NBA Rumors: Insider reveals Philadelphia 76ers players "aren't feeling" coach Doc Rivers' rotations and philosophies
The latest NBA rumors suggest that there could be unrest within the Philadelphia 76ers organization related to coach Doc Rivers.
The Sixers were expected to be a dominant force following the acquisition of James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets. But they have struggled of late, despite a great start to the player's tenure with the franchise.
Philadelphia has lost its last three games on the trot, with two losses coming against fellow playoff contenders, the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks. Their latest defeat was against the minnows Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
The Ringer's Wosny Lambre dropped some inside news surrounding Philadelphia 76ers and coach Doc Rivers on the Ringer NBA Show podcast, saying:
“A few weeks ago - because I'm decently tapped-in with the players side of what's happening with the Sixers, though I don't know anybody in the Morey administration - I'm hearing like, 'Man, guys are not feeling Doc. His rotations, his philosophy, what he's doing. Guys aren't feeling it.”
Just before Lambre revealed the potential unrest between players regarding Rivers' coaching, Joel Embiid had expressed his desire to play more minutes during the team's loss against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Here's what Embiid mentioned in that post-game press conference:
“I was on the bench. The whole time that I was on the floor, I really made sure that I was always there to help. I thought we didn’t follow that strategy, we didn’t build a wall, and he [Antetokounmpo] had a lot of free lanes to just attack and get whatever he wanted. And that just changed the game. Maybe next time just match up the minutes.”
Embiid was emphasizing that he should've been on the floor at the same time as Antetokounmpo, who scored 40 points that night. The Greek Freak also managed 14 rebounds and six assists. The Sixers eventually lost the tie 116-118 with Giannis making a game-saving block on Embiid.
Doc Rivers didn’t blame the bench unit for the 76ers' loss to the Pistons.
(via @NBCPhilly) https://t.co/tFqlgf1VXc
NBA Rumors: Can Doc Rivers and Philadelphia 76ers capitalize on the talent at their disposal in the postseason?
The Philadelphia 76ers managed to get the best out of the Ben Simmons deal by acquiring a former MVP in Harden. They made the move at the right time as Embiid has been playing at an MVP-caliber level for the second year in a row, while Tyrese Maxey is also developing into a star.
"James has to be the guy, next to the guy."
@JCrossover talks about James Harden's struggles in the 4th quarter https://t.co/G97YZGx2gY
The Sixers have great depth and could make some noise in the postseason if the players and the coaching staff, led by Doc Rivers, are on the same page. The Eastern Conference looks a lot more competitive than it has in previous years, though.
It won't be an easy task for Philadelphia to make their way through to the NBA Finals, despite having the All-Star duo of Embiid and Harden at their disposal.
Their recent form and performances against contenders like the Suns, Bucks, and the Nets also don't inspire too much confidence. As things stand, it seems like the Doc Rivers-led Philadelphia 76ers side will find it difficult to make the NBA Finals this year.
However, it's still too early to predict their fate in the playoffs and it wouldn't be ideal to rule them out of representing the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals just yet.