Doc Rivers Destroying The Bucks Will Only Help The Sixers
Firing your head coach in the middle of the season doesn’t often lead to success. Especially when that head coach had you as the 2 seed. Firing your head coach to replace them with someone not even the building is an even bolder game plan. But firing your 2-seed head coach, in the middle of a season, to replace him with Doc Rivers of all people, that is just courting disaster. And predictably, it has gone very poorly so far for the Bucks.
They are 3-7 with him as their head coach. They were 32-14 without him. Were things under Adrian Griffin perfect? No. Otherwise, he would still be their coach. But they were still the 2nd best team in the Eastern Conference. Under Doc they can barely function. Teammates are running into each other on the court. Dame Lillard is putting out vague statements on his socials. And Doc Rivers is already throwing his players under the bus.
It is a big deal for the Sixers. With Embiid shelved for the immediate future, they need all the help they can get to stay in the race. And having one of their primary opponents in the East go down in flames only makes it easier for them. The Sixers are also 3-7 in that same time. But they are 2-2 since the trade deadline. Buddy Hield has helped them a ton in the last 4 games.
They should be getting healthier after the All-Star Break. De’Anthony Melton and Nicolas Batum should be back and Kyle Lowry will be able to join the team. With Hield now giving them another scoring threat alongside Tyrese Maxey, maybe they can keep their heads above water.
If the Sixers can do that, and Embiid is healthy in time for the playoffs, having this Bucks team be a walking disaster could help them a lot. Doc Rivers is already famous for his playoff implosions. Maybe getting to play a Doc Rivers coached team in the 2nd round is all the Sixers need to finally break that curse. The Celtics are still a major problem, and the Knicks are a legit threat now. But if the Bucks continue to spiral out of control, it only makes it easier for the Sixers to still make some noise this year, provided Embiid can get healthy.
It is also just hilarious to see Doc Rivers spin out in Milwaukee. The issues here were not all his fault. But he played a big part in the Sixers last 3 2nd round exits. Seeing Nick Nurse make things work with a patch work lineup, while Doc Rivers drives a plan with two future Hall Of Famers into the ground, feels pretty good.
Watch Andrew Salciunas live on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page on Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The All-Time Roster of Sixers Players We Underrate
Point Guard- Andre Miller
(Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
Being the guy who replaces Allen Iverson for the Sixers is a tall task. He was never going to be what AI was. But Millers was as professional as it gets. His presence kept the Sixers at least somewhat relevant for his 3 years here. He played great defense, ran the floor well, and scored 15.9 points per game. That period for the Sixers is pretty forgettable. But Miller at least did his part in giving Sixers fans something to watch.
Shooting Guard- Hersey Hawkins
(Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)
The Sixers were not a great team when Hersey Hawkins played for them. They had Charles Barkley, but not much else went well for them. Which of course eventually led to them trading Charles. Which to this day is one of the worst trades in franchise history. But Hersey Hawkins was at least one other player worth appreciating in that era. In his 5 seasons here he averaged 19 points and shot over 40% from 3. And in perhaps one of his best moments with the Sixers, he once got 9 steals in one game against the Celtics. That is still a franchise record, though Allen Iverson matched it twice.
Small Forward- Andre Iguodala
(Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)
Iguodala is one of those players we did not appreciate enough while he was here. And for reasons that are not all his fault. Sixers fans were desperate for a Star Scorer. That is just not who Iggy is. He did a lot of great things and would have made a perfect complement to a theoretical star player if the Sixers had ever landed one. But they never did pair him with that guy, and it put a spotlight on Andre Iguodala that he was not equipped to live up to. Still, he was great for what he is, and we would all love to have someone similar to him on this Sixers team right now.
Power Forward- Thad Young
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Thad Young was never a star. But what he was is a guy who gave it his all every single night. He even won the NBA Hustle Award later in his career when playing with the Bulls. He averaged 13.7 pts and 5.5 rebounds per game in his 7 years with the Sixers. He even stuck around for a bit into the Process years.
Center- Samuel Dalembert
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
There are a lot of great Centers in Sixers’ history. Joel Embiid, Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Daryl Dawkins. It doesn’t leave much room to appreciate other centers. But Samuel Dalembert is worth taking some time to appreciate. Yeah, he was not scoring like those other guys. But for 8 years he gave the Sixers a pretty great rim protector. He averaged 1.9 blocks per game in his Sixers career and even had a few seasons where that number crept up over 2.
6th Man- Kyle Korver
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
This is cheating because Korver also flirted with being a starter here. But what made me pick him was his final year here, where he played in 74 games but started just one. And yet, he led the league in FT% and was 9th in 3pt%. In one game he even scored a career-high 31 points off the bench against the Knicks.
