Doc Rivers to reunite with the Orlando Magic? It could happen, and possibly soon
Is a win-now move what's best for the Magic?
By
Matt Moore
•
3 min read
The Clippers stand at a precipice. Los Angeles got off to the hottest start in the league, and then injuries and malaise set in. They are just 26-24 since Dec. 1. The Clippers have Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick all set for free agency and the talk more and more is that Redick will not return. There’s also talk that after all these years, if the Clippers can’t make that magical run this season, the team could look to make major changes, all the way down.
Griffin could be gone. Paul could be gone. Redick is thought to be gone. All three could stay, and they could run it back. Anything could happen.
Including Doc Rivers heading back to the Magic?
Rivers is head honcho at Staples for the Clippers. He’s head of basketball operations and head coach. His tenure as GM has been pretty simple: He has kept the stars and tried to add veterans he trusted around them. The Clippers haven’t added younger talent like the Warriors have, outside of Rivers’ son, Austin. They have dealt draft picks regularly for short-term boosts. And yet, the team has been a contender each year and has been better under Rivers than under previous coaches.
But if the Clippers decide to head in a different direction, will that include Rivers? If it doesn’t, ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that one team could look to reunite with its former coach, the Orlando Magic:
There has been persistent chatter for weeks over the NBA’s front-office grapevine that the Orlando Magic and Rivers will explore a reunion down the road.
Now, you’re certainly not alone if you’re wondering whether down the road in this case should be measured in months or years.
More clarity, though, might not be far off.
Rivers coached the Magic for four-plus seasons with a .504 regular-season mark and 5-10 record in the playoffs. He was fired in 2004 after starting 1-10 before heading to Boston the next season. After a great first year as Boston went 45-37 in 2005, the Celtics backslid, missing the playoffs the next two seasons until they traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. That covered up Rivers’ biggest issue -- managing a deep rotation -- and Rivers was essential to instilling the culture of “Ubuntu” that helped lead the Big 3 Celtics to the title in their first season together in 2008.
Rivers brings pull with the players to help with free agency, and experience, plus a comfort with the area. However, if Rivers does become available, the Magic need to tread lightly. The Magic don’t have a star. They’ve been trying to swing for the fences the past two years, clearing cap space in free agency only to whiff badly on attracting any interested players. Rivers isn’t going to want to oversee a rebuilding effort with young players. He’ll want to win immediately. Is that what’s best for the Magic, to keep trying to cut corners? Their efforts at doing so have proven disastrous thus far. Tobias Harris is helping Detroit and Victor Oladipo is quietly shining in Oklahoma City. They had to deal Serge Ibaka for peanuts.
This seems more like another example of the Magic trying to leapfrog the process of building a solid foundation. They should be very cautious with that approach. If Rivers is willing to come in and just manage things from afar and commit to a long-term vision, great. But if the Magic want to add Rivers -- again, if he’s available -- to win now, they should tread lightly. They could make a bad situation worse.
