PHILADELPHIA – 76ers coach Doc Rivers talks to former Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, but discussing his son Austin Rivers is no longer allowed.
Rivers, who signed with the Knicks as a free agent in November, was banished from the rotation after Super Bowl Sunday negotiation by Derrick Rose. Rivers didn’t handle it with glory as he was missing on the bench in a recent home game.
He hasn’t been with the Knicks since the All-Star break ended for “personal reasons”. Thibodeau said Rivers is expecting a baby with his promise and has taken paternity leave. The deadline for trade is March 25th. Rivers, in his latest media chat, said he felt he could be exchanged at any time.
“This is basketball, I don’t have any,” the Sixers coach said before facing the Knicks on Tuesday. “Tom and I are talking, but not Austin. I don’t call the coaches and suggest them to whom they should play. Just not. Whether he is your child or not. I stay away from that. “
In December, Rivers, who played for the Knicks from 1992 to 1994, told The Post that he recommended his former franchise to his son. Asked about his son’s situation now, Rivers again advised against it, uncomfortable.
“I don’t comment on that,” Rivers said. “In this case, Austin is a player on his team. Not a place to comment. It would be like commenting on players from other teams [regarding playing time]. It would be deficient. “
However, Rivers was happy to share his thoughts on the change of Julius Randle, with his son as a source.
“I’m happy for him,” Rivers said. “I have information talking to Austin. Austin just talks about what kind of human being he is, how great a passerby he is and how to outdo everyone in the gym, how all his teammates love him. Julius Randle didn’t have that narrative before. When a veteran player like Austin who has been in the league for eight years says that about a younger guy, he tells you something about Julius and what kind of guy he is. “