In an appearance on the Stephen A. Smith show, Bucks coach Doc Rivers finally responded after JJ Redick challenged his leadership in a viral rant earlier this season. According to Rivers, his coaching helped save JJ’s career and he implied that JJ should be more appreciative of his role in his successful NBA career.
“JJ Redick’s best numbers of his career was under one coach and you’re looking at him,” said Rivers. “I’m the one who grabbed him out of Milwaukee and decided to start him. From that point on, his career took off.”
Amid the worst of the Bucks’ struggles, Redick went on a now infamous rant against Rivers, where he exposed him for always “throwing his team under the bus” and coming up with an excuse for why they fell short. At the time, the video generated a massive response online and even prompted a reaction from Doc’s son, Austin. Given everything that’s transpired, it’s fair to say things have gotten downright personal between the two and their history obviously comes into play.
Back during the prime of Redick’s career, he played for Doc and the “Lob City” Clippers, serving as their primary sharpshooter in the backcourt. To Doc’s credit, Redick had some of his best years as a Clipper, jumping from averages of 12.3 points on 40% shooting for the Maguc up to 15.8 points per game on 44% shooting from three over four years with the Clippers.
Meanwhile, he helped the franchise achieve historic heights on the court. After decades of irrelevancy, Chris Paul, JJ Redick, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan came together to bring an unprecedented time of prosperity for L.A.’s secondary team.
Unfortunately, the Clippers were never quite able to get the job done and Redick has stated multiple times that he holds his former coach at least partly responsible.
A Rough Start For Doc And The Bucks
Despite being second in the East at the time, the Bucks decided to part ways with head coach Adrian Griffin, much to the surprise of the basketball world. Without wasting much time, the Bucks settled on Doc Rivers as their head coach, who had already been serving as an advisor for months.
Unfortunately, besides marginally improved defense, there was hardly a difference in performance for the Bucks and the situation began to turn ugly fast. Almost right away, the heat was turning toward Rivers, whose history of playoff failures was being brought to full light.
Since then, it’s been nothing but a firestorm of doubt and criticism for Doc, and while he has had a few defenders, nobody is ready to believe in him or his Bucks until they prove themselves as a legitimate threat once again. This year, after getting bounced in the first round, they only drew disappointment from fans after trading away Jrue Holiday last summer.
For now, it seems Doc is content to work behind the scenes to keep building up his team and getting them to play up to their potential as one of the best in the East. If he can pull it off, and take the Bucks where they haven’t been before, it will go a long way towards silencing the critics once and for all.
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