Sixers rumors: Doc Rivers supplants Mike D'Antoni in head coach search

The Sixers are on the verge of a new head coach. One name now stands above the rest.

Rather than focus on the unforgivable sins of this Sixers head coaching search — no front office changes, a blatant lack of thoroughness, no creativity whatsoever — we can instead focus on the two-horse race at hand. A different two-horse race than was initially expected.

Just last week, the Philadelphia 76ers seemed ready to pick between Mike D’Antoni and Ty Lue to replace Brett Brown. Then, surprisingly, the Clippers fired Doc Rivers. That has drastically changed the DNA of this search.

Instead of Lue, who was Rivers’ assistant in LA, it is Rivers who will compete with D’Antoni for the head coaching spot. And, after meeting with ownership on Wednesday night, it appears that Rivers has all the momentum.

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According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, there is “growing belief” around the league Rivers has supplanted D’Antoni as the favorite. Just last week, D’Antoni had support from top to bottom in the organization, including a blessing from Joel Embiid. With Rivers’ winning personality, it might not matter.

Rivers is a name brand, which is rare among NBA coaches. He’s a cachet hire, which is in line with Philadelphia’s priorities of late. Rather than sift through lesser-known candidates, the Sixers have essentially sought interviews with the biggest names available. There is no bigger name than Rivers.

Of course, Rivers’ reputation is what it is for a reason. He’s a tremendous regular season coach and he won a championship with Boston in 2008. His career record of 943-681 is Hall of Fame-worthy, and he is one of the most memorable coaches from his generation.

With that said, Rivers is not the most exciting possibility. Many of the flaws that led to Brett Brown’s departure are shared by Rivers. He gets stuck in his ways, he’s slow to adjust, and he doesn’t always maintain control of his locker rooms. The Clippers fractured once in the Chris Paul era, then fractured again last season. When it comes to the playoffs, Rivers has blown a 3-1 lead in three separate decades.

He is far from a perfect candidate, and it’s fair to question whether Rivers will bring enough change to improve the Sixers’ trajectory. While it’s unfair to claim Rivers is outright worse than D’Antoni or Lue, he brings less opportunity for innovation. Both Lue and D’Antoni are far more creative when it comes to scheming offensive success, which the Sixers need.

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And yet, Rivers seems likely to get the job. Be prepared to hear Marc Zumoff rattle off the name Glenn frequently next season.

Sixers rumors: Doc Rivers supplants Mike D’Antoni in head coach search

By Christopher Kline | Oct 1, 2020

The Sixers are on the verge of a new head coach. One name now stands above the rest.