With the Philadelphia 76ers turning in one of the most disappointing single-season performances by a team in NBA history, the call for the franchise to effectuate huge changes to the squad has never been louder. After all, despite the huge turmoil they have conjured and trapped themselves in this year, they still possess the kind of talent that can take them places.
As the season went on and it became apparent that the 76ers were headed to no man’s land, fans and pundits alike have slowly clamored for a huge switch-up in one crucial area — the coaching staff. Despite his pedigree, Nick Nurse has struck a lot of nerves this year with his questionable decision-making and funky lineup management.
But for now, it seems like the 76ers do not have any imminent plans of moving on from Nurse, who probably still deserves the benefit of doubt for having no choice but to spearhead a makeshift team given all the injuries to key players.
Doc Rivers is only making the 76ers look good for their decision to move on from him
Keeping Nurse looks even better when viewed from a backwards vista — of what fortunately did not happen. And as you might have already guessed by now, we are referring to Doc Rivers, the man Nurse usurped back in 2023.
Rivers, now with the Bucks, has once again been the subject of flak thanks to Milwaukee having a subpar record this season by their standards. Despite having a star-studded roster led by perennial MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have only mustered a 40-31 record, good for fifth place in the East.
The 76ers are not better by any stretch of the imagination, yet all things considered, Milwaukee surely cannot be satisfied with their team’s performance this season. Recently, Rivers has once again found a way to puzzle everyone after his latest delusional comments.
"No one tells a real story. And I’m fine with that. It’s unfair in some ways. I don’t get enough credit for getting the three wins. I get credit for losing. I always say, ‘What if we had lost to Houston in six?’ No one cares. One of the things that I’m proud of is we’ve never been swept. All the coaches have been swept in the playoffs. My teams achieve. A lot of them overachieve and I’m very proud of that."
No coach has ever milked more out of a single championship than Rivers. In fact, he has been the man in the sidelines for a bunch of contenders that have underperformed. Yet it seems like the longtime tactician is not letting criticism for his lack of team success get past him when he fully deserves to shoulder some of the blame.
Rivers seems content just overachieving in his eyes. No coach has a strnger infatuation with moral victories — a concept that should die altogether in the context of the NBA playoffs.
Fortunately, Rivers is no longer the one holding the clipboard for the 76ers. Otherwise, they could once again find themselves stuck with someone who refuses to shoulder accountability and see things to their supposed conclusion.