Shocking NBA news really should stop catching us by surprise because it feels like it happens all the time. But here we are on Monday, two days before the Lakers meet the Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and who could’ve predicted the Clippers would dominate the news cycle?
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski let the world know the Clippers would no longer employ Doc Rivers as their head coach in the latest seismic shift in the Association. Shocking for sure, as evidenced by just about every basketball media member or hardcore fan replying to Woj’s latest bomb with the eye emoji or some other animated reaction. But maybe we should’ve seen this coming when you consider how Los Angeles just choked away a 3-1 lead against the Nuggets in the Western Conference semis, the club has an extremely finite championship window, Rivers has been their head coach for what feels like forever, and the club’s complex future justifiably dictated that now was the right time for a change after another early playoff exit.
Look, someone has to take the blame for an epic failure like the Clippers authored down in the bubble, and Rivers played the role of players’ coach when he took the heat for what went down against Denver after Game 7. Rivers, most likely headed to the Hall of Fame one day as a coach, certainly deserved some of it for failing to adjust and press the right buttons on a squad that never should’ve been bounced before the conference finals. And truthfully, it’s not hard to make a case that there are plenty of good reasons to cut bait rather than run it back one more season with Rivers.
Yes, Rivers built up a ton of goodwill during his seven years coaching the Clippers—and don’t forget he also spent five years running the front office. He especially stood out for the brave and commendable job he did guiding the star-crossed franchise through turbulent times when Donald Sterling was exposed as a virulent racist six years ago. But no matter your profile, NBA coaches are hired to be fired and when you’re expected to produce results in the biggest spots, yet perennially come up short, you become expendable.
And Rivers’ teams in LA for sure underperformed way too often in the postseason, way before Kawhi Leonard and Paul George choked like dogs in the fourth quarter of Game 7. It’s kind of absurd that those Lob City Clippers squads—featuring Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and JJ Redick—failed to make a Western Conference Finals. And it was even more egregious this season when the Kawhi/PG super squad that many, including yours truly, felt was the team to beat failed to get the franchise to at least its first-ever conference finals. Overall, the Clippers lost five playoff series in which they held the lead during Rivers’ tenure. Cumulatively speaking, that’s a fire-able offense.
We’ll of course find out more over the coming days and weeks about precisely why Clippers’ management—led by president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and billionaire owner Steve Balmer—felt Doc wasn’t the answer going forward. In the meantime, I would encourage you to check out the excellent breakdown of the situation written and reported by the talented Jovan Buha of The Athletic. In a statement released by the team, the Clippers said: “Steve Ballmer and Doc Rivers have reached a mutual decision that Rivers will step down as head coach of the LA Clippers.” Wojnarowski reported on SportsCenter Monday that the team felt changes had to be made after the team traded away its future last summer to get only two guaranteed years out of Leonard and George and sputtered so spectacularly out of the postseason yet again. After mortgaging the franchise's future last summer to become immediate title contenders, the Clippers' championship window is tiny and maybe an infusion of new coaching energy is what it’ll take to propel a squad that dealt with its fair share of drama this past season to uncharted territory.
“When I took this job, my goals were to make this a winning basketball program, a free agent destination and bring a championship to this organization,” Rivers said in a statement posted on Twitter. “While I was able to accomplish most of my goals, I won’t be able to see them all through.”
Who replaces Rivers in LA remains to be seen. Leonard and George hitched their wagons to the Clippers in part because of Rivers and his reputation as one of the premier coaches in the league. But there clearly was some disconnect as chemistry issues were a big reason why this Clippers squad exited the playoffs early. Despite that, the Clippers’ job is by far the most appealing opening in the league and LA will have plenty of premium options to choose from. Maybe they tab one of their highly-regarded assistants like Ty Lue or Sam Cassell to take over. Maybe Mike D’Antoni gives it another shot in LA, this time with the Clippers, after things did not work out with the Lakers years ago. Jeff Van Gundy is reportedly going to be considered. Or maybe the Clippers shock us all again with an out-of-left-field hire that’s catered to keeping Kawhi and PG happy and hopefully interested in signing long-term extensions.
Whoever is the next Clippers coach, he’ll have big shoes to fill because Rivers will be missed—by the community, by the players, and especially by the media who regularly cover Clippers games. Allow me to indulge in a little media privilege here for a second because getting the chance to listen to Rivers talk basketball before and after the many Clippers games I covered while out in LA was an incredible experience. He was always gracious with his time, answered plenty of insightful and dumb questions with equal aplomb, and never wavered wading into important political and hot button issues that were greater than basketball. I can only imagine what the beat writers were able to soak up listening to his wisdom, wit, and candor day-in and day-out. One of the best coaches in the league by a mile, Rivers had a good relationship with many of his players (although it should be noted none have spoken up about his departure so far), much of the Clippers staff, and those who wrote about his team. He’ll be just fine and you know the soon-to-be 59-year-old will be back running the show for some playoff-caliber squad (Philadelphia?) as soon as he feels like it.
But the shock of the Clippers’ decision to kiss their most successful coach goodbye shouldn’t sting so hard when you remember that in the NBA it’s not about what you’ve done for me, it’s about what you’ve done for me lately and Doc did not deliver.
