PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 07: James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates with fans after defeating the Boston Celtics in overtime of game four of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on May 07, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In Anthony’s Opening Diatribe, he talked about how he does not like the idea of bringing James Harden back:
I have to tell you, I am still not over this loss. I’m not over it. I am in a bad way. The best news is the Woj news that says Harden is opting out. That is the best thing for the Sixers. You can’t go all in 4 years $200 million with Harden. Now I don’t know what Morey is going to do, or what his plans are. But I just don’t think Harden is the answer. I know it has been a revolving door next to Embiid. Obviously, Simmons, Jimmy, Tobias, and now Harden.
He was so good in half the series, which is awesome. But he was so bad in half the series. How long is the window going to be open for him? I don’t know if he is the right fit. Even when he was Hall of Fame Harden, I don’t know if he is the best fit with Embiid. And also personality-wise. Maybe you need a type of player like Dame next to Embiid. Who is such a lion? Who will say I am taking over dude, go down low and rebound.
I would be lying to you if I said I have all the answers. Right now, I am still picking up the pieces. That was a bad loss. An Earth-shattering loss. In the sense that, this is it. 6 years in the 2nd round. They had game 6. At the end of game 6, they did not have the makeup to close. That is the Eel’s biggest challenge. Coming up with the right makeup to close out game 6. it’s not about talent. I think they put together a good team. Doc Rivers was a good coach. but together, they could not close out…
They had a quit mentality. You have to change it up. I keep talking about lions. I think you need lions.
You can listen to his full Opening Diatribe below:
Analyzing 9 Options To Be The Next Head Coach For The Sixers
Doc Rivers is out as the Sixers’ coach. Not too surprising. After the performance of his team in game 7, the writing was on the wall. A lot of other successful coaches have already been fired directly after their team came up short like the Sixers. It felt highly unlikely Doc Rivers would come away clean. Sure enough, on Tuesday just before noon, Woj broke the news that Doc Rivers had been fired. And now, the Sixers begin their search for the next head coach.
And this coach is going to have to be the guy. This will be the 3rd head coach of The Process Era. First, there was Brett Brown, who coached the Sixers through the actual tanking years. He stuck around for several more years once Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were on the court. He led them to 2 straight 2nd round exits and then got the boot after the Sixers got swept in round 1 of the Bubble season. Then it was Doc Rivers. He coached the team to three straight 2nd rounds, along with 3 straight exits. This year’s collapse vs the Celtics was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Luckily for the Sixers, there are several great candidates for their next head coach, at least on paper. There were winning coaches fired by their teams for coming up short. Guys who coached under Doc Rivers who may be looking for a chance to step into the driver’s seat. Veteran coaches who took last year off and may be looking to get back into coaching. Some of the options being thrown out are great, and some not so much.
Let’s take a look at each name being thrown around and if they will be the right fit: