Tag: Doc Rivers

Rajon Rondo on playing for Rick Carlisle, Doc Rivers, Ty Lue

Rondo even admitted his own coaching aspirations and his love for teaching the game.

Former Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo recently reflected on the effect of various coaches on his career during an interview with ex-NBAer JJ Redick, the host of the “Old Man and the Three” podcast.

The 2008 Celtics champ discussed how Doc Rivers helped him grow as a professional and manage playing with star teammates. He recalled how Doc allowed him to call plays during games, which gave him a unique perspective on managing the team’s dynamics.

He also mentioned Rick Carlisle’s non-traditional coaching style and Tyronne Lue’s attention to detail and preparation. Rondo even admitted his own coaching aspirations and his love for teaching the game.

To hear what the onetime Kentucky star had to say about the various head coaches he has had the privilege to play for, take a look at the clip embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

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Mike Breen said he was saddened, surprised on losing Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy in ESPN cuts

You have to feel for Mike Breen here.

With ESPN letting go of commentators Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, it leaves the network’s lead NBA announcer Mike Breen without his longtime sidekicks.

Speaking with The New York Post, Breen expressed his sadness over Jackson and Van Gundy being gone from the network.

They’ll reportedly be replaced by longtime NBA reporter Doris Burke and former NBA coach Doc Rivers.

It’ll be a tough transition for Breen, however, as he’d really developed a great chemistry with Jackson and Van Gundy in the years they’d all worked together.

You could tell in Breen’s words how much the partnership meant to him.

“It’s sad because we really thought we had something special and that’s going to be the thought going forward is that we were able to do it a lot longer than anybody ever did,” Breen told The Post. “It’s something we’ll all treasure, but we just wish it was a little bit longer.

“You don’t expect it, because it was such a great team and to have it completely broken up was a surprise.”

This is a tough turn of events for Breen, but Burke and Rivers definitely could replace Jackson and Van Gundy with success.

It’s just never easy to say goodbye to your on-air partners, so we definitely get where Breen is coming from with his words. NBA fans will see how the transition goes when ESPN’s game coverage returns this fall.

On this day: Rozier, Billups, Mercer, Kreklow, Hunter, Mickey drafted

On this day, the Boston Celtics drafted several players in multiple drafts, including Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Ron Mercer, and Wayne Kreklow.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise took just one player of note in the 1979 NBA draft, held in New York City at the Plaza Hotel, after having traded away their first-round draft pick. The sole player selected by the Celtics that year was 6-foot-4 shooting guard Wayne Kreklow, taken with the 53rd overall pick in the draft’s third round (drafts went on much longer then than they do today).

A native of Neenah, Wisconsin, Kreklow had been playing college ball at Drake before being drafted by Boston. He did not initially make the team, not unusual for a prospect drafted so late. But, instead of being waived, he would play a season with the Maine Lumberjacks of the Continental Basketball Association (the equivalent of the G League in that era), where he averaged 9.6 points per game.

Kreklow would join the team for the 1980-81 season, helping to win a championship in a reserve role that saw him average 1.2 points over 25 games with the Celtics in his sole season with the franchise.

Doc Rivers opens up on Joel Embiid, James Harden, Sixers after firing

Recently fired coach Doc Rivers opens up on Joel Embiid, James Harden, and what the Philadelphia 76ers have to do in order to win.

The Philadelphia 76ers moved on from Doc Rivers after three seasons on the job due to his inability to guide the Sixers past the second round of the playoffs. Philadelphia fell in the Eastern Conference semifinals in all three seasons under his guidance.

There were some good things the Sixers accomplished under Rivers. They went 154-82 during his tenure, and the Sixers were the No. 1 seed in 2021 for the first time since 2001. They had bad luck in terms of injuries to Joel Embiid, and James Harden was not the same scorer he once was.

Rivers hopped on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” and he opened up on what Embiid has to do to win a championship, the challenges of coaching Harden, and what the Sixers have to do to move forward:

Daryl Morey explains why Sixers picked Nick Nurse to replace Doc Rivers

Daryl Morey explains why the Philadelphia 76ers think the hired Nick Nurse is the right guy to replace Doc Rivers.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers moved on from Doc Rivers after three seasons on the job even though he won 154 games and guided the team to a great deal of success. However, it didn’t translate in the playoffs; they were ousted in the conference semifinals in all three seasons under Rivers.

To replace Rivers, the Sixers hired Nick Nurse. The Toronto Raptors moved on from Nurse after four seasons and a 227-163 record. He guided the Raptors to a title in 2019 in his first season at the helm.

Philadelphia President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has a relationship with Nurse from their time together with the Houston Rockets. He explained why he thought Nurse was the right guy to replace Rivers.

“Obviously, a championship pedigree at multiple levels is a big factor,” Morey explained. “His creativity, the fact that a partner in how to create results I think is a big factor. He checks every box. Relationships with players, working with star players, tactics, someone that people wanna play for, it’s a pretty long list, and we thought he was a pretty special candidate.”

The Sixers feel as if Nurse is the right guy to lead them to a championship. He did a really solid job in Toronto and now, the challenge is to bring that experience and pedigree to the City of Brotherly Love.

“I appreciate Josh (Harris) and David (Blitzer) giving us the resources to help make it happen,” Morey finished. “This is just one step toward a championship, but we think it’s an important step.”

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Get to know new Sixers coach Nick Nurse: philosophies, profile, grade

It’s time to dissect and grade the Philadelphia 76ers’ hire of Nick Nurse to replace Doc Rivers as head coach.

The Philadelphia 76ers are moving into a new era, bringing in Nick Nurse to replace the fired Doc Rivers.

The Sixers went 154-82 under Rivers’ guidance, and he did many good things in Philadelphia, but three consecutive exits in the conference semifinals sealed his fate.

In comes Nurse who looks to bring his innovative thinking to the position and try to get the Sixers past that second-round hump. He has a career record of 227-163 across his four seasons with the Toronto Raptors, and he led the team to its first NBA title in 2019.

Let’s begin to dissect the Nurse hire: see in which areas Toronto thrived and in which they didn’t during his time and assess how he can help the Sixers get to a championship.

Everyone had the same obvious joke when the 76ers hired Nick Nurse

Enough, folks.

Following a frustrating Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in this year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers chose to go in a different direction.

The team parted ways with coach Doc Rivers, who spent three seasons with the team and fell in the conference semifinals all three seasons. Now, they’ll be swapping one coach who won an NBA championship with a conference rival for another.

On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the team had agreed to a deal with former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. In five years in Toronto, Nurse won an NBA championship in 2019 and the league’s Coach of the Year award in 2020.

While Nurse is certainly a solid hire for the team, it also opened the door for fans to make the most obvious joke of all time.

And boy, did they take advantage.

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Report: Sixers hire Nick Nurse to replace Doc Rivers as head coach

The Philadelphia 76ers hire Nick Nurse as head coach to replace Doc Rivers.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a lengthy coaching search to replace Doc Rivers after his three seasons on the job. Rivers went 154-82, but the Sixers fell in the second round of the playoffs three seasons in a row and it was time for a replacement.

To replace Rivers, the Sixers have hired Nick Nurse. The former head coach of the Toronto Raptors won a title in 2019, and he kept the Raptors competitive after Kawhi Leonard left. He has a career record of 227-163.

Nurse is a brilliant head coach and tactician. Toronto was a top defensive team under his guidance and the Sixers promise to be one of the best in the 2023-24 season under him. One has to wonder if James Harden will be here, but if he isn’t, Nurse will find a way to make the Sixers an elite team.

Former Sixers coach Doc Rivers named a finalist for Suns’ open job

Former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers is listed as a finalist for the head coaching job for the Phoenix Suns.

After three seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers moved on from coach Doc Rivers. The team fell in the Eastern Conference semifinals in all three seasons under his guidance, and team management believed it was time for a change.

The Sixers held a 3-2 lead in the semifinals over the Boston Celtics and had a lead slip away in Game 6 at home. They scored 13 points in the fourth quarter in the Game 6 loss and looked listless in Game 7.

Rivers paid the price, but it looks as though he will land on his feet nicely. The future Hall of Fame coach won 154 games across three seasons in Philadelphia, and he is a finalist for the opening with the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns feature legitimate stars Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. Rivers has a history with Paul during their days with the Los Angeles Clippers, so it will be interesting to see if he gets an opportunity in the desert.

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Kevin Garnett, Tony Allen give their thoughts on Sixers firing Doc Rivers

Former NBA champions Kevin Garnett and Tony Allen give their thoughts on the Philadelphia 76ers firing Doc Rivers.

The Philadelphia 76ers made their first move of the offseason when they moved on from Doc Rivers after three seasons. Rivers won a bunch of games, 154 wins against 82 losses, in Philadelphia, but the mandate was to get to the Eastern Conference finals, and he wasn’t able to get there.

The Sixers fell in the conference semifinals in three consecutive seasons under Rivers, and they have fallen in the second round in five of the previous six seasons. They have had terrific talent, but not the greatest luck.

Former Boston Celtics champions Kevin Garnett and Tony Allen, who played for Rivers in Boston, gave their thoughts on the firing on the podcast “KG Certified”: