The Philadelphia 76ers are still in the market for a new coach after firing Brett Brown on August 24 after seven seasons on the job. The 2019-20 version of the Sixers did not live up to their high expectations and it was time for a change.
The list of candidates has been headlined by Tyronn Lue and Mike D’Antoni, but a new name has entered the fray in the form of Doc Rivers who parted ways with the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Rivers is another successful coach who has an NBA title on his resume with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and he has some good credentials to earn the job in Philadelphia.
One of Rivers’ former players in Boston, Kendrick Perkins, hopped on “Scal and Pals” with a former teammate in Boston in Brian Scalabrine and he believes that Rivers would be perfect for Sixers star Joel Embiid.
Perkins on Rivers for the Sixers and Embiid:
I heard he is having a lot of conversation with the Philadelphia 76ers right now. That’s where he’s getting the most interest and I think that he will be a great fit for them. I honestly believe that Doc with Joel Embiid, that’s what he needs. He needs a person like Doc. Think about what the DeAndre Jordan did under Doc Rivers. Think about what I did under Doc Rivers, right? So Doc Rivers gets the best out of you. You know he’s able to manage egos and stuff like that, but to nip it in the bud when you go back to the Clippers, man the Clippers were just soft, mentally. They had that tough guy and talk all that noise mentality, but they didn’t show it on the court.
"I heard he's having a lot of conversations with the Philadelphia 76ers." – @KendrickPerkins
TUNE IN: https://t.co/IxHtwatpxT pic.twitter.com/XZIy15Wl0r
— Scal and Pals (@ScalAndPals) September 29, 2020
In reference to Jordan, he was named an All-Star in 2017 under Rivers’ tutelage. He averaged 12.7 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks that season and led the league in field goal percentage at 71.4% from the floor. Embiid is much more talented that Jordan and if Jordan can become an All-Star under Rivers, imagine what Embiid can do under him. General manager Elton Brand certainly has a tough decision to make for his next head coach. [lawrence-related id=37987,37984,37973]