Former 76ers coach Doc Rivers was promptly dismissed from his duties after losing in the Eastern Semi-Finals last spring. In the months that have followed, Doc has seemingly moved on from the ordeal to pursue his own interests… but it doesn’t mean that he left in good standing. In fact, during a recent appearance on First Take this week, Doc’s son, Austin, threw some shade at the Sixers for how they handled the summer’s big firing.
“I’m not gonna say anything positive about Philly, man,” Rivers said. “They did my pops dirty, bro. I got nothing to say about them. It is personal. Family over everything, bro. Family first, man. Come on Daryl [Morey]. I’m talkin’ to you.”
Rivers was with the 76ers for three seasons before being let go in favor of former Raptors coach Nick Nurse. While Doc had a lot of regular-season success in Philadelphia, the team always fell short in the postseason, and when they gave up a 3-2 lead to the Boston Celtics last season, it was the final straw for Doc’s tenure on the sidelines and there are some hard feelings about how it all went down.
What Happened In Philadelphia?
With stints in Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, Doc Rivers is revered for his coaching career and is widely considered one of the greatest coaching minds in the modern basketball age. His championship with the Celtics in 2008 validated Doc’s voice in the locker room and when he was hired in Philadelphia, GM Daryl Morey was hoping that his cache and wide-reaching respect would achieve strong results.
Sadly, not even Doc was able to unlock the 76ers, and by the time James Harden entered the scene in 2022, there were already questions about his long-term job security. Over time, Rivers lost more and more control in the locker room and his relationship with Harden deteriorated from the moment he arrived. So when the Sixers were eliminated in the East-Semis, and Morey embraced Rivers on the way back to the locker room, there was a feeling that he had already coached his last game in Philadelphia.
Daryl Morey Is Burning Bridges
The 76ers have been a revolving door of talent over the years. From Ben Simmons to James Harden, the search for Joel Embiid’s co-star has come with varying results. And while the jury is still out on the potential of Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers cannot afford another loss like this and Daryl Morey needs to be extra careful moving forward.
After destroying his relationship with James Harden (an old friend from the Rockets) and getting on the bad side of the Rivers family, Daryl has made it clear that no personal relationship is above a championship pursuit… but until the championship is won, there will always be doubts about the decisions he’s made. But when it comes to Doc Rivers and the choice to let him go the way that he did, Morey does not seem remorseful in the slightest — and he shouldn’t be with how well the team is playing recently.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
