract, at least for the most part of it, he will be. That’s a good thing.” 

That notwithstanding, Rivers suggested that the deal — which has yet to be finalized — will do little else to change the Celtics. Rondo will be treated as the same player, and the team is unlikely to view the point guard differently just because he received the lucrative deal.

“I just look at him as a player. I’m not going to look at him today any differently than I did yesterday. When he screws up, I’m still going to yell at him. I can fine him more. I guess that’s the good news of the contract. We treat him the same. We treat everyone the same. Our motto here is we’re going to coach you the way you should be someday, not the way you are today. That goes for everyone,” said Rivers. “It’s obviously a topic of conversation because everyone talks about it all around. It’s funny – no one made a big deal of it [at practice] today. They kidded him about it. We just went about our business. That’s pretty much who we are.”

Rivers did not seem to think that complacency would become an issue for Rondo in light of the financial security of incredible wealth. The idea of a player achieving peace of mind through such a contract, the Celtics coach suggested, was exaggerated.

“As a player, you just play. It’s all within. You keep your drive. You keep pushing forward. He’s 24 years old. I think that is for guys, that 32-year-old age who get that last contract, that’s peace of mind,” said Rivers. “But at this point in his career, I don’t think he thinks of it that way. I think he looks at is as something I’ve earned, something I’ve worked extremely hard for, and I want a couple more of these big deals.”