76ers fire Doc Rivers, prepare for an offseason of huge changes
The 76ers didn’t waste any time firing Doc Rivers. How many more changes will this Philadelphia team make this offseason?
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the 76ers have fired Doc Rivers. This after recent reports came out that James Harden would be highly unlikely to re-sign with the Sixers if they kept Rivers for next season. Philadelphia is facing a very interesting offseason where Harden may leave and put the Sixers in a really tough spot.
Joel Embiid’s future is at stake too and it’s not clear how he would respond if Harden decides to leave. This would leave the team with him as the only star and not a lot of assets to make a move for another one. Additionally, the Sixers would be signaling to Embiid that they choose to favor the long-term over the short-term if they let Harden leave.
Why did the Philadelphia 76ers fire Doc Rivers?
This playoff run may have not been the main reason that Rivers was fired. There are probably two main reasons — his coaching history in recent playoff series has been terrible and Harden was more likely to leave if Rivers stayed.
The Sixers are looking to replace Rivers with a vet coach. Sam Cassell is a top assistant with the Sixers and would fit nicely with the locker room. Woj reported that Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams, Frank Vogel, Mike D’Antoni, Sam Cassell and Nick Nurse are the top options for the job. The main weakness for all of these coaches is the fact that they can’t manage rotations well and often stick to their guys who they felt confident in at the beginning of the season.
This wouldn’t really be that much of a change from Doc, who struggled with rotations during his time in Philly. The only coach in this list that could be a change from Rivers is Sam Cassell who has been one of the top assistants in the league over the last year.
Next. Sixers are between a rock and a hard place with James Harden’s future. dark
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