At 30-13 on the season, the Milwaukee Bucks certainly took a risk by dismissing their former head coach, Adrian Griffin, more than three weeks into the new year. Now, on the cusp of hiring Doc Rivers as their next coach, the new-look Bucks are facing a lot of doubts about their decision. Speaking on his podcast, former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas became the latest to speak out on Doc Rivers and his less-than-stellar NBA track record.
“He doesn’t adjust well. If you beat him by going left, he won’t adjust to that. So you’re going to beat his ass the same way every single time because he won’t adjust. I knew something was wrong with him when this happened: it was Clippers vs Houston, they were up 3-1. The coach said, ‘We’re gonna hack DeAndre Jordan.’ And he copied it every single time.”
"He doesn't adjust well. If you beat him with going left, he won't adjust to that. So you're going to beat his ass the same way every single time."
Gil goes IN on Doc Rivers 👀 pic.twitter.com/74mhL8tRNx
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) January 24, 2024
Doc Rivers was probably not the ideal hire for the Bucks, but he was arguably the best name available, given the current time frame and the Bucks’ urgency to find a coach as soon as possible. As a widely respected voice around the league, Doc is sure to bring order to Milwaukee, but it remains to be seen if he can overcome the demons which have plagued him since he won the title back in 2008.
Imperfect Track Record
The jury is still out on what kind of impact Rivers will have in Milwaukee, but there is enough evidence for fans to be concerned about the hire. While Doc is undoubtedly a good coach, with years of experience, he hasn’t always met expectations as head coach. Dating back to his days with the Clippers, Rivers was leading the team as they flamed out in the postseason year after year. After the Lob City era ended in Los Angeles, Rivers moved on to coach the Philadelphia 76ers and he managed to help them become one of the top teams in the East. Unfortunately, the 76ers also struggled to win in Apil and May, famously blowing multiple opportunities to advance in the East bracket.
The worst of it came last season when the 76ers were within one win of the Conference Finals. In the final two games of the series against Boston, the 76ers completely choked on both ends of the floor and they had no answers on how to stop the bleeding. As the primary scapegoat for their failure, Rivers was promptly dismissed by the 76ers shortly after the series. Now, Rivers comes into this job with a lot of doubt and ultra-high expectations to win out of the gate.
The Last Chance For Doc
You can never say never in the NBA, but this could very well be the final coaching stop for Doc Rivers, who is now on his fifth team. With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and a supporting cast that has already won the title, Rivers will have his best chance since 2008 to capture the Larry O’Brien trophy.
But if the Bucks don’t get it done this year or flame out in embarrassing fashion, it will be Rivers who takes the brunt of the blame, and it could be all that is required to force him out like they forced Adrian Griffin out. For now, there is still hope that he can make a difference and bring out the most of this Bucks group.
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