The Official Fire Doc Rivers Thread

[the_process]

The rub on all of this of course is ownership isn't likely to allow the firing of Doc so soon. And not just because of the 24M they would have to eat.

They would have to miss the playoffs altogether to even have a shot of that happening. Or maybe they get lucky and figure out a way to kick Glenn upstairs.

[ankle420breaker]

Total collapse artist who deflects accountability.

I see things eventually ending with Doc and Philly parting ways on bad terms.



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[eyeatoma]

Seems as good a time as any to get this one going. Post your criticisms here.

I don’t think he’ll actually get fired because of his contract. However, it’s worth mentioning that he was hired before Morey, so you’ve got to wonder if you can solve two problems at once by firing Doc and making Ben happy enough to play.

The lack of the challenge was terrible. Furkan getting only 20 minutes is inexcusable, especially when Maxey got 36. Isaiah Joe needs more than 4 minutes too. Just an all around garbage job tonight.

Yo TTP, we should get a poll going on this.

[NYSixersFan]

Dude

Joel got up in front of Wells Fargo today and appealed for help with Ben

Tobias basically did the same thing on social media

Both took real guts as Simmons has put a target on his back & far easier for them to say nothing

There’s a lot more happening behind the scenes and we will probably never know the real story but both did more today than Doc has ever done

So Biid never called Ben out?

I dont know what’s going on with that guy?
Im not here to babysit.

Butler never called Ben out?

Some guys are here for the houses, the money and the fame.

Yes, Biid told the crowd to support Ben but its not like Biid didnt called Ben out.

Biid, Jimmy (indirectly) and Doc all called Ben out. And they know Ben more than the posters here on Realgm such as you and me. Ben is just a pain in the ass for the team.

And just imagine if Ben’s group was able to take over our FO and coaching staff with Lue being our head coach.

Imagine if we still had that Hinkie hired dumb headcoach that comes from where Ben came from, prior to Doc. We’d still probably babysitting Ben and Biid would have been the one asking for antrade.

This must be Doc's burner account...or his agent.

[sixers hoops]

I'd really love to know the logic for keeping Doc or why anyone thinks he's a good coach.

I said that he should have been fired after the Hawks loss and the only argument offered in his favour was that he’s got a 5 year contract and management wouldn’t pay him out

It’s a pretty strong argument though, because it’s reality. He isn’t a good coach though.

[Stanford]

He seems terrible at every aspect of coaching.

[stormi]

He just sucks tactically. It's not a coincidence he has one of the worst game 7 winning percentages of any coach ever and has been apart of some of the most devastating in-game collapses in recent playoff history. Also THREE 3-1 leads blown.

I don't see a difference between him and Brett Brown. Actually I doubt Doc would have had the balls to pull Simmons for McConnell which won us a playoff game.

[76ciology]

Dude

Joel got up in front of Wells Fargo today and appealed for help with Ben

Tobias basically did the same thing on social media

Both took real guts as Simmons has put a target on his back & far easier for them to say nothing

There’s a lot more happening behind the scenes and we will probably never know the real story but both did more today than Doc has ever done

So Biid never called Ben out?

I dont know what’s going on with that guy?
Im not here to babysit.

Butler never called Ben out?

Some guys are here for the houses, the money and the fame.

Yes, Biid told the crowd to support Ben but its not like Biid didnt called Ben out.

Biid, Jimmy (indirectly) and Doc all called Ben out. And they know Ben more than the posters here on Realgm such as you and me. Ben is just a pain in the ass for the team.

And just imagine if Ben’s group was able to take over our FO and coaching staff with Lue being our head coach.

Imagine if we still had that Hinkie hired dumb headcoach that comes from where Ben came from, prior to Doc. We’d still probably babysitting Ben and Biid would have been the one asking for antrade.

This must be Doc's burner account...or his agent.

No bro. It’s just easy to defend Doc.

He has his share of mistakes but the accomplishments in his career (coach of the year, championship, coach of multiple winning teams and across different eras, how players have career years or overachieve with him as coach, respect of players and GMs all around the league) makes him easy to defend.

[Stanford]

He just sucks tactically.

He also sucks as a leader, with the media, and relationships with players.

Must be good at something though. Surely.

[RedSalsa]

Same dumb stuff as last year playing ALL BENCH line for too long. I have NBA ticket and watch a lot of basketball and I don’t recall other coaches doing this as much as doc Rivers.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

The only thing I don't like about Doc is his reluctance to play young players. He has no choice with Maxey, but Joe, Korkmaz, and even Reed need more time.

[sixers hoops]

Dude

Joel got up in front of Wells Fargo today and appealed for help with Ben

Tobias basically did the same thing on social media

Both took real guts as Simmons has put a target on his back & far easier for them to say nothing

There’s a lot more happening behind the scenes and we will probably never know the real story but both did more today than Doc has ever done

I think there are two issues at play. Ben’s trade request and hold out, which nobody has much sympathy for him. And since he refused to talk to his teammates, other than Klutch partner Maxey, that is all Embiid and crew had to go on.

However, if he was vulnerable and spoke with the team about mental health issues, I’m sure they are extremely supportive. Many doubt the validity of his mental health issues due to the timing; however, we have years of behavior that is consistent of someone with an acute anxiety disorder. And he requested a trade, in my opinion, to avoid the pressure of his late season collapse in Philly. I think the pressure of returning was too immense for Ben, and seriously considered sitting out and losing game checks. For an introvert like Ben, the pressure of facing these people head on can be crippling.

Could it be a Klutch orchestrated ploy? Sure. However, as you said, a lot occurred behind the scenes the last 24 hours. Let’s just see how it plays out until the next shoe drops. If a guys needs a mental health leave, and will collect his pay, who cares? As long as it follows the general timelines for such treatment, the Sixers have to be supportive.

Regarding Doc, I think Ben’s refusal to communicate probably caused most of the problems in the situation, but it’s time to move on with life and see how Ben responds next.

[thenbaman]

After last night i'm on board get rid of him.

[mjkvol]

Gotta agree, Doc has got to go. It is clear as day that he is in over his head in the 4th quarter. HIs game management is abysmal, and apart from Ben, he played a huge role in us losing the Hawks series.

To me, Rivers was reason #1 without question. It was his incompetence and inability to adjust his rotations in games 5 and 7 that created those collapses..

A coach with a shred of awareness recognizes that Simmons is melting down and is a liability and doesn't even have him on the floor at that point in a game 7. Win the damn game and worry about repairing his psyche later.

[Sixerscan]

It's tough, I think Doc does have real strengths as a coach. Ben is an outlier in that pretty much everyone else on the team has gotten better under him. I think he's built a great staff. Them getting the 1 seed last year with how much time Embiid missed and whatever was going on with Ben the last few months of the season is a real credit to him.

But the in game decisions and lack of adjustments can just be maddening sometimes. I get the “feed the pig” strategy where you want to keep doing something if it’s working, but part of his job is anticipating when enough is enough and going to something else. If you wait until it’s not working anymore that’s too late.

I wish he could just be like an administrator that runs practice and player development and decides the basic strategy for the games but then someone with more tactical sense would handle the in game stuff. That's obviously not going to happen though.

Will say that giving him an actual point guard (which he hasn’t had here or with the clippers after Paul left) would probably help a lot of that.

[Eyeamok]

Who would we get if Doc Rivers was fired. Last night Mark Jackson put in the first shot to be considered the next 76ers coach. He kept saying challenge the call challenge the call.

Now some my scoff at Mark Jackson as the head coach and he does come with baggage but have you ever listened to the key championship Warriors players talk about Jackson ? They love him, absolutely love him and they did not even win a title with them, but he got them prepared to win a title. Kerr is a good coach and took them across the finish line. But make no mistake Jackson did a lot of the heavy lifting. Secondly Jackson was able to thrive and do well in NY as a point guard. If the 7ers keep Simmons, Jackson might be able to work wonders with him, without "throwing him under the bus" (Simmons was not really thrown under the bus but..you know what people like to say).

Just a thought.

[Sixersftw]

He's very bad and I do not like him.

That is all.

[mjkvol]

Who would we get if Doc Rivers was fired. Last night Mark Jackson put in the first shot to be considered the next 76ers coach. He kept saying challenge the call challenge the call.

Now some my scoff at Mark Jackson as the head coach and he does come with baggage but have you ever listened to the key championship Warriors players talk about Jackson ? They love him, absolutely love him and they did not even win a title with them, but he got them prepared to win a title. Kerr is a good coach and took them across the finish line. But make no mistake Jackson did a lot of the heavy lifting. Secondly Jackson was able to thrive and do well in NY as a point guard. If the 7ers keep Simmons, Jackson might be able to work wonders with him, without "throwing him under the bus" (Simmons was not really thrown under the bus but..you know what people like to say).

Just a thought.

It's funny, but I was thinking about the same thing while watching the game and come to a completely different conclusion. Jackson to me is a Doc clone - they both played in the same era, and both have underachieved with talented teams due to being stuck in a mindset of how the game was played 20-30 years ago.

The reason Kerr succeeded where Jackson didn't at GS is he had a vision of what that group could accomplish with a more modern approach, one that Jackson would never have had the capability of enacting. Kerr unleashed that group in a way that in many ways revolutionized the game. With Jackson as coach there isn't a chance they become 3-time (should've been 4-time) champs.

The reason why players love Jackson is probably similar to why players love Rivers - both are players' coaches who empathize what these guys have to deal with and know how to work with the multiple egos of a team. The problem is in the X's and O's - neither guy has ever had an original thought, and both are stubbornly stuck in 'their' way of doing things.

Just my opinion, of course.

[mjkvol]

It's tough, I think Doc does have real strengths as a coach. Ben is an outlier in that pretty much everyone else on the team has gotten better under him. I think he's built a great staff. Them getting the 1 seed last year with how much time Embiid missed and whatever was going on with Ben the last few months of the season is a real credit to him.

But the in game decisions and lack of adjustments can just be maddening sometimes. I get the “feed the pig” strategy where you want to keep doing something if it’s working, but part of his job is anticipating when enough is enough and going to something else. If you wait until it’s not working anymore that’s too late.

I wish he could just be like an administrator that runs practice and player development and decides the basic strategy for the games but then someone with more tactical sense would handle the in game stuff. That's obviously not going to happen though.

Will say that giving him an actual point guard (which he hasn’t had here or with the clippers after Paul left) would probably help a lot of that.

I don't disagree with this, but much like Andy Reid's time here, it's in-game strategy and adjustments that often separate the winners and losers in the biggest spots, and unfortunately that will always be Doc's achilles heel.

[DCasey91]

Doc start Korkmaz or Milton over Maxey. It’s clear as day Maxey is better suited to be with Drummond.

Also don’t ever get comfortable keeping static moves. Our team is the furthest thing away consistency wise and players playing like arse/exposed and not making a quick change.

Goes for everybody including Embiid. Sometimes you just say that’s enough for today have a rest.

It’s like he has a sheet of paper of pre planned minutes and if it doesn’t work he does his old man yelling at the clouds routine, it’s embarrassing now.

NBA has a distinct flavor of nepotism over what is the correct/logical move.

Never understood bringing the “starters” back or the downplay of bench/role players.

Couldn’t give 2 hoots whose on the court at the end of the game as long as it works and we win.

If Green forgets how to play basketball then the bench is where he’ll sit. If Maxey is getting picked apart then he sits as well. If Harris doesn’t get to the line then he sits.

Korkmaz looked threatening yet where was he in the last couple of mins?

Around the 4 min mark when Green hit multiple airballs, first foul that happens bring him off.

Simple moves for Doc it’s like he’s on lag time or no move time at all lmao.

In game > pre planned moves.