If Doc Became Available After the Season, Would You Want Him Back?

[nickagneta]

Prediction: Doc gets fired in Philly before Ime does in Boston. And not by weeks or months, but year or more.

[hpantazo]

Prediction: Doc gets fired in Philly before Ime does in Boston. And not by weeks or months, but year or more.

I’d say that’s a safe bet.

[Ogaju]

No.

[Who]

I think the nba has probably passed doc by. He has underachieved in Philly.

What should Doc have achieved in Philly and why?

[Moranis]

Doc is a terrible coach.  He also is about as 2-faced as they come, lies constantly about everything, and is generally just not a likeable figure (despite being well liked).

What he said. He treated Boston with disdain. Why would anyone even bring him back?

Let me be clear, I felt this way before he left Boston.  I never liked Doc after like his 1st season here. Always came off like a lying phoney.

[Ogaju]

Doc is a terrible coach.  He also is about as 2-faced as they come, lies constantly about everything, and is generally just not a likeable figure (despite being well liked).

What he said. He treated Boston with disdain. Why would anyone even bring him back?

Let me be clear, I felt this way before he left Boston.  I never liked Doc after like his 1st season here. Always came off like a lying phoney.

My conclusion is not based on his leaving. I felt that way while he was still coaching the team.  He is probably one of if not the richest coaches in the league (especially before the rash of recently retired players joined the coaching ranks) and acts as if he his bigger than his teams. Hard pass on him returning to the Cs. Oh. I don’t think he is a good coach.

[ScoobyDoo]

I’d have leads than zero interest in bringing Doc back. Early on I had some doubts about Ime but I’m starting to think he has the potential to be a great coach.

Things I like:

1. At first I mistook his relatively calm demeanor on the sidelines as being too passive. As I’ve watched him more I was mistaken. I think he’s actually on fire on the sideline but only becomes animated when needed. I like that

2. I’ve seen him get into players a few times for obvious stuff I thought Stevens gave a pass on too often.

3. A team’s DNA generally becomes an extension of the coach’s DNA. That as well as an extension of their emotional leader (which is Marcus Smart, and may, surprisingly, become Grant Williams, if he continues to use his physicality on both ends along with the chippy attitude - to be the guys who are saying “no” to other teams. Getting into it with other teams setting the tone.

Ime has brought that out in this team and it’s what they need, maybe more than anything, to get to the next level.

I loved what he said to Tatum about being meaner. It’s correct and it’s critical for this team to go to the next level.

Ime has these guys playing “hard” almost every night. They are establishing a DNA they need.

As a side note, the guy who needs to get meaner more than anyone else is Jaylen Brown. If Ime can get Jaylen focused and intense with Max effort for every minute he’s on the floor (at least to the level, consistency wise) that Tatum and Smart ply at - it’s going to be lights out. Jaylen getting there is the key needle mover.

4. I can’t tell yet how good of an X and O coach Ime is yet, but the good news is he has Brad Stevens to go to on all things X and O which is invaluable. I think Stevens is outstanding in this area but lacked where Ime’s strengths likely lie. Good fit.

I think between them (Brad and Ime) they can become special as far as team construction and coaching.

I am very bullish on Ime at this point.

Stevens reset the team this off season. Made us bigger, tougher, meaner across the board, position 1-5. That was critical. Now, he has to make one more key addition and continue to work the fringes, the role players. He has a very nice grade exception from the Fournier trade and some pieces to work with. It will be very interesting to see if and how he can take the team another notch higher from a team construction perspective this off season - perhaps at the trade deadline.

[nickagneta]

I’d have leads than zero interest in bringing Doc back. Early on I had some doubts about Ime but I’m starting to think he has the potential to be a great coach.

Things I like:

1. At first I mistook his relatively calm demeanor on the sidelines as being too passive. As I’ve watched him more I was mistaken. I think he’s actually on fire on the sideline but only becomes animated when needed. I like that

2. I’ve seen him get into players a few times for obvious stuff I thought Stevens gave a pass on too often.

3. A team’s DNA generally becomes an extension of the coach’s DNA. That as well as an extension of their emotional leader (which is Marcus Smart, and may, surprisingly, become Grant Williams, if he continues to use his physicality on both ends along with the chippy attitude - to be the guys who are saying “no” to other teams. Getting into it with other teams setting the tone.

Ime has brought that out in this team and it’s what they need, maybe more than anything, to get to the next level.

I loved what he said to Tatum about being meaner. It’s correct and it’s critical for this team to go to the next level.

Ime has these guys playing “hard” almost every night. They are establishing a DNA they need.

As a side note, the guy who needs to get meaner more than anyone else is Jaylen Brown. If Ime can get Jaylen focused and intense with Max effort for every minute he’s on the floor (at least to the level, consistency wise) that Tatum and Smart ply at - it’s going to be lights out. Jaylen getting there is the key needle mover.

4. I can’t tell yet how good of an X and O coach Ime is yet, but the good news is he has Brad Stevens to go to on all things X and O which is invaluable. I think Stevens is outstanding in this area but lacked where Ime’s strengths likely lie. Good fit.

I think between them (Brad and Ime) they can become special as far as team construction and coaching.

I am very bullish on Ime at this point.

Stevens reset the team this off season. Made us bigger, tougher, meaner across the board, position 1-5. That was critical. Now, he has to make one more key addition and continue to work the fringes, the role players. He has a very nice grade exception from the Fournier trade and some pieces to work with. It will be very interesting to see if and how he can take the team another notch higher from a team construction perspective this off season - perhaps at the trade deadline.

I'm not buying that Tatum plays at a higher effort or intensity level as Brown. Both need to get better at that than they are, though I will caveat that with, they do play that way in the playoffs, which is why they have both been so successful in the post season.

They are not guys that show massive amounts of emotion all game long, but do down the stretch of tough close games. That's their personality...they don't show their emotions on their sleeve most of the time, much like Brad doesn't. It doesn't mean they are intense, angry, excited, disappointed or other emotions on the inside.

[SHAQATTACK]

Prediction: Doc gets fired in Philly before Ime does in Boston. And not by weeks or months, but year or more.

I ve preached this ,  whether I like it or or not ,  I agree , if Philly don’t Title SOON , Doc is cooked  and the Brad doesn’t get the club headed the way FO and fans think is right in less than two years …..I’d say there is a better than 50 % chance this come to pass.  …Doc back in Boston ……and maybe dragging Thibs after he is let go from Knicks ….no job is safe there. Doc has a fan base and it’s not unreasonable to assume he d be high on the hire list …if it’s what players and owners want.

I’m hoping somehow if Ime can’t survive ,  maybe Rick Carlisle could be hired away .   He is old school, but he KNOWS what he is doing and I think he is smarter than Doc from a pure basketball coaching  aspect.  Doc is a A+ babysitter tho.,  glade to see even he has limits of tolerance for guys like Simmons.

[PAOBoston]

Doc Rivers is incredibly overrated and one of the greatest underachieving head coaches of all time. Won just one title with the Big Three 2.0. Wasted all those good Clippers teams with CP3. He’s not a great Xs and Os guy. I guess he decent at managing egos but maybe not considering the entire Simmons saga. I don’t like Udoka but I dont think Rivers is what the Cs need.

[ManUp]

I hated Doc and I always thought we won the 08 Chip despite him being the coach. The defense was Thibs and the offense was bound to be solid with the guys we had.

[JSD]

Doc really should have taken some time off after getting canned by the Clippers.

[ScoobyDoo]

“I’m not but that Tatum plays at a higher intensity level as Brown. Both need to get better at that than they are, though I will caveat that with, they do play that way in the playoffs, which is why they have both been so successful in the post season.

They are not guys that show massive amounts of emotion all game long, but do down the stretch of tough close games. That's their personality...they don't show their emotions on their sleeve most of the time, much like Brad doesn't. It doesn't mean they are intense, angry, excited, disappointed or other emotions on the inside.”

With Brown, I’m talking more about his focus and being fully dialed in to what’s happening around him at all times than I am about him showing emotion. We all know how intelligent Brown is off the court, but his on court IQ isn’t close to Tatum’s. Nor is he fully focused to the extent Tatum is on both ends of the court. Nor does he run up the court with as much effort as he should be as one of the best two players on the team. He’s the best athlete on the court most of the time but other guys beat him up and down the court fairly often. He falls asleep on D way too much with guys going back door on him and he doesn’t fight, push and shove nearly as much as he should in the paint. Jaylen Brown’s head is rarely on a swivel on D - it’s why guys go back sore on him and guys get rebounds over him fairly often - he doesn’t lay his body on anyone. He gets shoved around more often than not.

Brown is an elite athlete with elite skills but his intuitive feel for the game isn’t close to Tatum’s. If it were he’d be unstoppable on both ends.

Getting Brown to player at a higher, more consistently focused intensity level is the key to unlocking a Tatum/Brown lead Celtics team. 

Tatum is there, Brown isn’t close to his full potential yet. For him to get there it requires far more grit and hard nosed defensive and rebounding effort - the scoring is the only area Brown consistently plays at a very high level most nights.

[SparzWizard]

I hated Doc and I always thought we won the 08 Chip despite him being the coach. The defense was Thibs and the offense was bound to be solid with the guys we had.

We won because of Thibs' defense and because of a healthy Big 3 who are now three HoFs.