Commish Adam Silver reportedly expressed concerns about NBA coach-GM hybrid role

Clippers coach Doc Rivers was recently relieved of his front office duties

With the removal of Doc Rivers from his front office role with the Clippers, just three NBA coaches still hold ultimate control over the team's roster -- Gregg Popovich of the Spurs, Stan Van Gundy of the Pistons and Tom Thibodeau of the Timberwolves.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, commissioner Adam Silver isn't exactly upset to see the dual-role head coach disappearing. From Wojnarowski:

Silver wasn't necessarily against Rivers' ascension to the top of the Clippers masthead, but the commissioner has privately expressed concerns to owners and senior franchise officials in several instances, case by case, about the dynamic of the coach-in-charge model, league sources said.

Coaching the team while also worrying about personnel decisions is an understandably difficult task. Popovich (who holds the title of president of basketball operations in addition to being head coach) is clearly the shining example in San Antonio, but he leaves the day-to-day operations to his trusted general manager, R.C. Buford. They've seen tremendous success with that model, but it hasn't gone as well for other franchises.

Our Matt Moore broke down how Rivers' demotion could signal an end to the NBA GM-coach hybrid, and he points out how the combined role was much more popular until the mid-2000s but has dwindled considerably since then.

If this does mark the end of the coach-GM role, it appears Silver won't mind at all.