The Official Fire Doc Rivers Thread

[ProcessDoctor]

I wonder what Pop would do with this roster.

(yes, I would ask Pop that question)

[Jailblazers7]

The problem is that the team could use an actual tactician type like Nurse...but the main dudes are too far into their careers for that so having an ego guy is probably the way they will go.....most of them aren't tactician types tho.

I get on Doc a lot. His history and his flaws are obvious. Man is stubborn as hell. BUT looking at other teams boards the complaints are always the for other coaches too. The rotations. Not calling a timeout. It is totes the coach's fault that a guy **** up yo. All of the same **** we complained about Brett...we complain about Doc...and other teams complain about their coaches. I point out Nurse because that dude is nuts and does **** that coaches generally only brings out in the playoffs in the regular season....but he also can do that with what was a team of mercenaries and now what is a young squad. It will be very hard for some random dude to come in here and tell Biid or Harden to play a certain way. Kerr is a bad coach IMO...but he manages the egos and stays out of the way. Doc has ironically failed at that part as he seems to always be quick to blame others when the going gets tough...so yeah another ego guy might be needed...but idk man, we have been complaining about the coach since Larry Brown (probably then too but I don't remember lol)....and about the same ****.

Maybe it falls on the players more than we wish to believe? Maybe Reed and Bassey are terrible in practice or don't work as hard. Thus they don't get minutes. I whined about Joe not getting burn but remember when Doc went out of his way to praise the young guys work ethic last year....he didn't mention Joe at all.

So maybe there is more to it than just firing Doc solves everything


Then again dat Dan Burke game tho

I get what you’re saying but we gotta fire Doc. There are two archetypes of an awesome coach one being the Kerr/Phil Jax ego manager and the other is the Nick Nurse/Spo tactician. And then theirs Pop who’s kinda both which is why he’s the GOAT.

But Doc is neither. His ego is too big and ends up pointing fingers and wears out his welcome. That’s why he’s a great underdog coach because he can swing his dick around without pissing off a star. And he’s obviously not a good tactician.

Doc may have been the perfect coach to weather the storm this year while Ben was out but we’re gonna need a different guy to take us from a good team to a title contender.

[mjkvol]

So maybe there is more to it than just firing Doc solves everything

I don't think anyone here is thinking that replacing Glenn is the cure-all, as there is substantial work to be done on the roster as well. But given his history of blown games and series, some that happened here, his obvious lack of tactical ability, and on top of that the incredible arrogance and refusal to accept blame ("would you ask Pop that?"), I can't help but believe a change to a more progressive coach scheme-wise would be a positive move.

[Embiid P]

I honestly don't care how bad Reed and Bassey are in practice. They simply cannot be any worse than Jordan and Millsap are at this point in their respective careers. You need energy and athleticism to go up against the likes of Giannis. If nothing else, they are good for 6 fouls per game. Why anyone but Doc sees that is beyond me.

[brannigan73]

Doc is cooked. He cant handle the pressure and he makes tons of coaching mistakes. He cost them that Bucks game just by not matching Embiid and Giannis minutes better. Now he is throwing Harden under the bus despite the fact whether people like it or not we are committed to Harden. I've never seen him basically say one player was responsible for losing a game before yesterday. I'm not a huge fan of the guy but Mike D'Antoni might very well be coaching this team next year if he is physically up to it and wants to. He would definitely be better then Doc though thats for sure. The NBA game has passed him by.

[mjkvol]

Doc is cooked. He cant handle the pressure and he makes tons of coaching mistakes. He cost them that Bucks game just by not matching Embiid and Giannis minutes better. Now he is throwing Harden under the bus despite the fact whether people like it or not we are committed to Harden. I've never seen him basically say one player was responsible for losing a game before yesterday. I'm not a huge fan of the guy but Mike D'Antoni might very well be coaching this team next year if he is physically up to it and wants to. He would definitely be better then Doc though thats for sure. The NBA game has passed him by.

Given his performances with some really talented teams, the NBA game passed him by at least a decade ago.

I don't think we need to go beyond the organization to find excellent candidates to replace Glenn. Cassell, Burke, or Joerger would be fantastic choices that I would prefer over bringing in D'Antoni at this point.

[stormi]

Not just back-up C, but someone who can play with Embiid.

You’re not gonna solve late game defensive issues with Tobi and Thybulle or Green or Niang.

Teams would just find ways for Embiid to stay out of the paint then they’d score easy baskets in the paint.

Yep. You can add Cov, or Otto Porter to this. We do need another wing, but what we're desperately lacking is a more stifling interior defense. We can't protect the rim, especially when Embiid gets pulled away from the basket on a screen, or is battling with multiple bigs on other teams. Offensive and defensive philosophies are shifting and teams are feeling comfortable running multiple players over 6'10 in a singular unit.

[M2J]

Doc is cooked. He cant handle the pressure and he makes tons of coaching mistakes. He cost them that Bucks game just by not matching Embiid and Giannis minutes better. Now he is throwing Harden under the bus despite the fact whether people like it or not we are committed to Harden. I've never seen him basically say one player was responsible for losing a game before yesterday. I'm not a huge fan of the guy but Mike D'Antoni might very well be coaching this team next year if he is physically up to it and wants to. He would definitely be better then Doc though thats for sure. The NBA game has passed him by.

To be fair. He didn't blame Harden for the loss wholly he basically took pressure off of his bench to point out the fact that it was Harden with the bench that didn't perform well in stretches or the game in general. That's not a big deal

The Bucks game is an example of why the regular season doesn't matter as much. If you didn't try to match minutes and a playoff game, that would be one thing. To stick to a more normal rotation in a regular season game is a standard practice in the NBA. They're also happens to be times when a one coach is coaching like a playoff game, and another coach is coaching like a regular season game. I wouldn't take very much from that.

I just happened to think that Doc gets a bad rap for his career. Especially in LAC.

People bring up the 3-1 losses, but he typically overachieved to get there. Losing with TMac one man team against the team that eventually became a little dynasty in the Eastern conference Detroit. Losing series when Chris Paul and or Blake Griffin would get injured... Which has been both of their MO. Furthermore being an elite team in the Western conference at that time with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin as your two best players is an accomplishment in itself. Blake Griffin never should have been more than a number three, and Chris Paul never should have been more than a number two or three himself. This post will not age poorly because Chris Paul will not win achampionship this year with the best team record wise.

I will admit that the bubble loss with Kawhi wasn't great, but they lost to a team people didn't take seriously, but Denver was a legit contender and Joker won the MVP the next year. Plus the bubble took it's toll on a lot of people, including George admittedly.

That's not even get to last year with the Sixers. See Ben Simmons

Doc had The best record in the East last year. With a very flawed team, covid concerns, and several injuries to the best players. Including shutting out a series with Ben Simmons as your best player against Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook

Is competing for the best record in the East with the crazy season at the Sixers have had this year.

Typically speaking the best teams win in the NBA... I would say he is never had the best team including in Boston when all of those guys were past their primes. Right now even he's dealing with damage goods in James Harden.

[Embiid P]

TBH I'd rather take a shot on someone who's never been a HC before like Cassell or Burke than a retread like D'Antoni who's coached multiple teams without winning a title.

Admittedly I was fooled by the fact that Doc won a title way back with the Celtics but it's still a nice thing to have on one's resume during the hiring process.

[76ciology]

Not just back-up C, but someone who can play with Embiid.

You’re not gonna solve late game defensive issues with Tobi and Thybulle or Green or Niang.

Teams would just find ways for Embiid to stay out of the paint then they’d score easy baskets in the paint.

Yep. You can add Cov, or Otto Porter to this. We do need another wing, but what we're desperately lacking is a more stifling interior defense. We can't protect the rim, especially when Embiid gets pulled away from the basket on a screen, or is battling with multiple bigs on other teams. Offensive and defensive philosophies are shifting and teams are feeling comfortable running multiple players over 6'10 in a singular unit.

May I ask what’s your opinion to address this issue for this season with the current rotation (limited Bassey and Reed)?

Personally, I think we should run a more switch heavy defensive scheme with replacing Maxey with Niang to end games. And if Tobi can’t shoot like during the Cavs game, then have Green replace him.

Switch heavy defense with heavy 2 man game or iso game from Harden and Embiid. Its not like we’re gonna rely on Maxey and Tobi’s shot creation skills (if there were any) to end games anyway.

Ending games without Maxey is a gamble given how big he was on offense on crunch time and I’d also be open to ending games with him. But I think defense is a big issue that Maxey wont be able to make up and you won’t max out having Harden and Embiid if we’re just gonna be weak on defense.

[Murray_17]

The fact he insisted in playing Jordan while the Cavs were using Kevin Love at the 5 was hilarious and almost lost us the game in the second quarter and led to open shots in 4th that the cavs just didn't capitalize on

I don't understand why he hates playing small so much.

[M2J]

The fact he insisted in playing Jordan while the Cavs were using Kevin Love at the 5 was hilarious and almost lost us the game in the second quarter and led to open shots in 4th that the cavs just didn't capitalize on

I don't understand why he hates playing small so much.

Because of the lack of personnel to play small

[elchengue20]

You can throw Reed or Millsap in there if you need to play small, it cant be worse than being destroyed with DAJ trying to guard people at the 3 point line.


Oldman Doc just loves his washed up buddy DeAndre way too much.

[Murray_17]

The fact he insisted in playing Jordan while the Cavs were using Kevin Love at the 5 was hilarious and almost lost us the game in the second quarter and led to open shots in 4th that the cavs just didn't capitalize on

I don't understand why he hates playing small so much.

Because of the lack of personnel to play small

You can play small with Reed or Millsap.

He also refused to try Ben at 5, last season

[M2J]

The fact he insisted in playing Jordan while the Cavs were using Kevin Love at the 5 was hilarious and almost lost us the game in the second quarter and led to open shots in 4th that the cavs just didn't capitalize on

I don't understand why he hates playing small so much.

Because of the lack of personnel to play small

You can play small with Reed or Millsap.

He also refused to try Ben at 5, last season

Well he played Ben at the 5. It worked better with the starters when Joel was out than Ben with the bench when Jo was there.

Milsap is old and would've probably just gotten abused inside. According to this board, playing small ball center with him was worthy of Docs firing last week. I wish Reed were a quality player. He is not. He is a bad game away from being out of the league. Blame Morey for not doing more with the position of need.

[Murray_17]

Well he played Ben at the 5. It worked better with the starters when Joel was out than Ben with the bench when Jo was there.

Dude, even Morey was asking for this openly on twitter.

Have you se the log of minutes played by ben at the 5 last season?

Milsap is old and would've probably just gotten abused inside. According to this board, playing small ball center with him was worthy of Docs firing last week. I wish Reed were a quality player. He is not. He is a bad game away from being out of the league. Blame Morey for not doing more with the position of need.

I'm sure Doc thought the same about SGA when he benched him for avery bradley

[Mik317]

no one knows if Reed or Bassey are good. They probably aren't. Reed is pure chaos...good and bad. Bassey sucked his last time on the floor IIRC. However both guys have upside to POTENTIALLY be better than Jordan or Milsap who are what they are and can't improve. Both guys also can move in space defensively and are just as good of rebounders if not better than the other two guys. The issue isn't that they are world beaters but that Doc doesn't even try them as his current options often torpedoes line ups solo lol. I stopped asking for Joe because he got spot minutes and didn't impress.. I just want Doc to try...if it fails then he can go back to his security blanket.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

It doesn't help that literally none of our young guys outside of Maxey have improved. Shake was supposed to take that step and probably should have, but he's stuck in his own head and being forced to play point guard. Joe isn't physically able to hang with athletes at this level and he doesn't have the handles to play point guard. Reed thinks he's an all star, but has made colossal mistakes each time he's on the floor. Bassey is a project big that may not last two years in the league and I personally don't see Springer having any kind of career in this league. Therefore, Doc is forced to work with what he has and right now that's Milsap and DAJ. You can't blame Doc for everything. We know his shortcomings , but you also have to work with what you've got.
In regards to Reed and Bassey, maybe patience is the key here? We gave up on Christian Wood prematurely, I don't want to do the same with these guys. Even Shake still has time to get it right. So I don't know. The whole thing sucks. The Blazers find Brandon Williams, D'Anthony Melton turns into a player for Memphis, at one time we discovered TJ McConnell and Bob Covington. In order to do that though, those guys had to play and we had to miserably tank. That's the trade-off with developing young talent at a quicker rate. Reed, Bassey, and Joe aren't going to be trusted on a team with Finals as the goal. If we were a 20 win team then I'm sure it'd be different. We'd all be hyped about Paul Reed and Isaiah Joe while looking forward to the lottery.

[stormi]

Not just back-up C, but someone who can play with Embiid.

You’re not gonna solve late game defensive issues with Tobi and Thybulle or Green or Niang.

Teams would just find ways for Embiid to stay out of the paint then they’d score easy baskets in the paint.

Yep. You can add Cov, or Otto Porter to this. We do need another wing, but what we're desperately lacking is a more stifling interior defense. We can't protect the rim, especially when Embiid gets pulled away from the basket on a screen, or is battling with multiple bigs on other teams. Offensive and defensive philosophies are shifting and teams are feeling comfortable running multiple players over 6'10 in a singular unit.

May I ask what’s your opinion to address this issue for this season with the current rotation (limited Bassey and Reed)?

Personally, I think we should run a more switch heavy defensive scheme with replacing Maxey with Niang to end games. And if Tobi can’t shoot like during the Cavs game, then have Green replace him.

Absolutely. I think the goal is having multiple versatile & positionless defenders on the court that don't have to chase around screens because it usually allows easy penetration into the lane and it collapses your spine leaving you vulnerable against kick outs and floaters. And players are so skilled nowadays, especially the conductors of the P&R that the seconds of space they get off a screen is enough to hurt you.

I don't prefer to run drop coverage, I also don't think we need to because Embiid is one of the more mobile defenders for his position. He's not a liability stepping out onto the perimeter. It just leaves us vulnerable because there's no real interior presence that can slide in to provide help. Even smaller guys that play big in the form of a PJ Tucker or Draymond.

I agree with your idea of playing Jo alongside another big, I just don't always like your targets ala: Richaun Holmes. I don't like the idea of Jo playing alongside another big that cannot shoot, I still want Joel to be the primary inside presence with the other forward/big providing secondary rim protection (Reed, Wood, Kleber, Collins ---- probably some more guys).

[stormi]

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"Traded" to the Jazz please for Snyder or a FRP.