So the oddest NBA feud in quite some time is happening, as my favorite sportswriter Bill Simmons is taking on the former Celtics coach Doc Rivers because of Rivers becoming coach of the Clippers. Rivers claims that he was not bailing on the team, while Simmons (a huge huge Celtics fan) is 100% sure that Rivers decided to take off once the going got tough. Now this feud has become quite interesting because both parties have a good point—and it leads to you deciding which side sounds more reasonable and more believable.
On Bill Simmons’ side, he definitely has reason to be furious about the whole thing. An avid Celtics fan, Simmons knows more than anybody on ESPN the history of Boston sports. The Celtics are like a family to the Boston community so seeing the coach suddenly wanting to move to a winning culture in Los Angeles (of all places…) is definitely jarring. Now although there technically are no such things in a big business like sports, let’s recall the 57-107 record he helped deliver to Boston in a two-season stretch. Most coaches would have been canned after that mark, especially the infamous 24-58 season that Celtics fans would rather not bring up. And he still kept his job. Danny Ainge gives him an extremely good squad, a fresh breath of life, and together they got their championship.
However.....
Doc Rivers was given so many chances you’d swear in a past life he was a cat. Similar to Grant Hill’s Lost Years in Orlando he doesn’t owe the Boston Celtics anything---but at the same time he kinda does. The 2005-2006 season was full of blunders, and I definitely have the Bill Simmons article that can break it down. Then there’s the 2006-2007 Celtics season that was marred by injuries, but also contained some pure lost moments in coaching on his part. Nowadays, he still wanted his 7 million a year, but didn’t want to coach an inferior team doing so. Rivers wanted his money, but didn’t want to brave any rough waters doing so. He wanted a contender, and in a barrage of mixed he-said-she-said tales, essentially admitted that he wanted to get out before things got ugly and coach a team with…you know…stars.
Stars. This is what makes Doc Rivers look good---coaching stars. Rivers had his best years when veterans were on the court mixing in with the younglings. This is when Rivers shines best, as he provides great chemistry and support to the players that have been on the court for years. Garnett, Pierce, Allen excelled amazingly under Rivers.
However.....
Remember the Orlando Magic under Rivers? The veterans and experienced players surprisingly shined during the Heart and Hustle time period, but the youngsters struggled immensely. Arguably the lack of developing rookies and sophomores led to the deplorable records in Boston before the formation of the Big Three. So seeing the Big Three essentially disappear and nothing but an under-developed Rajon Rondo (With a little tweaking, he could be the best point guard in the NBA by far) at the helm, Rivers wanted to run. I don’t care what story he gives, the man took off when the team started looking younger.
However.....
How successful is a 56-26 record? How successful is a 57-25 record? The Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Denver Nuggets accomplished those high marks this past season. They all have one thing in common: they fired their coach. Each of these teams had never (repeat) ever had such a successful regular season. Yet Lionel Hollins, Vinny Del Negro, and the mighty George Karl are without a job. Why in the hell would Doc Rivers be willing to stick with a team that will most likely lose twice as many games this season? Two of these three coaches are far superior than Rivers (Del Nego is quite iffy at times). How can you possibly guarantee that the Celtics wouldn’t drop him mid-season regardless? If you saw this offseason and all the transactions that have gone on, then you know that Rivers was scared out of his mind.
13 coaches have been dropped in the offseason!! 6 of them were in playoff teams!! 3 of them gave their franchise their best season ever!! And I am not even including the firings of teams mid-season that made the playoffs, including Mike Brown, Avery Johnson, and Scott Skiles—none of which ever deserved the firing by the way. How dare Bill Simmons and the rest of us even get mad at Rivers when we have seen nearly half the teams in the NBA move in a new direction coach-wise? Let’s not forget that there are great great coaches still in the market like Jerry Sloan, Larry Brown, Stan Van Gundy, and Phil Jackson.
Bottom Line: Doc Rivers did quit on the same team he said he would remain with for the rest of his career. Bill Simmons was definitely right, once things turned a little south, Rivers took off---and to L.A. of all places. That being said, you can’t fault Rivers for watching his career after seeing the NBA mistreat great coaches in the past two seasons. Rivers had every reason to feel like his days in Boston were numbered, and him staying could have led to his departure. After all, if 56 wins and the Western Conference Finals wasn’t good enough, then screw loyalty, take the money and run.
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