Doc Rivers has released a statement after parting ways with the Los Angeles Clippers.
https://twitter.com/DocRivers/status/1310693712524120067
Rivers had been with the Clippers since 2013 after the franchise acquired him from the Boston Celtics in a rare trade that involved a coach. The Chicago native went 356-208 in the regular season.
Rivers has the most wins in franchise history, but his lack of playoff success led to his downfall. He was never able to lead the Clippers to the conference finals in the West. Overall, Los Angeles went 27-32 in the postseason and blew two 3-1 series leads under Doc Rivers.
The collapse to the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 playoffs was extremely bad, considering the Clippers had Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the way. They also boasted a deep roster with two Sixth Man of the Year winners in Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.
Moving forward, it's going to be fascinating to see who the Clippers interview and ultimately hire as the team's new head coach. Odds are former Cleveland Cavaliers tactician Tyronn Lue will get a fair shot since he's already on the staff as an assistant and won the 2016 title over the Golden State Warriors with the Cavs.
The Clippers are one of the few franchises in the NBA without a title. The team has never even been to the Finals either. With Leonard and George under contract for one more year (both stars can become unrestricted free agents in the offseason of 2021), LAC pretty much has to hire a coach that Kawhi and PG respect.
The roster in Los Angeles could undergo some changes this offseason as well. Harrell becomes an unrestricted free agent and there has been talk about the Clippers letting him walk in free agency since he was exposed on defense in the playoffs down in Orlando, Florida.
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