Sixers president Daryl Morey addresses Doc Rivers’ firing, James Harden’s future and more

Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers sat together inside the 76ers’ practice facility in Camden almost exactly one year ago, when Morey adamantly confirmed that Rivers would remain their team’s head coach.

Wednesday afternoon, the Sixers’ president of basketball operations was in the same location, at perhaps the same table, in front of perhaps the same team backdrop. But he was alone, after firing Rivers the previous day.

In his first public comments since the Sixers’ season went splat in a Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Morey addressed why he took that step and what he will look for in a new coach. He said the Sixers are “interested” in bringing back James Harden, but will have a “Scenario B” in case the standout guard becomes a free agent and signs elsewhere. And Morey reiterated that the expectation under his watch is to win the NBA championship, not just to make it past the second round, and that “we collectively came up short.”

“I was brought in for a reason,” Morey said. “… I would put [blame] on myself first. I don’t accept that we haven’t advanced. I do think we’re a much better team than we were the prior year or the year before that. …

“Winning’s hard. We have made progress and, frankly, I feel like I’m the best guy to lead the 76ers, and ownership believes that.”

» READ MORE: The most important things Daryl Morey said about James Harden, Joel Embiid, and the Sixers’ next coach

Morey called Rivers “someone I tremendously respect,” along with “a great leader and someone I learned a lot from.” When asked what changed during the past year to prompt the coach’s dismissal, Morey gave a generic answer: “We feel like this was the right decision to move forward.” And though Morey said he does not like speaking in hypotheticals, when directly asked if Rivers would have kept his job had the Sixers won Sunday to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001, Morey acknowledged that “one more win is something that would obviously have been a very positive thing.”

“My job is to evaluate everything,” Morey said. “… It was carefully thought out. I recommended [Rivers’ firing] to ownership, and they accepted it.”

Morey said he was “encouraged” by a robust candidate market primed with experienced coaches who recently won NBA titles or the league’s coach of the year award. He does not expect the search process to move quickly.

Criteria Morey said he will be looking for in a new coach include “leadership accountability,” establishing great relationships with star players (and recruiting star players), and building out an entire organization with support staff. Being a sharp tactician is also important, Morey said, but he added that “tends to get overvalued by people like me.” And though previous NBA head-coaching experience is not a requirement — “when you get into ‘requirements,’ you miss opportunities,” he said — Morey acknowledged that can “lend a lot of credibility to players” on a win-now roster anchored by 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid.

Rivers largely possessed these qualities, Morey noted. But “sometimes it’s a fit thing,” Morey added, when it comes to blending the strengths of a coach and his players.

“It’s not any specific, like, ‘We need ‘X’ with the new coach,” Morey said.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Daryl Morey: Joel Embiid was ‘shocked’ by Doc Rivers firing

Though the Sixers’ roster construction will influence the coaching search, Morey said players such as stars Embiid and Harden would not have “direct input” on who is hired. Morey believed outsiders made “too much” of Harden characterizing his relationship with Rivers as “OK” in the immediate aftermath of Game 7, chalking it up to heightened emotions leading to “snap answers right after a loss like that.” Morey did acknowledge Embiid was “shocked” by Rivers’ dismissal, after they built a close rapport during his MVP ascent.

“It’s my job to help convince him that the new coach is someone that he will have a great relationship with as well,” Morey said.

Harden’s future was also a prominent topic with Morey, who acquired Harden in the blockbuster Ben Simmons trade with the Brooklyn Nets after their prosperous partnership with the Houston Rockets.

TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported that Harden planned to decline his $35.6 million player option for next season, an expected move after signing a team-friendly “one-plus-one” deal last summer. Harden took an approximate pay cut of $14 million this season, what he described as a financial “sacrifice” so the Sixers could sign rugged veteran P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. When asked how Harden’s performance this season — when he averaged 21 points, an NBA-best 10.7 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per game but was drastically inconsistent during the playoffs — would impact the type of contract the Sixers would be willing to give Harden, Morey said, “I really can’t go into something between us and their agency.”

“We haven’t even started,” Morey said, “because we’re not allowed to talk to them.”

If Harden does not return, Morey said the front office would need to “get creative” to replenish Harden’s production. In identifying how to build out the rest of the roster, Morey said last summer’s needs — such as players who could contribute on both ends of the floor and toughness — were a “little more straightforward” than this year’s. He added that the Sixers have some “key” free agents (Georges Niang, Jalen McDaniels, and Shake Milton are all unrestricted, while Paul Reed is restricted) they hope to retain.

The organization is also counting on the natural progression of electric guard Tyrese Maxey, whom Morey believes “has a real shot to be one of the top players in the league,” and Embiid, who has improved every season on the way to achieving back-to-back scoring titles and the sport’s top individual award.

“We have to remember there’s, like, 26 teams that would rather have our roster,” Morey said, “because we’re starting with the MVP of the league. … At the end of the day, it’s a whole mix of players, toughness, shot-making, rebounding, offense, transition.

“It’s my job; it’s the front office’s job, to make sure that mix is as good as possible. I do think we addressed a lot of those questions, which is why I was talking about progress. I do think a lot of progress has been made, and we need to keep making progress to move forward.”

» READ MORE: Who will replace Doc Rivers? Proven coaches, recent staffers and outside-the-box options for the Sixers to consider.

The first postseason step was “hard discussions” with the Sixers’ key players, during which Morey said “everyone was taking ownership in what they need to do better.” He described candid dialogue with Embiid, in particular, during which the center referenced other players still in the postseason and elements of their games that he can add after averaging career highs in scoring (33.1 points) and field-goal percentage (54.8%) along with 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Morey also said the Sixers must do a better job of generating “similar kinds of high-intensity defensive looks” for Embiid during the regular season, which would increase comfort when opponents key on him even more during the playoffs. Embiid, who played with a sprained knee in the series against the Celtics, made just five of his 18 shots in Sunday’s season-ending loss, and finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.

“How can I make sure that I can still get to my spots?” Embiid pondered with Morey. “How can I make sure that, when they are trying to take things away, I have a counter?”

More immediately, a critical offseason awaits Morey. It’s why he faced reporters solo on Wednesday, instead of with his former coach by his side.

“I wish we had delivered more [this season],” Morey said. “And we’re going to do everything we can — myself, the players, ownership — to get it that last step. Obviously, we knew that was the mission, and we came short of it.”