So....is Doc a good coach?

[eja117]

I'm starting to think being a good coach is a little bit of being in the right place at the right time.

It's been pretty frustrating .....I love these Blake Griffin KIA time travel commercials.....it's been pretty frustrating watching Doc forget about rebounding for two years.

It reminds me of the time he forgot about defense for two years and said they didn't need to work on it in practice because you work on defense whenever you work on offense

[freshnthehouse]

I think Doc does a good job. The players love him and play hard for him, and that is 90% of the battle for NBA coaches. And I think the lack of rebounding on the offensive end is related to the emphasis on D, but the defensive rebounding is on the players. As far as the system goes, it's won us one title, so it might not be perfect but it can get results.

[eja117]

i disagree players play hard for him. Sheed was a cancer and I'm not talking skin cancer. I mean he was brain cancer late stage. The only thing worse was Baby who ended up being HIV. The team definitely didn't play hard tonight. I'm not sure if they're capable

[runrondo]

If people buy into Doc's system or understand their role (which sometimes may be murky like it may be right now) then I feel like the team thrives....I agree that having a coach the players like is most of the battle as they'll be more likely to buy into a philosophy of someone who they like and give it all. I don't think Sheed has ever played hard for anyone (although game 7 he gave all he had). Baby also played hard and was great at our rotations; he just wanted to be "the guy" and take on a big role which would not happen quick enough here (if it would happen at all).

[runrondo]

Nov 21, 2012 21:20:39 GMT -5 eja117 said:

I'm starting to thing being a good coach is a little bit of being in the right place at the right time.

This obviously plays a big role as well. I think Phil Jackson is a great coach but not so great that he deserves all those championships. Then again, there are coaches like Mike Brown who are given similar circumstances and they can't capitalize so coaches still deserve recognition for winning it all, as it is never a guarantee to win it all with any type of team no matter how good. What if we didn't have Doc for our championship? Would Pierce, Ray, and KG have meshed as well as they did? I'm not so sure any coach could've done what he did in one year. Doc is great at managing people and that was perfect for that team. It'll be interesting to see if this team can click at the right time as well. I guarantee people will grumble about Doc if we continue to struggle (which we most likely will) but I believe we'll turn it around in the late stretches of the season right into the playoffs (hopefully!).

[cfoo]

I think doc is an underrated coach. The issue with him is he doesnt do anything that really stands out or screams genius but he's a genius in his own way. I think doc has common sense which can go a long way. he's non judging and fair which makes for a good coach and he knows that hard work goes a long way. he lets his players lead. he's nto a control freak. he's a good coach. He's a good communicator.

This team takes on his personality as much as KG or Pierce or Rondo imo. Those are the big 4.

If the common man were a good coach and had common sense Doc would be it. I also think he has heart and players will play for him. I think the players trust him and know he has their back.

Doc Rivers is a nice guy who has done good in other words. He's also not stupid. I think he's always trying to weigh the best option. He doesn't buy into the hype. He lets his players play and figure it out on their own and just tries to guide them. That's a good coach.

[Roadrunner]

Here goes, besides the championship team year, how many people counted BOS out in the playoffs? All were very good to great playoff runs. Doc is a great coach.

[cfoo]

I think doc is about as solid as the come in all facets which makes him great. I also think he has that extra something that makes him great. It's just not as apparent. I would play for doc rivers and play my heart out. I think the key is trust with him. This team always goes through lulls but in the end the record speaks for itself.

I don't think Doc is one of those guys who just rides the coattails of players. Obviously it takes good players to win. I think any team that wins has the players to do that. But even in Orlando he took a team most people would have counted out and given up on and took them to the playoffs.

I think Doc works as hard as anyone on the floor and gives it his all as well.

[freshnthehouse]

Nov 21, 2012 21:59:27 GMT -5 runrondo said:

I don't think Sheed has ever played hard for anyone (although game 7 he gave all he had). Baby also played hard and was great at our rotations; he just wanted to be "the guy" and take on a big role which would not happen quick enough here (if it would happen at all).

Agreed. Rasheed was a creampuff on the boards and was immune to low post play, but I don't put that on Doc. That was what Rasheed was at that stage of his career. He did aways seem to put effort in on D. And Baby's problem was never effort. He was always a fine team defender (lights years ahead of Powe, FWIW). His problem was always turnovers and knuckleheaded plays, and I don't a coach can change that at this stage in his career.

[runrondo]

This question popped into my head again. I tend to blame players more than coaches unless it's obvious there's no adjustments in the series. Considering the Clippers had big leads in all elimination games, but blew them - it seems to point more to the players than Coach. Whether it was tired legs, afraid of the moment, lack of chemistry, etc.

[afceltic]

IMO Doc is a good guy that everyone likes, but isn't that good of a coach and that is just following the facts. He has blown three 3-1 leads in playoff series, once with the Magic and twice with the Clippers with both versions that he had being the "Lob City" and this years team which is undoubtedly the deepest roster in the league and it isn't close.

Marcus Wiley on "Speak for Yourself" who is a huge Clippers fan and I usually like his takes because he doesn't just blindly follow narratives, said that our "Big three" team didn't make it to the ECF's or Finals without him, which is flawed because he was the only head coach we had during that era and obviously his fandom clouded his judgement on that subject.

IMO I follow the evidence and look at it in the opposite way, Doc hasn't advanced past the second round without the Big Three. He has had plenty of talent to at least make a Conference Finals and has choked away three 3-1 leads with very talented teams. That is more than a coincidence when the same head coach has that happen to him. The facts lay out that Doc was carried by the Big three to two Finals appearances and there is a very good argument that they underachieved in Boston with the exception of 2009 when KG got hurt. IMO losing Thibodeau really hurt him in Boston because he was the guy who held everyone accountable. That allowed Doc to be the nice guy and it worked.

I can't think of a head coach that has wasted as much talent that Doc has had the privilege to coach. He does this by not holding his star players to the same standard as the role players. This is nothing new to the league, but Doc allows it to go to the extreme. That is how he loses teams in the playoffs and has consistently underachieved compared to the talent level on his rosters. He needs another Thibs to hold people accountable because he won't do it.

[afceltic]

Doc quit today as the Clippers head coach. I would expect Ty Lue to be his replacement since he was already an assistant on Doc's staff.