Did Danny Ainge deny the Clippers the opportunity to speak with Doc Rivers? Did they even ask?

Updating an earlier story on the mutual interest between Doc and the Clippers, the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy is reporting that Ainge said "no" to LA:

According to a source, Celtics president Danny Ainge denied a request from the Clippers to talk to Rivers earlier this week.

However, the ESPN LA article from just hours before led with this line:

The Los Angeles Clippers have not formally requested permission to interview Celtics coach Doc Rivers in the wake of widespread reports about Rivers' potential departure from Boston...

On the other hand, this afternoon ESPN's own Chris Broussard wrote:

The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers asked for permission to speak with Rivers about their coaching jobs last month, but Ainge refused to grant it.

So to recap, the Clippers asked the Celtics to speak with Doc either last month, this week, or not at all.  Regardless, it appears they will not be talking to him any time soon.  And the saga continues...


Follow Mark on twitter @LucidSportsFan