OTTAWA—Sam Mitchell and Doc Rivers have been around the block and back in NBA careers that span a combined 41 seasons and more than 3,200 games as players and coaches.
They have seen phenoms flame out majestically, have watched stars emerge from nowhere and know above all else that kids are kids and it takes time to humble even the best of them.
“They’re young and they read all the stuff that you guys write about them, they watch TV and Dick Vitale tells them how great they are, you watch them in the tournament and everyone’s singing their praises,” Mitchell, now the interim head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, said in a conversation earlier this week.