Austin Rivers' time with the New York Knicks has turned out to be quite a nightmare for the 28-year-old. Nonetheless, don't expect Philadelphia 76ers head coach (and his dad, of course) Doc Rivers to get involved in what has quickly become a problematic situation for Austin in the Big Apple.
Prior to the Sixers' matchup against the Knicks on Tuesday, Doc was asked to give his thoughts on his son's situation with the Knicks. Apparently, coach Doc has distanced himself as far as he can from his son's current predicament:
“That’s basketball — I stay out of that,’’ Rivers said on Tuesday, via Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Doc then went on to admit that he has spoken to Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, but he's never touched on the subject of Austin's stature with the team:
Article Continues Below“Tom and I talk, but not about Austin,” Doc added. “I don’t call coaches and suggest who they should play. I just don’t. If it’s your son or not. I stay away from that.’’
Fair point from Doc here. Although he did trade for Austin during his time with the Los Angeles Clippers and it's hard to imagine that there was zero bias in Doc's decision to bring his son to L.A.
Rivers has not played for the Knicks since mid-February. He fell out of coach Thibs' rotation when Derrick Rose arrived, and he hasn't suited up for New York for 12 games now (although he was also placed under the league's health and safety protocols).
Nonetheless, Doc Rivers remains adamant about staying out of the picture in terms of his son's career in New York. Although, this doesn't mean that he can't bring Austin to Philly.