Could the Philadelphia 76ers actually be giving us Doc and Austin Rivers 2: Electric Boogaloo?
Chris Sheridan of Basketball News floated out the possibility this week of new Sixers GM Daryl Morey trading for Austin, the Houston Rockets guard. The rationale behind the move would be to get more hands-on leadership out of Doc, the Sixers new head coach.
Per Sheridan:
A trusted source said the best trade any Sixers GM could make would be to bring in Austin Rivers, because it will turn Rivers into a more hands-on coach who is in the gym more than he is on the golf course.
Doc and Austin obviously have history beyond just a father-son relationship. The former acquired the latter when he was head coach and GM of the LA Clippers, making Doc the first father to ever coach his son in the NBA. The partnership was an imperfect one though and led to cries of nepotism as well as tensions within the team.
The younger Rivers has a player option for next season but could decide to pick it up. It’s true that the Sixers lack backcourt depth and that Morey was the one who acquired Austin for Houston. Still, the Rivers-Rivers tandem getting a chance to run it back again would be nothing short of shocking.
