Doc Rivers is the one to fall on the sword.
The Philadelphia 76ers fired Rivers on Tuesday after three seasons as head coach merely two days after an embarrassing exit from the playoffs. The 61-year-old led the Sixers into the second spherical in all of his seasons nonetheless not at all superior into the Jap Convention Finals.
“We’re grateful for all he did in his three seasons right here and thank him for the essential impression he made on our franchise,” workforce president Daryl Morey talked about in a press launch. “After having the prospect to replicate upon our season, we determined that sure modifications are essential to additional our targets of competing for a championship.”
Rivers’ ultimate act accountable for the 76ers was their disastrous 112-88 Recreation 7 loss to the Boston Celtics which featured a historically harmful 10-point third quarter that tied an NBA-shot clock interval doc for the fewest elements scored in a postseason quarter. The loss was Rivers’ tenth Recreation 7 lack of his occupation which is 5 higher than each different coach in NBA historic previous.
The pinnacle coach talked about Sunday he anticipated to be once more with two years remaining on his contract.
“Yeah. I believe I acquired two years left. Nobody is secure in our enterprise and I get that,” Rivers talked about.
The 76ers have been 54-28 this season — proudly proudly owning the East’s No. 3 seed — and have expert a great deal of frequent season success all through Rivers’ tenure, nonetheless, they haven’t been ready to get better from the hump inside the playoffs.
Rivers finishes with a 154-82 (.659) doc as head coach in Philadelphia. The longtime bench boss joined the Sixers after seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Chicago native was named considered one of many 15 greatest coaches in NBA historic previous in 2021-22 and has gained one NBA championship (2007-2008 Celtics) in 24 seasons as a coach. Total, he’s 1,097-763 in his occupation that began in 1999-2000 as the highest coach of the Orlando Magic, the season he gained his one and solely Coach of the Yr award after his rookie season.
Now, James Harden and 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid’s squad are on the market for a model new captain of the ship. Harden was requested after Sunday’s loss if he had an ideal relationship with Rivers and if he wanted him to remain the highest coach.
Harden responded by saying their relationship is “OK,” nonetheless, he didn’t acknowledge the second part of the question. The 33-year-old averaged 21 elements and a career-high 10.7 assists per recreation in his first full season with the Sixers after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons in February 2022.
The search for a head coach in Philadelphia already options an enormous file of names. Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, Mike D’Antoni, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel and Monty Williams are all inside the working to take over, in accordance with ESPN
Budenholzer was merely canned by the Milwaukee Bucks after their first-round loss as a result of the No. 1 seed to the No. 8 seed Miami Warmth — who finally superior into the Convention Finals for the third time inside the ultimate 4 seasons. The Phoenix Suns moreover merely moved on from Williams after falling inside the second spherical to the Denver Nuggets. D’Antoni is an attention-grabbing candidate as Harden had his 2018-19 MVP season — 36.1 elements and 7.5 assists per recreation — beneath his system when he was the highest coach of the Houston Rockets
The rest of the candidates moreover private head educating experience besides Cassell who has not at all acquired the prospect to be on the helm.
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Originally posted 2023-05-20 14:37:51.