76ers to pick between Doc Rivers, Mike D’Antoni, Ty Lue this week

Philadelphia’s decision could have ripple effects felt in Houston, since Rivers and Lue are also believed to be candidates for the Rockets.

Former Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has become the third top candidate to meet with Philadelphia 76ers ownership, joining Clippers assistant Ty Lue and former Houston coach Mike D’Antoni.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a decision from the 76ers on their next head coach is expected to come this week. According to Woj, those are the three candidates who took the extra step of meeting with the team’s front office and ownership, so they are believed to be the finalists.

The decision by the Sixers could have a direct impact on the Rockets, since two of their three finalists (Rivers and Lue) are also believed to be among Houston’s top tier of candidates to replace D’Antoni.

Both the 76ers (Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid) and Rockets (James Harden, Russell Westbrook) are attractive big-market jobs with two All-Stars in place. However, it could be argued that Philadelphia is slightly better positioned for the future — since Harden and Westbrook are each 31 years old. By contrast, Simmons and Embiid are 24 and 26, respectively.

Salary could also becine a significant factor in negotiations, since there is no salary cap on NBA coaching hires. It remains to be seen what the budgets from ownership are for the Sixers and Rockets.

Wojnarowski also reported Wednesday that the Rockets were seeking permission to interview assistants as part of their search, including Stephen Silas of the Dallas Mavericks and Wes Unseld Jr. of the Denver Nuggets. There is no clear timetable for a hire to be made.

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