Doc is in: Rivers says 76ers' talent reason he took coaching job

Doc Rivers was introduced as   Philadelphia 76ers' new head coach Monday afteron, citing it as too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"I love coaching. I absolutely love it," Rivers said on a video conference call with reporters from practice court inside team's Camden, New Jersey, practice facility. "But I was t going to just coach anybody, I can tell you that. I was ready to take a break ... it just depended on team that was available, and if that team in my opinion was ready to win."

Rivers said that three teams reached out to his nt, Lonnie Cooper, within hours of news coming out about his dismissal from LA Clippers after ir flameout in Western Conference semifinals. y lost to Denver Nuggets after taking a 3-1 lead in series and holding double-digit leads in Games 5, 6 and 7.

But he said he met with Sixers first, and that it quickly became clear to him that team's talent, led by All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, made this a job he simply had to take.

Philadelphia has a roster full of talent, led by Simmons-Embiid pairing, a tandem that Rivers immediately identified as worthy of making him choose to forgo a break from coaching and instead dive right back in again.

"y've won 65% of games y've played," Rivers said, referring to Simmons and Embiid, "so it clearly works when y play toger. ... this team is loaded with talent. We just have to figure out how to make it work best."

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