Mere days after the Los Angeles Clippers decided to fire longtime head coach Doc Rivers, the respected basketball mind already has a new job.
Earlier on Thursday, it was noted that the Philadelphia 76ers had stepped up in their pursuit of the championship-winning head coach. In shocking fashion, Philadelphia has already made the move, as they have hired Doc Rivers to be their next head coach.
After a rapid courtship and negotiation, Doc Rivers has reached agreement on a deal to become the next coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 1, 2020
Rivers, 58, replaces Brett Brown on the Sixers’ bench after spending each of the past seven seasons in Southern California with the Clippers. He led Los Angeles to a 356-208 record en route to earning six playoff appearances in those seven seasons.
However, the team never advanced beyond the conference semifinals under Rivers’ watch. That played a role in owner Steve Ballmer and Co. moving on from the head coach.
Rivers takes over a Sixers squad that’s coming off a disastrous 2019-20 season that saw them lose in the first round of the playoffs. Under the leadership of general manager Elton Brand, Philadelphia is need of upgrading its roster in order to be considered a top-end title contender.
Within hours of Rivers’ departure from Los Angeles, Sixers owner Josh Harris wanted to send a plane to Southern California to interview Rivers. The team was obviously in on him from the start. That’s despite the fact that former Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni was seen as a front-runner.
According to this note from Jason Dumas of a local NBC News affiliate in Philadelphia, the Sixers’ brass was split between Tyronn Lue and D’Antoni. The ownership did not want to hire Lue, while Brand was not a fan of bringing on D’Antoni. Once Rivers became available, the two sides found common ground.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic, citing sources close to the situation, noted late last month that there were issues within the Clippers’ locker room during the first and only season Rivers headed a group led by George and Leonard.
“The Clippers’ preferential treatment of Leonard and George was an issue for multiple teammates all season,” the report read. Now that Rivers will be leading a team with two other obvious stars in that of Simmons and Embiid, one has to wonder how that might impact the remainder of the roster.
The good news here? Rivers coached the Sixers’ No. 3 option in that of Tobias Harris when both were members of the Clippers before he was dealt to Philadelphia. That built-in relationship could mitigate tensions.
Whatever drama there might have been behind the scenes in Philadelphia, everything seemingly came out smelling like roses. The Clippers’ decision to move on from Rivers changed the entire dynamic between Brand and the Sixers’ ownership group.
Whether this hire proves to be fruitful remains to be seen. Brand has a lot of work to do if this team is going to become a legit title contender back East.
Once Philadelphia decided to fire Brown, the next step was to bring in an experienced guy to man the bench. Rivers fits that qualification to a T.
This was a big-name hire meant to change the trajectory of the Sixers organization. It will be interesting to see if related roster moves are made during the offseason.
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