Doc Rivers feels for Philadelphia.

As we wait for a REAL LIVE BOSTON CELTICS BASKETBALL GAME HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS, CSNPhilly.com brings us this nugget from Doc Rivers on Philly’s Andrew Bynum predicament:

“It cripples your franchise,” said Rivers. “It really does, when you have a guy like that. I had Grant Hill for three years. We made the playoffs every year with that group. But, I mean, it was hard.

“What was hard was … you go into the year with your offense and defensive schemes for Grant and for Bynum, and then you’re running half of it, but you don’t want to change too much, because if he comes back, then you’re going to have to change back. So, you just felt like you were caught in a flux the entire season. That’s how I felt.”

No matter how you feel about Philadelphia (and it would be understandable if you didn’t feel very friendly toward them after a hard-fought playoff series and repeated meetings in the regular season), it’s hard not to feel bad for their current situation, especially since the Celtics found themselves in a similar state of limbo after Rondo went down for the season. The Sixers dealt Andre Iguodala and got what they assumed would be a franchise center, and it was a deal widely praised around the league. But Bynum is injury-prone, and this season has been no exception, which puts Philly in a bind. Do they build their offense around Bynum without knowing if he will return next year? Do they build around first-time all-star Jrue Holiday and risk alienating Bynum, which would mean they gave away Andre Iguodala for nothing? It’s a difficult decision, and I don’t envy Philadelphia’s management. Sure, they knew the risks with Bynum, but that doesn’t make it any less unfortunate for them that the risks turned out to be reality.

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