Getty Head coach Doc Rivers.
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ win against the Indiana Pacers on Monday was like using a rag to muffle a high-grade Bose speaker: it silenced some of the noise, but not all of it. It didn’t help that Indiana, like the Sixers’ preceding opponent San Antonio Spurs, is almost certainly in play for Victor Wembanyama and thus totally below Philadelphia’s talent level. But hey, a win is a win.
Some of the noise that’s come to encompass Philadelphia’s season thus far has been directed at head coach Doc Rivers. Rivers has been the subject of intense scrutiny after Philadelphia posted a 1-3 start to the season. And according to Zach Lowe of ESPN, some of that scrutiny is coming from within league circles.
“Bill Simmons has been saying for weeks on his podcast Doc could be the first coach fired,” Lowe said on his podcast The Lowe Post on Tuesday. “Certainly, people are chattering about that in the league ecosystem, but I don’t know how much that chatter is actually reality and this is Daryl Morey’s team.”
It’s not the first time Rivers’ name has come up in league circles. A few weeks ago, Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney spoke with on Eastern Conference executive who mused about the former Boston Celtics champion’s future in the City of Brotherly Love.
Sixers Could Look to Sam Cassell as Rivers Replacement
Ahead of the Sixers’ first game against the Boston Celtics, Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports spoke with an Eastern Conference executive about the possibility that Rivers could be fired by Philadelphia. According to the exec, there’s only one scenario in which that might happen.
“It would have to be a very slow start for them to make a move in the middle of the season, and they’d have to get the feedback from the players, from Harden and Embiid, PJ Tucker, guys who Daryl trusts. Sam Cassell is on the bench there so they could have a ready-made replacement. They have a really good staff there, Doc is one of the best at putting together a staff. Hard to see them making a move there, though.”
Not only do the Sixers have Cassell, but also former Sacramento Kings skipper Dave Joerger on the bench. Then there’s Mike D’Antoni, the former Rockets head coach during the James Harden-Daryl Morey years in Houston. D’Antoni is currently a consultant with the New Orleans Pelicans, but could likely easily be pried away from NOLA by Morey.
Is there any question Morey would pull the trigger on that deal? All indications this summer have been that the Sixers’ GM is looking to rebuild his Rockets team that was a Chris Paul hamstring injury away from potentially going to the 2018 Finals.
If the Sixers don’t turn things around soon, that Eastern Conference exec’s vision might well turn true. Fortunately, Rivers showed some signs that he might be changing up the rotation, which could turn out to be a job-saving move.
Rivers Leans on Shake Milton in Pacers Win
Over the summer, the Sixers worked hard to add depth to a bench unit that finished 27th in assists and 28th in scoring last season. But through the first three games of the season, you’d be forgiven if you thought nothing changed. The Sixers’ bench was outscored 40-10 across the three games.
Part of the problem was a serious rotation problem from the Sixers: the starters were seeing upwards of 40 minutes per game, leaving little time for the bench to have any impact. But against the Pacers, Rivers changed things up.
“We want to add another guy to the rotation, and tonight it was Shake (Milton),” Rivers explained after the game.
Really thought the additions of Melton and House would make a big difference. It’s only three games, but neither has made much of an impact. Sixers’ bench outscored 40-10.
If the Sixers want to keep their aging starters healthy, they could do well to manage their minutes during the regular season, especially this early.
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Report: ‘Chattering’ That Doc Rivers’ Future With Sixers in Jeopardy