Former Boston Celtics head coach is emerging as the frontrunner to land the head coaching job currently vacant with Boston’s Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, reports the New York Times’ Mark Stein.
Rivers has seemingly displaced ex-Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni in the running for that post, with Celtics alumni Ty Lue currently being seen as most like to take Rivers’ old post with the Los Angeles Clippers, again per Stein.
Rivers’ defensive fundamentals of his coaching philosophy dating back to the Banner 17 title squad in Boston would be a more isomorphic fit in Philadelphia, a defensively-minded roster struggling to balance issues of fit and personality, another speciality of the former Celtics coach.
On the NBA's fast-moving coaching carousel …
The growing belief in league circles is that Doc Rivers has swiftly supplanted Mike D'Antoni as the favorite for the Philadelphia job …
With Ty Lue ranking as the early favorite to replace Rivers with the Clippers
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 1, 2020
After meeting with the 76ers Wednesday — including a trip to the NBA Finals sidelines — it does seem as if the club’s priorities have shifted to the former Clippers head honcho.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports Lue also met with Philly this week and plans to meet with the New Orleans Pelicans next week.
No word on when or if D’Antoni will be interviewing with the Sixers, but it’s possible a formal meeting would merely be a formality given both parties are familiar with one another given D’Antoni was an assistant coach with the team in 2015-16.
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