The Utah Jazz and Quin Snyder are parting ways after a season where the Jazz underwhelmed. Officially, it was Snyder’s decision to walk away from the Jazz but it was likely a mutual agreement between the two sides. With the Jazz being the latest team to have a head coaching vacancy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Jazz look into the Sixers’ assistant coach Sam Cassell.
Who knows what Cassell’s future is, but he has surely impressed during his time in Philadelphia. Cassell was hired by Doc Rivers and is given a ton of credit for the development of Tyrese Maxey. Maxey is entering his third NBA season and has solidified himself as a cornerstone piece for the Sixers.
Losing Cassell to the Jazz or any team for that matter would be a major blow to this coaching staff that has been highly scrutinized, and for good reason. For Sixers fans, this seems like a flashback of Brett Brown and Monty Williams. Brown is out of the NBA since his departure from Philadelphia and Williams has won back-to-back coach of the year honors in Pheonix.
Under Rivers, the Sixers hold a 100-54 record but have failed to make any real run in the playoffs. Even in a shortened 2020-2021 season where the Sixers held the number one seed in the East, they failed to make it out of the second round and we’re upset by an inferior Hawks team.
At times, Rivers has gotten into it with the Philadelphia media and has even made questionable comments about his own players.
“We’re not going on a Paul Reed victory tour. We’re trying to win a championship”
-Doc Rivers on BBall Paul seeing more time. Doc says Joel Embiid will play more in playoffs pic.twitter.com/BRyYQeyNQu
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 11, 2022
The Sixers and their front office seem content with sticking with head coach Doc Rivers for at least one more year but how devastating would it be if Cassell is lost to the Jazz?
It seems like Doc Rivers and the Sixers look to be heading for a breakup in the near future, likely after the 2022-2023 season if the Sixers fail to make noise yet again in the playoffs.
If the Sixers can make some bench additions, they will have a very good team with a real shot to make a run in the East, so what is the point in waiting? It is very unlikely that Doc Rivers is the coach that will take this Sixers team to win an NBA Championship and if they feel like Cassell could be that guy, why not take a chance on him while you have him in house?
It’s an awful lot to think about, but the Sixers have a chance to right their wrong with Brett Brown and Monty Williams, it’s time to make the move.
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