PASS OR SHOOT: Doc Rivers’ hot seat, Chris Paul’s legacy and bankrolling Kyrie Irving, James Harden

Doc Rivers should remain the head coach of the Sixers. 

PASS 

I mean who am I to call for another man’s shirt? Truthfully, it’s not my place. 

An oh-so-ugly truth, however, is that Joel Embiid’s prime is wasting away and a key contributor to that is Doc Rivers. It’s amazing how many chances Rivers gets because he won that championship in 2008. 

NEWS FLASH: That was 14 years ago. What has he done since? Choke down three 3-1 series leads, not make it back to the finals and threw his top players under the bus. 

He is also not a big adjustment guy in the playoffs, either – which is important to winning. It’s gut-wrenching to watch teams pick apart Philly because they don’t change much. 

He shouldn’t be forced out of Philly, though, because James Harden may want him out but rather because it’s time. For some reason, it seems he’d do better with a young team he could mold. Not a veteran, championship-ready squad. 

It’s not all on Rivers. Harden is a shell of himself and Embiid can’t seem to play a full 82 if his life depended on it. 

The sad part about this Philadelphia saga is it looks like the 76ers are going to fork over that supermax for Harden thanks to Daryl Morey. So they need a change that can get them farther than the Eastern Conference Semis with a roster that was constructed to win now. 

A better number two would be a better option than Doc’s firing but maybe that’s far-fetched with the 200 million they’re getting ready to give James Harden. 

So, it’s Doc – unfortunately – who has to go. If I had a say,  it’d be adios to both of them. 

James Harden and Kyrie Irving deserve max contracts. 

PASS 

NO. NO. NO!  

Why in the HECK would these organizations tie themselves to Mr. Unreliable and a guy who has historically been horrendous in the playoffs? 

It’d be a completely  idiotic move. 

Am I saying that Harden and Irving are chopped liver? Absolutely not. But they are no longer cornerstones of a franchise. They both should be a squad’s third best players.  

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks recently said the team wants players who are “available” and who “want to play for something bigger than themselves.” 

I applaud Marks for taking a stance against Kyrie but let’s see if the Nets follow through. 

In Philly, the money is practically in Harden’s pocket with Morey at the helm. 

If both of these teams wise up and go a different direction (meaning NOT paying those dudes), we will all know they are truly serious about winning. 

Otherwise, they’re afraid to do what it really takes to bring a championship to their franchises. 

CP3’s legacy is tarnished.

SHOOT 

I cannot express the depth of my disappointment in the Phoenix Suns for falling on their faces at home in a Game 7. 

And the worst part about it? Their stars, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton did not show up. 

In hindsight, if the New Orleans Pelicans had star Zion Williamson, they probably would’ve upset the Suns. The upset grows stronger the more I think about it. 

Let’s not forget that health played a HUGE factor in why the NBA Finals were the way they were last year. 

No Jamal Murray, no Kawhi Leonard and no Anthony Davis cleared the path for the Suns. Then they met a superstar in the NBA Finals in Giannis Antetokounmpo and got struck by lightning. Their luck ran out. 

Paul and the Suns blew a 2-0 lead in the Finals and  again against Dallas in the second round this year. Paul has now blown a 2-0 lead five times in the playoffs in his career. 

After 17 years of bad playoff performances and no rings – Paul has solidified who he is and his legacy. The only thing that could change that is a championship and that is not on the horizon because these young teams are on the rise and injured star players will return. 

He had a window to win a championship and change his destiny. It was these last two years. Now that window is slowly closing, sealing his fate as a great player who didn’t rise to the occasion when it mattered most. 

People should no longer pay attention to the regular season for Paul. It doesn’t matter. It’s all about the postseason. 

The burning question, though, is where do the Suns go from here?