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Well, talk about some major news on a Monday.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers and Doc Rivers have parted ways.
Coach Doc Rivers is out with the Clippers, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 28, 2020
Sources: The Clippers and Doc Rivers parting ways has been in play since at least last Wednesday. There was a disconnect between Rivers and Ballmer.
— Clevis Murray (@ClevisMurray) September 28, 2020
Rivers became the head coach of the Clippers back in 2013 when he was acquired from the Celtics. He spent seven seasons in Los Angeles, and is the all-time leader in wins in franchise history.
During his tenure, Rivers went 356-208 with the Clippers, a winning percentage of .631. While in LA, Rivers’ teams set many franchise records. Unfortunately, none of that will be remembered.
What will be remembered is the fact he blew not one, but two 3-1 leads in the second round of the NBA playoffs. He took the Clippers to the playoffs all but one year, and with the exception of the 2018-2019 season, his team underperformed and didn’t meet expectations every year.
Rivers released this statement on Twitter soon after the news of his exit broke:
— doc rivers (@DocRivers) September 28, 2020
According to Woj, two of the top candidates to replace Rivers are current Clippers assistant Ty Lue, who has won an NBA championship, along with former coach and current TV analyst, Jeff Van Gundy.
Doc Rivers had two years left on his contract, sources tell ESPN. This is a challenging coaching search for Clippers, who are the ultimate win-now team. Among top candidates in the marketplace: Clippers assistant Ty Lue and former Rockets and Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. https://t.co/Ov02RYNbK9
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 28, 2020
The Clippers released this statement regarding the move, stating that it was a “mutual decision” for Rivers to step down.
“Doc has been a terrific coach for the Clippers, an incredible ambassador, and a pillar of strength during tumultuous times,” Ballmer said in the statement. “He won a heck of a lot of games and laid a foundation for this franchise.”
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