The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets pulled off one of the biggest trades in recent memory when they agreed on a deal that would see Ben Simmons and James Harden swap teams. As it turns out, however, this could be just the first step for the Sixers who are now being linked to a rather contentious “conspiracy theory” centered around team president Daryl Morey.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Morey could be looking to relieve current Sixers head coach Doc Rivers from his post with the prospect of bringing in Mike D'Antoni as his replacement:
Rivers might have a more significant problem to manage than merely tuning out the naysayers questioning his presence on the Top 15 list. The conspiracy theory already making the rounds in league coaching circles holds that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey will eventually want Mike D’Antoni to take over in the hot seat for Philadelphia’s new Joel Embiid/James Harden tag team after D’Antoni’s offensive creativity helped catapult Harden to three scoring titles in Houston.
Harden's success with the Rockets is well-documented and then-head coach Mike D'Antoni, who currently serves as a coaching adviser for the New Orleans Pelicans, played a pivotal role in the former's achievements in Houston, which includes an MVP trophy in 2018. Daryl Morey is seen as the architect behind this partnership and it looks like he's planning to reunite Harden and D'Antono in Philly.
It is worth noting, however, that Sixers team insider Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice reported that this notion was completely shot down by multiple sources close to the squad:
Sorry to interrupt Super Bowl talk:
Checked in on rumor regarding Morey looking to replace Rivers with D’Antoni. Was shot down instantly by multiple team sources, who noted the job Rivers has done this year in strange circumstances in addition to Embiid’s leap under Doc’s watch
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) February 13, 2022
Doc Rivers is widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time. However, he hasn't found ultimate success with the Sixers since taking over the helm last season. The 60-year-old is just in his second season in Philly, though, and giving him the ax even before he's had the chance to coach the 76ers' new superstar tandem of Joel Embiid and James Harden would be rather unfortunate and probably ill-timed.
Regardless if these rumors are true or not, what cannot be denied is that Rivers will be on the hot seat for the remainder of this season — and perhaps beyond. The front office has provided him with the necessary tools to succeed and with Embiid currently in MVP form, anything less than a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals would be considered a disappointment for this squad.
Follow Us
Subscribe