Los Angeles Clippers: 5 Overreactions To Avoid
3. “Doc Rivers Is Overrated”
As we’ve already mentioned, Doc Rivers is the one to blame for the Clippers once again failing short of a conference finals appearance. As much as Blake Griffin and Chris Paul were willing to shoulder the responsibility of surrendering that 3-1 lead, they were completely gassed by the end of the series because the Clips had zero depth.
But let’s get one thing straight: GM Doc Rivers is the one to blame, not necessarily head coach Doc Rivers.
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I’ll give you that Rivers’ championship pedigree might be a tad inflated by his one championship with the Boston Celtics. The fact that he’s the first head coach in NBA history to blow multiple 3-1 series leads is not a good look, nor is the fact that he’s 0-4 in road Game 7s.
But Rivers the coach can’t be completely blamed for the GM’s mistakes. He had to ride his starters into oblivion, but what was he supposed to do? Spencer Hawes never got acclimated because Rivers didn’t play him enough, but other than that, Jamal Crawford shot less than 40 percent this season (and was even worse in the playoffs) and this team had zero depth.
That falls on Rivers the GM. Last summer, Doc had a chance at bringing in Paul Pierce or Trevor Ariza, but instead opted to sign Hawes, Jordan Farmar, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Jared Cunningham and Ekpe Udoh. Hawes rode the bench, Farmar and Cunningham were waived, Reggie Bullock was traded and other signees like Jordan Hamilton, Lester Hudson and Dahntay Jones never moved the needle.
Quick cut to Clippers fans:
But let’s not lump the GM in with the head coach. As much as the Clippers need an honest-to-God general manager, the solution is not questioning Doc Rivers’ job security. Blowing a 3-1 series lead is bad, and I’ll admit that Rivers’ standing among other elite coaches might be a tad inflated.
Still, Rivers has built a winning culture in Lob City for the first time since…ever, basically. He’s the right man for the job, he just needs to fix his mistakes as a general manager somehow. It won’t be easy for a hard-capped team, but if breaking the Clipper Curse is his top priority, I say give him a little more time. These things don’t happen overnight.
Next: No. 2