Doc Rivers was fired by the Philadelphia 76ers following another second-round elimination, this time at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
After three years of being sent home at the same stage, the Sixers decided to part with Rivers, starting what appears to be a lengthy search for a new head coach. Not everybody agreed with this decision, and Joel Embiid was allegedly shocked by the same.
“During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Sixers president Daryl Morey said it was very natural for players to become close with people in the locker room. Morey cited an unspecified trade where Embiid was initially unhappy with the players the Sixers dealt.”
“He was very close with coach Rivers and, yeah, he was shocked about the change,” Morey said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s my job to help convince him that the new coach is someone that he’ll have a great relationship with as well.”
Ever since he landed in Philadelphia, Embiid has had a series of head coaches. He appeared to be doing fine under Doc Rivers, but things never worked in their favor. In 2021, they both called out Ben Simmons after his collapse, in 2022, injuries prevented the Sixers from competing harder. In 2023, everybody failed to step up and lost to a big team in the semis.
In each of these situations, Rivers was criticized and the Sixers said ‘enough’ and parted ways with the 2008 NBA champions. Now, they have a series of candidates to take over ahead of next season, but we’re yet to know what’s going to happen there.
Joel Embiid Called Out His Teammates After Loss To Celtics
Embiid was also unhappy about the role his teammates had in the elimination against the Boston Celtics. The big man said he and James Harden couldn’t win alone, urging the rest of the players to work on their games and be better next season.
The Sixers have failed to even make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and it’s time to see some changes in the organization. Embiid has been linked with a move away from Philly and perhaps Rivers’ exit can accelerate that process.
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