NFL
The Philadelphia 76ers have their coach in Doc Rivers. Now, the question of is he enough will begin. Armed with talent throughout the roster, the 76ers have underachieved each of the last two seasons. Can they afford to do it again this coming year? No, the reason for that is Rivers. The failures of the 76ers fell on the shoulders of former coach Brett Brown. According to rumors, he lost the team.
Players didn’t run the offense properly, showed up to camp out of shape, and didn’t bring that winning attitude that was required to take that next step. So, in the eyes of GM Elton Brand, Rivers is the one to provide that? He does have a good track record with coaching stars and their egos but he also has a track record of not getting teams over that hump.
His one championship came while with the Boston Celtics in 2008. Rivers was coach of a team that featured three Hall of Fame worthy players in Kevin Garrett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. That team was built on defense and veteran leadership.
Then he took on the job of resurrecting the organization of the Los Angeles Clippers and for a while, it was working. Armed with talented players such as Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, the Clippers won games but never reached the NBA Finals. Then, this season, the Clippers made what they thought were all the right moves during the offseason and landed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. What resulted was an epic series lead collapse and his departure.
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Fast forward and here he is in Philly leading a team that has no idea what their identity is. A big man who can’t stay healthy, a PG who can’t shoot, and huge contracts given to role players who have vanished when needed most. What will Rivers provide the team that Brown couldn’t?
Will Rivers turn Ben Simmons and Joel Embidd into the next Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar? Or, will he turn them into the next Clippers? To be fair, Johnson and Jabbar are out of their reach. Rivers will be best served molding Simmons into Rajon Rondo. Rondo was not much of a shooter under Rivers but he controlled other facets of the game. Embidd is a top center in the league and for the Philadelphia 76ers to play to their full potential, both he and Simmons will have to give their all.
In the minds of Philadelphia 76ers’ fans, Rivers is that guy. But is he really? Was he able to win a championship with Paul and Griffin? What about the lack of success with George and Kawhi? Rivers has been a great regular season coach but playoffs are something different. The Philadelphia 76ers have been a great regular season team but have faltered in the playoffs. This is not a match made in heaven. This is a team and coach who has not done what has been needed to reach that next level.
