**Allow me to preface with this, everything below was written minutes before Daryl Morey announced that Doc Rivers is this team’s coach going forward. I don’t believe him, and I think that sometime this summer Morey will change his mind and move away from Rivers.**
Doc Rivers’ Sixers failures
After two seasons with Doc Rivers at the helm, the Philadelphia 76ers have lost in back-to-back second-round disappointments. Whispers and rumors around the NBA seem to indicate that the Sixers’ relationship with Rivers is at an end, and for good reason. After two seasons, Rivers had led the team to two disappointing collapses while coaching one of the best players in the league in Joel Embiid. Joel has been paired with all-star caliber players such as Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, and former MVP James Harden. With a roster like this, any loss short of the Eastern Conference Finals would be considered a failure, and in the two years of Rivers, the Sixers have fallen short of that goal in a very lackluster fashion. To quote my colleague Matt Cahill, “this team has gone out with a whimper, not a bang”. And the next step is to end the team’s relationship with Rivers.
Now with Rivers most likely out of the picture, who would be the ideal head coach for this Sixers team, and who is the best available coach for the Sixers to hire?
Let’s start with the Sixer’s weaknesses that a head coach can fix. The weakest points that were put on full display during this postseason were the Sixers’ hustle and rebounding, defensive effort, offensive ball movement, and mentality. That’s a lot of issues, I know, but I’m going to focus on the two that killed the Sixers: mentality and defensive effort.
The ideal Sixers coach: Ime Udoka
Look at what Udoka has done in one season for the Celtics. He took a young team that needed a push, and he pushed them into becoming a defensive powerhouse. He equipped them with a toughness and a team-defense mentality that gave them an identity. That identity has led them to become true contenders.
The Sixers need that. They need to be pushed. Tobias Harris talked about their lack of toughness after the game 6 loss.
"“Mental toughness: That part of it, I don’t think we have yet, right? Seeing the Milwaukee game yesterday, that’s a team that’s been through the fire, being able to fight and just keep going. I think at times for our group, too many things just affected us as a whole. We drop our heads too much, our body language at times is crappy, and we needed that to be better throughout this series. And I think that hurt us in this series, our mental toughness for sure hurt us.”"
Tobias is correct, and they need a coach that can instill mental toughness and a “F*** you” attitude into this roster.
Beyond just the mental side of things, the Sixers need a makeover on the defensive side of the floor. Multiple times over this series and vs Toronto in Round 1, the Sixers got beat to easy rebounds, 50-50 balls, and hustle plays that could’ve changed the outcome of the series. The rotations were sloppy, the hustle was lackluster, if not nonexistent, and no one seemed to care.
So, seeing that Ime Udoka is unavailable for the Sixers to hire, who does that leave?
The Sixers perfect coaching hire: Charles Lee
Charles Lee is currently an assistant for NBA Champion Mike Budenholzer, coaching up the reigning champs, the Milwaukee Bucks. Coach Bud is a product of the “Gregg Popovich coaching school”, the same school that produced Udoka. That was my first search when I was looking for Rivers’ replacement, and it should be Morey’s as well.
The Popovich coaching tree has been an incredible source of quality NBA head coaches, the latest of which was the aforementioned Ime Udoka and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Taylor Jenkins. All these coaches have a spark about them, something that gives them an edge when it comes to coaching and leading some of the best athletes in the world. Lee has that spark, and other franchises see it as well. He was requested by the LA Lakers for an interview a few days back.
Along with the prestigious background and experience Lee has, he also is a key part in the Milwaukee Bucks’ defensive approach and growth over these past few seasons. That is something this Sixers team sorely needs.
Honorable Mentions
- Sixers Assistant Dan Burke
- Burke is the defensive mind on the Sixers, and giving him the reigns to lead this team without the oversight and micromanaging from Rivers could help him to blossom and lead this team.
- NBA Champion Rip Hamilton
- This one is a long shot, but it’s not that strange. Hamilton was a defensive stopper during his time in the league, and his teammate and friend Chauncey Billups recently was hired to coach the Portland Trail Blazers. Discussions around Hamilton are minimal at the moment but don’t be shocked to hear them ramp up.