The Philadelphia 76ers still need a head coach. Doc Rivers will be considered for the job, but there are several reasons why the Sixers should proceed with caution.
Now that the Los Angeles Clippers and Doc Rivers have decided to part ways with each other, the Philadelphia 76ers are now in the mix to sign him as their next head coach. Although he led Boston to a championship in 2008, Doc Rivers has been unable to lead another team back to the NBA Finals. Before Sixers management just hands him the job, we have to explore the reasons why he’s been unable to repeat championship success.
First, let’s start with poor judgement. If you look at Doc Rivers’ 2015 decision to trade for his son, Austin Rivers, it made many NBA insiders scratch their heads. For fans, it might have seemed more novel than alarming, a father hiring his own son to play for his team. If you are a member of the team though, it could create some uncomfortable situations in the locker room and on the court. That’s what reports said it did after Chris Paul was moved to Houston and the Lob City era ended.
According to ESPN’s Michael Eaves:
"“Paul’s relationship with Doc Rivers started to deteriorate rapidly after the Clippers acquired Austin Rivers. One of Paul’s biggest contentions with Doc was that Paul, and other players, felt Doc treated Austin more favorably than other players.”"
Even though Austin Rivers became a decent role player in the NBA, his addition to the Clippers, while his father was the head coach, impacted the team in a negative way. His decision to trade for his son and resign him to the team is questionable to this day.
Secondly, Doc Rivers could not get the job done with multiple All-Stars. Granted, the Clippers played in the Western Conference, where all eight teams that made the playoffs during his tenure were considered legit contenders. Yet, with future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul and Rookie of the Year/All-Star Blake Griffin, there’s no reason why the Clippers should not have made at least one Finals appearance. You also have to consider the additional talent on the Clippers during that time. Rivers had DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes, and Jamal Crawford. He had this squad for several years, starting in 2013. Not one Finals appearance is unacceptable.
After the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead—the third blown 3-1 lead in Doc Rivers’ coaching career—I wrote about what they need to change, including the possibility of moving on from Doc. But their changes can’t just start and end with only a new head coach. https://t.co/VDGR5beph1
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) September 28, 2020
The third reason why the Sixers should pass on Doc Rivers is similar to the last. His most recent Clippers team had multiple stars, but he still could not get the job done. Even with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers underachieved. They were favored to win the championship according to ESPN’s preseason predictions. With those players and Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell, Doc Rivers still couldn’t get his talented roster of players past the Denver Nuggets in their recent playoff series, despite having a 3-1 series lead.
After they were eliminated, Paul George let his pride speak for his team’s disappointing results and gave the perfect bubble excuse: “we’ve always felt this isn’t a championship-or-bust year for us.” If that was their real reason, Rivers should share some of the blame for them not being motivated enough to contend for a championship. As we see from the Heat and Lakers, Frank Vogel and Erik Spoelstra have been able to get their players to buy into playing hard despite being in the bubble.
Doc Rivers had a decent career as an NBA point guard. He had coaching success in Boston over a decade ago. Rivers should not be the next coach for Philadelphia because this organization is on a completely different level when it comes to player issues and the underdevelopment of talent.
The duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is much better than Embiid and Simmons. The Clippers duo have more proven records in their respective careers than the Sixers’ young combo. What makes us think that Doc Rivers will achieve anything greater than his stint in LA with a 76ers roster full of pieces that don’t fit?
Lucas Johnson feels that Rivers should be the next coach. I completely disagree. His record of blowing 3-1 playoff leads is astounding and speaks volumes about his decline as a coach. Could Rivers connect with the Sixers players, win some games, and make the playoffs? It’s possible. It just doesn’t seem likely he is the one to take this team to championship heights, considering his underachievement with the Clippers.