5. Doc Rivers
No, it’s not a player who gets the fifth spot on my list, but a coach. I felt a little odd throwing Doc Rivers in this list, but it is nearly impossible to think of the Clippers over the last decade without thinking about Doc.
Rivers took over for Vinny Del Negro beginning in the 2013-14 season. Through those seven years, Doc has a 62.8 winning percentage and led the team to the playoffs in all but one of his years (assuming we again make them this season).
GM Doc might have been a big blemish on his record and put Lob City in some precarious positions, but as a coach, he has been everything we could have asked for. Doc is a players’ coach and it was never more evident than during the Donald Sterling scandal.
Doc took the responsibility of being the face of the team during the scandal in order to keep the pressure off of his players. He spoke with the media, kept his team focused and helped them plan their protest prior to Game 4 of the 2014 series versus the Golden State Warriors.
The team eventually went on to win that series.
Doc might not have delivered on a title yet, but the future is bright and it seems like he has a place with the team for the foreseeable future.