Sick Doc Rivers misses Sixers practice; team says illness not COVID related
His availability to coach Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center will be shared by the team on Thursday.
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CHICAGO — What’s next for the 76ers?
Folks have to be concerned after head coach Doc Rivers missed Wednesday night’s practice here due to feeling under the weather. His availability to coach Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center will be shared by the team on Thursday. Assistant coach Dave Joerger ran Wednesday’s practice.
Joerger said it was little strange not having Rivers at practice.
“Generally, this is the most difficult practice of the season, in my opinion, as a coach because [players] are still a little groggy” he said of the first practice following the All-Star break. “They are like, ‘Come on, you know I like to have two days off on my break.’ So we just tried to bring a lot of juice and a lot of energy.
“Certainly we miss Doc and certainly also miss Ben [Simmons] and Joel [Embiid] out there. It had a bit of a strange feeling.”
But Joerger said as assistant coaches, his job, as well as the jobs of the other assistant coaches on Wednesday was to get the rust off, get shots up, and polish up on things.
Rivers’ illness is non-COVID-19 related, according to a team source, and he is in the Windy City, making his way from the All-Star Game in Atlanta to his hometown. Normally, someone becoming sick isn’t a big deal. However, this comes one day after it was revealed that All-Stars Embiid and Simmons will both miss Thursday’s game due to contact tracing for the coronavirus.
» READ MORE: Sixers’ Joel Embiid can return Friday and Ben Simmons on Saturday if negative COVID-19 tests continue
The two came in contact with a barber who tested positive for COVID-19 and are quarantining for seven days following their last exposure with that barber. Embiid can return for Friday’s road game against the Washington Wizards if he continues to test negative. Simmons will be cleared to rejoin the team on Saturday if he also continues to test negative.
Joerger was asked if Embiid and Simmons are on pace to return as expected.
“This is one where today I am not the head coach in the area,” Joerger said with a laugh. “That I don’t exactly know what the protocol is. When they’ll be back, I can’t speak to.”
The Sixers (24-12) have been dealing with injuries, positive coronavirus results, contract tracing and illness during the first half of the season.
Now, it’s their coach, who is feeling under the weather.
Rivers is the main reason the Sixers have the best record in the Eastern Conference. He has the team playing through Embiid. He’s making sure Tobias Harris is getting his share of shots, while instructing Simmons to do a little bit of everything.
The league announced on Wednesday that two new players have confirmed positive tests among the 465 tested since March 3. Anyone with a returned confirmed positive test and in close contact to an infected person must quarantine until being cleared under the NBA’s health and safety protocols.