10:51am: The Sixers have issued a press release confirming the dismissal of Rivers.
“Doc is one of the most successful coaches in NBA history, a future Hall of Famer, and someone I respect immensely,” Morey said in a statement. “We’re grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise. After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship.””
10:16am: The Sixers are parting ways with head coach Doc Rivers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Rivers’ hold on his job was considered shaky after Philadelphia lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to Boston on Sunday. A tight game at halftime turned into a blowout Celtics victory after Boston outscored the 76ers by a 33-10 margin in the third quarter.
The loss resulted in the Sixers’ third consecutive second-round playoff exit since Rivers was hired in 2020. During that time, the veteran coach led the club to a 154-82 (.653) regular season record but failed to make a deep playoff run. Philadelphia was eliminated by Atlanta in 2021 and Miami in 2022, losing the final game of the series at home in both instances.
Rivers is one of several accomplished head coaches to be let go this spring, joining recent champions and/or Coaches of the Year like Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams, and Nick Nurse.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), Phoenix, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia lead the NBA in regular season victories since the start of the 2020/21 season, but all three clubs are making head coaching changes this offseason following disappointing postseason showings.
Previous reporting from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype indicated that Williams, Nurse, and Mike D’Antoni would likely be candidates to replace Rivers if the Sixers were to make a change. Wojnarowski confirms those names and adds a few more to Philadelphia’s list of potential candidates, tweeting that Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, and Frank Vogel are also expected to factor into the team’s search.
Of those six candidates, only Cassell – who is an assistant on Philadelphia’s staff – lacks head coaching experience. D’Antoni, Williams, Vogel are all former Sixers assistants, while D’Antoni has a long-standing relationship with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, having coached the Rockets during Morey’s time in Houston.
The decision to dismiss Rivers is the first one in a big offseason for the Sixers. While MVP center Joel Embiid is on a long-term contract, his co-star James Harden will reach free agency if he turns down his 2023/24 player option and has been repeatedly linked to the Rockets. Harden offered Rivers a very lukewarm endorsement following Sunday’s loss, so it’s possible the 10-time All-Star will be more inclined to remain in Philadelphia under a new head coach.
As for Rivers, it’s unclear at this point whether he’ll immediately emerge as a candidate to take over as the head coach for another NBA team. There are four clubs besides the Sixers with head coaching vacancies: Milwaukee, Phoenix, Toronto, and Detroit.
Not all Rivers fault but he deserve it. Hopefully he can take Morey with him. Morey is a problem
So is Embiid and Harden. Blow it up
Morey is a genius…………at leaving places worse than he found them!
Morey enjoyed trading away future picks and has a history of letting free agents walk for nothing
yeah he had to go. Most over rated coach in basketball. that Celtics team should have won 2x
They really should’ve won 3x. Should’ve been a 3peat. 2008, 2009, and 2010.
I guess you could say 2010 they blew it. But nobody was beating the 2009 Lakers.
Yeah but they faced the buzz saw Lakers. Cmon you really think they were beating the GOAT
Michael Jordan played for the Lakers???
No smush parker. Kobe would say
To be fair to Doc, he almost won 2 and was one Kendrick Perkins rebound away from it.
So many coaches being fired this year. Playoff champ coaches are available so its musical chairs. 76ers needs to bring in a discipline coach after letting go of Doc Rivers.
That’s why he was let go. Discipline. James harden doesn’t like discipline. If you have, Westbrook, Harden or KD as the focal point of your team. You’re never winning a championship
Doc has always had talent but never won the big game but once. He is like Mark Jackson a good coach but needs somebody who has strategy to win the big game.
He won a ring coaching the Celtics.
I give as much credit to Rivers that I do to Tim Thibodeau for that championship.
You are aware that KD won 2 rings as the focal point of a franchise right? Please tell me you know that
He might’ve scored more but it’s Steph’s team. Durant has always been a bus rider
The Warriors do not win either of those 2 ‘Chips without KD.
Funny because those three almost did…together.
Until Embiid learns how to play in the block, this team will be good, but not good enough
Huh? You understand on the block it’s easier to double team. That is why he’s always on the elbows.
I didn’t see how this dude was viable
I wanted him when he was canned by the Clippers
They got him, I was happy, I supported him
After that last series, he was outclassed and out_coached by someone basically half his age
That should be impossible
Sorry it didn’t work out, but enough was enough
Like I figured they blamed it on doc, but what about the two MVPs? Embiid, the only MVP to never get out of the 2nd round? He went 5-18 for 15 pts, didn’t even reach double digit rebounds and a +/- of -28? How about Harden who went who went 3-11 for 9 pts and a +/- of -30. When the going got tough they bailed.
I don’t think they’ll ever win with Embiid either, regardless of who coaches the team, barring some trade for a clutch playoff star that I just don’t see materializing. You really need a Batman and Robin to win a title, and Embiid is very clearly a Robin. He doesn’t show up in the clutch when the onus is on him to do so.
And he would compete against Batman rather than the opponent. You’re correct. No team with Embiid will ever win a championship.
Besides, Doc never had a chance with A. Silver dropping 51 on his head in game 7.
Fall guy. Nothing changes unless Morey goes too.
Take Embiid and Harden with him. It’s over
no
More than Doc, Harden should go as well.
Morey + Harden = end of Doc.
Looks like Harden won that battle, but Sixers will lose the war. Not that Doc is the greatest coach, but hitching your wagons to a 34 year old playoff failure and whiner seems like a losing proposition to me.
Harden is like Westbrook. Lots of Oos and Ahs to their game but we see how much better the lakers are after getting rid of Westbrook. The sixers should put coachable players around Embiid.
Westbrook lifted the Clippers. He has a fit he did well in Washington.
The Lakers aren’t better because they got rid of Russ, they’re better because they loaded up on depth at the trade deadline.
Russ is still a great PG, one of the top in the league. This society has a problem with being slow to react, and quick to over-react. Russell Westbrook was no longer a superstar when the prevailing narrative was that he was one. However, now the pendulum has swung so wildly in the other direction that people think he’s awful and belongs in China. Also not the case. That Lakers roster was awful and that’s not Westbrook’s fault.
Well said,
Westbrook works hard. Always.
Harden does not.
Exactly. Heart and hustle over whatever the heck James Harden showed the world, any single freaking day.
Would you rather have 15/6/6 on a nightly basis from a hustle guy, with the occasional 8 TO / 3-17 shooting night – or have the once a week 45/12/4 from a burnt out star, with a slightly less occasional abysmal performance? I take Harden every day of the week
45 points once a week?
What? Try a few times a year
His season high was 38.
Get off it lil man, stop reading about the game and piggy back that opinion,learn to form your own tramp.
Were you sobbing when you typed that?
It must be hard to type through all those tears.
LOVE IT!!!! Now we gotta get rid of harden and trade Embiid and I’ll be happy! But this is a start in the right direction!
Foolish.
Is there a team, given his history of failures in big games that ponies up to hire him.
I said when the word was MKE was waiting on a coach ‘still in the playoffs’ that Doc was the guy. I still believe he’s that guy..or will BE the guy they hire.
I don’t want it, but I’m sure it’s going to happen.
And yet my knicks wont move on from thibodeau. A guy who is a 90’s early 2000’s coach in a modern nba. A guy who refused to play drose or fournier when quickley waa injured. A guy who wouldnt bench randle even though he had nothing against bam. Good to be a knicks fan
I think he’s gone next. Stay tuned.
Dark horse is D’Antoni. Nurse, Bud, or Monty. I do not see Jay Wright in the NBA.
I would argue D’Antoni is the early favorite. He was probably the odds on favorite last time but the Clippers unexpectedly fired Doc. Hopefully they don’t hire him and go with Monty or Bud
I wonder why could it be this:
2009 Celtics: Blew a 3-2 lead to the Magic
2010 Celtics: Blew a 3-2 lead to the Lakers
2012 Celtics: Blew a 3-2 lead to the Heat
2015 Clippers: Blew a 3-1 lead to the Rockets, losing the last three by no less than 12 points
2020 Clippers: Blew a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets
2021 76er’s Blew 2-1 lead to Hawks
2023 76er’s Blew 3-2 lead to the Celtics
#DocBlows
Don’t forget he blew a 3-1 lead as coach of the Magic before his Celtics days too!
as soon as Doc was up 3-2, I started to frantically click on the Celtics to win lol
So, when a team goes up 3-2 in a playoff series, they go on to win the series..unless Doc is their coach.
Got it.
Let Harden walk and trade Embiid! Your not winning with them and you can get multiple picks for Embiid.
Lol trade Embid. Pass that doobie.
Who the hell calls it a Doobie. You’re clearly a 50+ year old white male, LOL. PAL.
Inotsorry
Do you have a better solution? This dude isn’t getting it done and the excuses are getting tiresome
The solution is not going rebuild. They owe too many picks to other teams so bottoming out serves no purpose for the next few seasons. Yea, trading Embiid gets the picks back you lost…but they are most likely not going to be lottery picks
^ this guy gets it
Back to back scoring champion,mvp hitting his prime. Plays hurt. Unguardable unless you triple team . You are braindead. I hear no excuses from jojo, just facts.
I guess you didn’t bother to listen to his ridiculous post game press conference. Dude was full of excuses.
Regular season accolades are nice and all but he flames out when his team needs him the most. Just facts? Here are some facts for you. Game 6 and 7 he shot 38.7% from the field. His 9.4 point drop off from the regular season to the playoffs is the largest drop off by an MVP in NBA history. NBA history….
Game 7 was an embarrassment and another pathetic exit riddled with “I gotta be better” nonsense
Call me “brain dead”. Good for you. I could care less. The defense of Joel Embiid is over.
Nick Nurse would be a good option to replace Doc.
Couple teams should blow it up this off season: 76ers, Clippers, Warriors, Raptors.
Some, most, or even all of Harden, Harris, George, Leonard, Draymond, Thompson, Anunoby, Siakam could have new homes this off season
Dallas should be pretty active in trying to find compliments to Luka – maybe Paul George.
You can’t replace a Doc for a Nurse, can you?
I’m looking forward to Portland picking up the pieces from these teams and others. The FO will look like geniuses at the trade deadline next year!
Unfortunately, nobody is clamoring to play for Portland. They are a remote outpost on the outer reaches of the NBA galaxy. It rains all season long. Lillard consumes all the oxygen in that offense. Portland attracts few (if any) free agents, and the front office has to overpay to get them to sign. Portland is not a basketball town.
Embiid and Harden are 2 of the most overrated selfish players of all time. And Doc takes the fall? Also, what was this roster construction Daryl?? George’s Niang?? Doc is like 7th on my list as far as responsibility goes. Harden should be sent to the gulag.
Embiid is a lot closer to Andre Drummond than he is to Jokic. Just a fact.
I would mute you but im laughing so hard I can’t see the button.
If Morey brings his boy D’antoni in and resigns James to a max contract, Im going to LOL all summer long
But I thought Doc planned on remaining coach?
Finally, the Doc has left Philadelphia!
Now who to hire?
For me
1 Cassell
2 Nurse
3 Jay Wright
4 Bud
5 D’Antoni
6 Monty
7 Dawn Staley
Either way Doc is gone and I can smile for the first time in a week
For me
1 Bud
2 D’Antoni
3 Nurse
4 Monty
Absolute No for Cassell. I have nothing against him except that he seems like he just be an extention of Doc. It’s just too much of the same ole’ same ole’ to me if they hired him. We need new blood.
Jay Wright would be my #2 if there was anything to suggest he’d want to coach again and want to come to the 76ers. He retired because he said he just didn’t feel it anymore. He needed to give himself pep talks before games.
D’Antoni probably wouldn’t be on my list except if we’re running it back with Harden, why not have the coach that has had the most success with him? Also even if we didn’t with Harden, I think his system would fit well with Maxey too.
None of these coaches really excite me. I like Bud far and away better than everyone else because of what he was able to accomplish with not a lot of Superstar talent. He has had Giannis and who? A bunch of good players but no superstars. Even with Atlanta, he never had any really huge superstars. He only missed the playoffs once. He has been a really good coach.
So Harden will either leave, S&T to leave, opt out and reup, or opt-in. I think that’s the order of probability.
If you take him coming back, then Tobias is your only way to change the roster.
Bojan+Burks or DeRozan are really the only viable routes to actually improve the roster. DeRozan may make them way too Iso Ball though.
Figure out a way to get Seth Curry back in the fold.
And given the ineptitude of scoring from the bench every year, why wouldn’t you at least entertain a Melo and Boogie second unit? Grasping at straws a bit I know.
I don’t see a ton of paths to improve the roster given where they stand. They have the 29 1st some seconds and swaps.
They need toughness, clutch, and shooting.
DeRozen may make them more ISO ball? Harden is the King of ISO ball. If he actually partakes in anything outside of ISO, it was by accident because he was distracted.
If you have Harden, DeRozan, and Embiid on the same roster its Iso Ball or nothing is what I’m getting at.
Roflmao good for him for managing to extend his con out this long
I doubt another coach could take this team further…
Harden and Embiid don’t always show up for the game… With Harden we know it wasn’t the coach…
Harden is a cancer player he only cares about partying not winning . Trade hun or let him walk . Embid I will keep but he need to play more of a post game . Sixers need a vet PG
This coach ran out of scapegoats. All that is left is the shell of this year’s supposed MVP (egg on NBA’s face) and an over-the-hill MVP tied to the GM. Unfortunately for this franchise, it ain’t getting better from here.
That Doc Rivers! It’s all his fault that Harden and Embiid have never won anything in their entire careers! If Doc wasn’t the coach, Harden would’ve won championships in OKC, Houston, Brooklyn and Philly; Embiid and the process would’ve won like their 5th championship this season.
All Doc’s fault. He ‘Phil Jacksoned’ his way to that championship in Boston years ago!
The Process …….. is all about losing
A loser GM ….. brings in a loser player.
Can’t see how Doc walks before Moreyon. I’d get rid of Moreyon and Harden. And give Doc another yr. He had nothing to do with putting this team together ……
Embiid …. MostVainPlayer
meanwhile …….. West Finals
Jokic — 34 pts, 21 reb, 14 ast
I agree but I really don’t see embid having another mvp season again, coach doesn’t matter, the process was never concrete
Has there ever been an off-season where so many successful coaches lost their gig? What makes these teams think they’ll have more success hiring a coach that has recently been canned for failing to meet expectations? Look at the Celtics. They changed coaches and are four games from matching last season’s results. It’s (almost) all about the players- not the coach.