The Milwaukee Bucks have employed Doc Rivers as their new head coach, the group introduced on Friday. Rivers, who had spent this season broadcasting video games for ESPN, was some of the skilled head coaches in the marketplace. He has coached 24 mixed seasons with the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers to go together with a adorned 13-year enjoying profession. He gained the NBA championship with Boston in 2008 and gained Coach of the 12 months for the Magic in 2000.
On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Rivers had served as a casual guide to former Bucks coach Adrian Griffin because the In-Season Match on the group’s behest. Now, he’ll substitute Griffin on the group’s bench. Rivers’ first sport in cost is anticipated to come back on Monday in Denver towards the defending champion Nuggets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Doc is a confirmed, extraordinary chief and communicator throughout his famend NBA teaching profession,” Bucks normal supervisor Jon Horst mentioned. “As a championship coach, he is broadly revered as a longtime innovator, and the precise coach to steer our skilled and gifted group. I wish to thank our house owners, Wes Edens, Jimmy and Dee Haslam and Jamie Dinan, for his or her unwavering dedication to profitable. It is a pleasure to welcome Doc to the Bucks.”
Rivers’ arrival comes after Milwaukee’s unprecedented resolution to fireplace former coach Adrian Griffin 43 video games into his head teaching profession. Griffin went 30-13 in these video games, giving the Bucks the second-best document within the NBA on the time of his dismissal and Griffin the fourth-best profitable share of any coach in NBA historical past behind solely Joe Mazzulla, Phil Jackson and Billy Cunningham.
Griffin’s firing could have appeared stunning, however there was loads of pressure below the floor in Milwaukee. The primary purple flag got here in October, when high assistant Terry Stotts stepped down after an incident through which Griffin publicly yelled at him at a shootaround. Veteran ahead Bobby Portis reportedly obtained right into a confrontation with Griffin throughout Milwaukee’s In-Season Match loss to the Indiana Pacers, and Griffin admitted that his gamers wanted to speak him out of the extra aggressive scheme he tried to implement on protection early within the season. In the end, Milwaukee seemingly determined that Griffin was not the person to cause them to what could possibly be their second championship in 4 seasons this spring.
They’re hoping that Rivers can accomplish that, however his current playoff historical past leaves one thing to be desired. The 76ers fired Rivers final spring after they blew a 3-2 lead towards the Boston Celtics within the second spherical of the postseason. That was the second main playoff disappointment for Rivers in Philadelphia, as his 2021 group was upset by the Atlanta Hawks within the second spherical. One yr earlier, he was fired by the Los Angeles Clippers after they blew a 3-1 result in the Denver Nuggets within the second spherical of the Orlando bubble. Rivers has blown three 3-1 playoff leads and 4 extra 3-2 leads.
In fact, as gifted as his rosters have been, he has by no means taken over a roster that has already gained a title. The core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez did so in 2021, and they’re much more harmful this season with Damian Lillard in place. Milwaukee made the blockbuster Lillard commerce anticipating to win all of it this season.
Rivers has performed so earlier than, however in taking on this job in the course of the season, he’d need to make historical past to do it once more in June. Whereas new coaches have gained all of it after being promoted mid-season prior to now, no group has ever gained the championship with an in-season teaching change that introduced in a brand new head honcho from exterior of the group earlier than. The Bucks consider Rivers will be the primary.
