The Los Angeles Clippers have mutually parted ways with head coach Doc Rivers, it was announced Monday.
Rivers' departure comes after the Clippers blew a 3–1 lead against the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the NBA playoffs, a result that stupefied many since Los Angeles had been considered one of the true contenders to win the 2020 championship.
Going all in last off-season by signing Kawhi Leonard in free agency and then trading nearly all of their future assets to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul George, the Clippers not only set themselves up as a title favourite on paper, but also as a win-now team with a short window to grab gold.
Both Leonard and George will once again be free agents in 2021, meaning that both this season and the next are vital opportunities for the Clippers. While the duo could certainly re-sign with the club when the time comes, there are also no guarantees in sports, and anything could happen between now and then.
In a rather flippant comment following his team's ousting from the playoffs, George remarked that "I think internally we’ve always felt this is not a championship-or-bust year for us."
Evidently and understandably, the Clippers' front office did not agree.
Rivers (who was hired by the Clippers in 2013) now joins a coaching market that has a few signature names, including Mike D'Antoni (formerly with the Houston Rockets), Brett Brown (formerly with the Philadelphia 76ers), and Nate McMillan (formerly with the Indiana Pacers), and could be considered the best of the bunch. It wouldn't seem all that likely that he'll be a free agent for long, and has already been contacted by the New Orleans Pelicans and 76ers, according to The Undefeated's Marc Spears.
Known as a prolific motivator and leader, Rivers has had many notable accomplishments both on the floor and off of it throughout his coaching career, including leading the Boston Celtics to a championship in 2008 and acting as a guiding voice during the organization's eventual removal of former owner Donald Sterling.
Among the options for potential replacements, current Clippers assistant Ty Lue and former Rockets and New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy are reportedly being considered.