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Where will Doc Rivers resurface?
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Tuesday, November 18
Updated: November 18
3:01 PM ET
Doc Rivers was kicked to the curb early Tuesday morning after the Magic suffered their 10th consecutive loss. The team named Rivers' assistant, Johnny Davis, as the interim head coach.
"It's happened, and I'm helping Johnny get ready to take over," Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel.
The move comes as no big surprise. The Magic have quietly been descending into lottery hell all season. The losses were taking their toll, but it was the defection of the team's most important player, Tracy McGrady, that was the final straw for Rivers.
On Friday, Insider reported that McGrady and Rivers were feuding and McGrady was quietly pushing for the team to make the move. That left Magic COO John Weisbrod and GM John Gabriel with very little wiggle room.
There's no question Doc Rivers will coach again, but where?
Rivers is a popular figure in Orlando, but sources claim he had lost most of the players in the locker room.
According to one Eastern Conference GM, Rivers' firing shouldn't come as a surprise. "I've always felt that a coach has a shelf life of three or four years unless he's winning championships," the GM told Insider. "The motivational tatics that work on players in the beginning grow old with time. If players aren't seeing the results on the floor, they quit responding. It happens with every coach, even the good ones."
Rivers had just begun his fifth season coaching the Magic.
On Monday, GMs around the league were already speculating on where Rivers would land next.
"I think he's a great coach," one GM said. "Doc will have a job as soon as he's ready for one."
Rivers hasn't said whether he's ready to take a job now or if he'll wait until the summer to look for work. Most top head coaches shy away from taking over a team once the season begins, because it takes them too long to install their new system.
However, you can expect several big name teams to seriously consider making a pitch to Rivers now. Insider conducted an informal poll of eight GMs and two assistant GMs on Monday afternoon.
Five believed Rivers would be the next head coach of the Knicks. Three believed he'd take over the Bulls. And two thought the Hawks, now under new management, would be his destination. None of the 10 polled thought Rivers would wait until the summer before returning to the bench.
Of course, all three teams mentioned have head coaches under contract. But with all three stumbling out of the gates, the possibility of a coaching change or two certainly isn't far-fetched.
Insider breaks down the top contenders for Rivers' services:
New York Knicks: They're off to a 3-7 start under head coach Don Chaney, but GM Scott Layden told reporters on Thursday that he was Chaney's "biggest fan." Many NBA observers believe this is where Doc has always wanted to coach.
Rivers spent two and a half seasons in New York as a player and has an affection for the city and the national spotlight the Knicks provide. The problem is, Rivers probably doesn't want to step out of one bad situation and into another. The Knicks have less cap flexibility than the Magic and have been slow to make any dramatic changes to their roster.
If Antonio McDyess is healthy and Layden can find a way to pry Jamal Crawford away from the Bulls (see below), perhaps Rivers would consider. But short of some serious talent upgrades, it's hard to believe Rivers would want a team with too many over-priced veterans and not enough young talent.
Chicago Bulls: The Bulls offer Rivers his best shot of winning. The team is loaded with talent, has plenty of assets and is underachieving at the moment. Rivers always has yearned to have more than just one superstar on his roster. In Chicago he'd have three potential ones.
To make things even more interesting, remember that Rivers is an Illinois native. He played high school ball at Proviso East High in Maywood.
Don't count out the glory factor, either. Whoever gets the Bulls to the playoffs after the five-season drought will be a hero in Chicago. The Bulls have the raw pieces, they just need someone to put them together.
Coach Bill Cartwright has done an admirable job, but he's had an uneasy relationship with several of his younger players. New GM John Paxson probably doesn't want to fire Cartwright, but the opportunity to get a name coach like Rivers might be too good to pass up. Paxson has made it clear the Bulls need to make the playoffs this year. You've got to believe Rivers gives them a great shot.
Atlanta Hawks: Now that the Hawks have new ownership and will soon have new management, this may be the perfect time to get in on the ground floor of a rebuilding situation headed in the right direction.
This may be one of the few spots in the NBA where Rivers could hold both the GM and head coaching jobs. He often clashed in Orlando with Gabriel and made no secret about his desire to call the shots on the talent the team should acquire.
The Hawks aren't any good right now, but they do have a few young building blocks with Jason Terry, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Boris Diaw. The team also has enough other assets to make some moves to bring in the personnel Rivers might want.
The Hawks aren't the sexiest destination for Rivers, but he spent eight years in Atlanta as a player and professes a great loyalty to the franchise. Hiring Rivers is exactly what the Hawks need to begin energizing one of the smallest fan bases in the NBA.
His team won't win right away, but with a few good moves in trades, Rivers would have the chance to turn around a moribund franchise.
Around the League
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Tuesday, November 18
Updated: November 18
3:01 PM ET
Doc Rivers was kicked to the curb early Tuesday morning after the Magic suffered their 10th consecutive loss. The team named Rivers' assistant, Johnny Davis, as the interim head coach.
"It's happened, and I'm helping Johnny get ready to take over," Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel.
The move comes as no big surprise. The Magic have quietly been descending into lottery hell all season. The losses were taking their toll, but it was the defection of the team's most important player, Tracy McGrady, that was the final straw for Rivers.
On Friday, Insider reported that McGrady and Rivers were feuding and McGrady was quietly pushing for the team to make the move. That left Magic COO John Weisbrod and GM John Gabriel with very little wiggle room.
There's no question Doc Rivers will coach again, but where?
Rivers is a popular figure in Orlando, but sources claim he had lost most of the players in the locker room.
According to one Eastern Conference GM, Rivers' firing shouldn't come as a surprise. "I've always felt that a coach has a shelf life of three or four years unless he's winning championships," the GM told Insider. "The motivational tatics that work on players in the beginning grow old with time. If players aren't seeing the results on the floor, they quit responding. It happens with every coach, even the good ones."
Rivers had just begun his fifth season coaching the Magic.
On Monday, GMs around the league were already speculating on where Rivers would land next.
"I think he's a great coach," one GM said. "Doc will have a job as soon as he's ready for one."
Rivers hasn't said whether he's ready to take a job now or if he'll wait until the summer to look for work. Most top head coaches shy away from taking over a team once the season begins, because it takes them too long to install their new system.
However, you can expect several big name teams to seriously consider making a pitch to Rivers now. Insider conducted an informal poll of eight GMs and two assistant GMs on Monday afternoon.
Five believed Rivers would be the next head coach of the Knicks. Three believed he'd take over the Bulls. And two thought the Hawks, now under new management, would be his destination. None of the 10 polled thought Rivers would wait until the summer before returning to the bench.
Of course, all three teams mentioned have head coaches under contract. But with all three stumbling out of the gates, the possibility of a coaching change or two certainly isn't far-fetched.
Insider breaks down the top contenders for Rivers' services:
New York Knicks: They're off to a 3-7 start under head coach Don Chaney, but GM Scott Layden told reporters on Thursday that he was Chaney's "biggest fan." Many NBA observers believe this is where Doc has always wanted to coach.
Rivers spent two and a half seasons in New York as a player and has an affection for the city and the national spotlight the Knicks provide. The problem is, Rivers probably doesn't want to step out of one bad situation and into another. The Knicks have less cap flexibility than the Magic and have been slow to make any dramatic changes to their roster.
If Antonio McDyess is healthy and Layden can find a way to pry Jamal Crawford away from the Bulls (see below), perhaps Rivers would consider. But short of some serious talent upgrades, it's hard to believe Rivers would want a team with too many over-priced veterans and not enough young talent.
Chicago Bulls: The Bulls offer Rivers his best shot of winning. The team is loaded with talent, has plenty of assets and is underachieving at the moment. Rivers always has yearned to have more than just one superstar on his roster. In Chicago he'd have three potential ones.
To make things even more interesting, remember that Rivers is an Illinois native. He played high school ball at Proviso East High in Maywood.
Don't count out the glory factor, either. Whoever gets the Bulls to the playoffs after the five-season drought will be a hero in Chicago. The Bulls have the raw pieces, they just need someone to put them together.
Coach Bill Cartwright has done an admirable job, but he's had an uneasy relationship with several of his younger players. New GM John Paxson probably doesn't want to fire Cartwright, but the opportunity to get a name coach like Rivers might be too good to pass up. Paxson has made it clear the Bulls need to make the playoffs this year. You've got to believe Rivers gives them a great shot.
Atlanta Hawks: Now that the Hawks have new ownership and will soon have new management, this may be the perfect time to get in on the ground floor of a rebuilding situation headed in the right direction.
This may be one of the few spots in the NBA where Rivers could hold both the GM and head coaching jobs. He often clashed in Orlando with Gabriel and made no secret about his desire to call the shots on the talent the team should acquire.
The Hawks aren't any good right now, but they do have a few young building blocks with Jason Terry, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Boris Diaw. The team also has enough other assets to make some moves to bring in the personnel Rivers might want.
The Hawks aren't the sexiest destination for Rivers, but he spent eight years in Atlanta as a player and professes a great loyalty to the franchise. Hiring Rivers is exactly what the Hawks need to begin energizing one of the smallest fan bases in the NBA.
His team won't win right away, but with a few good moves in trades, Rivers would have the chance to turn around a moribund franchise.
Around the League
