Just two days after flaming out of the NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers have parted ways with veteran head coach Doc Rivers after three seasons at the helm. Shortly after the news broke, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey spoke out on the decision to fire Rivers.
“Doc is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer, and someone I respect immensely. We’re grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise. After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship.”
Sixers officially announce the firing of Doc Rivers as the team's head coach in a statement from Daryl Morey. pic.twitter.com/KeteQBUn6q
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 16, 2023
In other words, the Sixers aren't capable of winning a title under Doc. It's difficult to put all the blame on him when Joel Embiid and James Harden combined for a mere 24 points in Game 7 on Sunday, failing to produce when it mattered most. That's the biggest problem.
But, as we know, you can't fire players, therefore Rivers is the one who is now out of a job. In three seasons in charge, Rivers couldn't get Philly past the conference semifinals, despite Harden linking up with Embiid to form one of the best duos in the Association.
Doc is just one of several high-profile head coaches who have been canned in recent weeks. The Milwaukee Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer after a shocking first-round exit, the Phoenix Suns let go of Monty Williams, and Nick Nurse mutually agreed to part ways with the Toronto Raptors.
Needless to say, there are lots of candidates out there for the Sixers. As for Doc Rivers, I'm sure he'll be in contention for another HC vacancy soon enough, too.
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