NFL
By: Brock Vierra
Over a week removed from the Philadelphia 76ers’ embarrassing game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics, the city of brotherly love shares a love/ hate relationship with their professional basketball franchise. A constant loser who hasn’t reached the Eastern Conference Finals in over 20 years, the long-term future of the team (with Joel Embiid who is the reigning NBA MVP) remains promising. However, a change in the coaching staff felt needed. In a move I wholeheartedly supported, the 76ers move on from Doc Rivers. In good time, we will talk about what the future could look like for the Sixers but we need to talk about the more pressing matter, the future of Doc.
Glenn Anton “Doc” Rivers is a respected voice in basketball. His tenures as a player and coach have given him tremendous clout and acclaim and his 2008 NBA title gives him legitimacy as a leader of men. However, his lack of postseason success outside of 2008 and the fact he hasn’t made a conference finals since he left Boston makes many question his ability as a strategist, especially during high-pressure situations. If Doc gets another coaching job, it would be his 5th head coaching stint in the NBA. Now I never want to talk about another man’s money but I think it would be incredibly irresponsible if a franchise was to turn over the keys to their future to Doc.
Now I could talk about his lack of playoff success all day. We could discuss his abysmal record in game 7s or his blown 3-1 leads. This situation isn’t necessarily about Doc Rivers but about head coaching opportunities across the league. Doc Rivers is rumored to be in contention for the Sun’s job and that brings up the big question of when will other assistant coaches get their shot. When will Sam Cassell get his shot? I mean Cassell spent the final years of his playing career in a mentor role before embarking on a now 11-year coaching career, all spent as an assistant. He’s one of the best teachers in professional basketball yet still has to wait his turn for a much-deserved opportunity. What about Ty Lue? The NBA champion as both a player and as a head coach had to wait six years before his opportunity which only came after the mid-season firing of David Blatt. After his tenure with the Cavs ended, he had to go back to being an assistant (under Doc Rivers) in Los Angeles before being named the Clipper’s head coach. Now I could go on about the endless amount of coaches who’ve had to spend way too many years as assistants before getting head coaching opportunities like J.B. Bickerstaff, Erik Spoelstra, Nick Nurse, Darvin Ham, and Tom Thibodeau. All head coaches who made the playoffs or play-in in 2023 and spent more than 10 years as an assistant before getting their first head coaching job. Thibodeau’s being the most egregious as he spent over 20 years as an assistant and when you look at the facts, there’s a reason Doc Rivers’ greatest amount of coaching success occurred when Thibodeau was his assistant.
But as previously mentioned, this isn’t just about Doc. It’s about the NBA. I’m not mad at Doc, he’s human and he is who he is. I’m mad at the people that continuously give him opportunities to the dismay of the players and fans. How I feel about Doc is the same way I feel about Rick Carlisle, the same way I feel about Jason Kidd, Nate McMillian, and Mike D’Antoni. It’s time for front-office executives to stop playing safe and get off their butts. It’s time for them to stand up and make tough decisions. It’s time to hire new coaches. It’s time for some innovation and excitement in basketball and those traits will never be found by hiring coaches who’ve been around the block one too many times. When it comes to hiring head coaches with a little bit too much head coaching experience, when it comes to the rhetoric of these coaches just need the right situation, it’s time to dock the ship.
