Boston will hand coaching reins to Rivers

So much for Jeff Hornacek's head-coaching candidacy in Boston.

The Celtics reportedly have a new coach, and it's not the retired Jazz shooting guard, who said Monday he was interested in interviewing for the job.

It's not current Pepperdine University and ex-NBA coach Paul Westphal, rumored elsewhere to be Boston boss Danny Ainge's top choice, either.

Instead, The Boston Globe reported first on its web site Wednesday afternoon, it's former Orlando Magic coach Doc Rivers.

"A press conference to announce the hiring could take place as soon as (today)," said the Globe, which cited "team sources and a source close to Rivers."

Rivers was the NBA's 2000 Coach of the Year in Orlando, but the Magic fired him in November following a 1-10 start, and shortly afterward ABC hired him as an analyst paired with Al Michaels on its top NBA broadcast team.

Rivers replaces interim coach John Carroll, who took over after Jim O'Brien resigned in January.

Carroll was dismissed Monday, and shortly afterward Hornacek acknowledged he had spoken with Ainge, the Celtics' basketball operations executive director, about the possibility of interviewing for the post.

Hornacek— who joined the Jazz in 1994 and retired in 2000, after a 14-season NBA career — currently resides with his family in the Phoenix area.

'TAG HEADING HOME?: When the regular season recently ended, Jazz center Greg Ostertag said he was ready to test the NBA's free-agency market this July.

Ostertag suggested he was keeping virtually all options open, eliminating only one.

"New York?" he said with a laugh when asked. "No. Not a big-city fan."

Earlier this week, Ostertag got more specific.

The boot-wearing Texas native said he would "love" to play in Dallas, close to his nearby hometown of Duncanville. The nine-season Jazz vet quickly added, though, that he still has not ruled out the possibility of returning for a 10th season in Utah.

SHANDON AVAILABLE?: According to a New York Daily News report, ex-Jazz swingman Shandon Anderson is among five Knicks who will be left unprotected and available for the Charlotte Bobcats to pick in the league's June expansion draft.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com