NBA veteran Doc Rivers has been doing this for a long time, and he’s encountered all sorts of challenges during his stints as coach. His new assignment with the Bucks, however, could pose his greatest challenge yet and it seems he is more than aware of the hard work ahead…
“I’ve never done this. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” said Rivers. “It’s going to be a challenge.”
The fans have not been very receptive of Rivers so far and it makes sense given his track record of playoff failures. But as the most experienced and qualified coach available, the Bucks really had no other option than Rivers if they wanted to command respect from their players and set a certain culture in the locker room right away. But now we could see some serious growing pains for the Bucks as they incorporate Doc’s system and adjust to schemes on offense and defense.
What Happened In Milwaukee?
The Bucks were 30-13 when they fired Adrian Griffin, and it seems like an odd decision on the surface. But as many fans and experts have pointed out, the signs were there from the beginning that this partnership was never going to work out. The first red flag was the abrupt departure of Terry Stotts from the coaching staff. As Lillard’s head coach for years in Portland, Stotts was an ideal candidate to unlock the best version of Lillard. Instead, he walked away from the job before the season started for reasons that are still unclear.
When the games finally began in October, the Bucks were not winning in convincing fashion and their defense completely fell off a cliff. There’s also the meeting they had early in the season, that forced Griffin to abandon his defense in favor of a Mike Budenholzer-style. The final straw for Griffin was when Giannis began to change play calls and refuse substitutions called by his former coach. The writing was on the wall for Adrian weeks ago and now the hope is that Doc Rivers can establish a new identity for them on the spot.
The Last Chance For Doc
Nobody was expecting Rivers to get a job so soon after leaving the 76ers but he couldn’t deny the chance to coach Giannis and dispel the reputation about his playoff record. On his fourth head coaching gig now, this could very well be the last stop for Rivers if he fails to get this team over the top and he’s got a lot riding on this season after replacing Griffin at 30-13. The key to success for Rivers is getting the team to buy into his game plan and sparking a revival for their defense that has slipped in every area on the court.
Of course, only time will tell if Rivers has enough time to set this team straight but we’ve seen this formula work in the past. Back in 2016, the Cavaliers replaced their head coach to replace him with Tyronn Lue, who later led them to an NBA championship. The Bucks are hoping for a similar ending for them this season but Doc Rivers has a lot of baggage in the playoffs and not everyone is sure that he’s blameless in that fact.
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