That didn’t take long! The former LA Clippers head coach is already set to meet with the Philadelphia 76ers, per a recent Shams tweet.
After his dismissal on Monday, Doc Rivers is already set to meet with his potential new team, per Shams Charania.
Good for Doc. I think everybody expected that, if the man wanted to coach next season, he would be able to find a job. He’ll be competing with Mike D’Antoni, who was reported to be the frontrunner before Doc became available.
The difference in styles between Doc and D’Antoni will make it an interesting decision for Philadelphia, but at first glance, I would argue that Doc’s the better fit for the Philadelphia roster.
Former Clippers coach Doc Rivers will meet with the 76ers in the Philadelphia area, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 30, 2020
This also has implications for the LA Clippers’ coaching search. Another candidate, though not the frontrunner, for the 6ers job is current Clippers assistant Ty Lue. If Doc ends up landing the Philadelphia job, that’s one less opening for Lue.
Not only that but if Doc is offered the job, that keeps D’Antoni on the market to compete with Lue for the remaining openings. And even if he doesn’t get the Philly job, it seems like every job opening that’s interested in Ty Lue will also be interested in Doc.
Lue will be one of the prime candidates for the Clippers as they try to replace Doc Rivers, and the news that the 76ers are interested in Doc Rivers may make that easier to pull off, if Ty Lue ends up being the guy in LA.
The fact that one of the top coaches on the market is the former LA Clippers head coach is a boon for the team. It’s one more big name to compete against whomever the Clips tag as their future head coach of choice.
Thoughts on Doc’s recent coaching performance aside, you’ve got to be happy for this development for him. He may not have been the right coach for the Clippers right now, but he’ll be the right guy for some team, and he deserves to be in the spotlight for as long as he wants.
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