The Milwaukee Bucks management shocked the NBA world after they fired HC Adrian Griffin mid-season. Hours after the announcement, when fans were wondering about Griffin’s replacement, Doc Rivers came into the picture. The former Philadelphia 76ers coach, who is currently with ESPN, made it to the headlines as the next Bucks’ HC.
However, a recent report from CBS Sports stated that the Rivers news is “Not true.” Moreover, the report further confirmed that the former Philly coach is only a potential candidate, and the agreement has not been finalized.
A league sources tells @CBSsports that there is no agreement in place between the Milwaukee Bucks and any potential job candidate. Says an earlier report on a deal with Doc Rivers is "not true."
— Bill Reiter (@sportsreiter) January 24, 2024
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Amidst this confusion, the Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson has already expressed his wishes to Doc Rivers via his X handle. As there isn’t any official confirmation from the Bucks’ management, the Rivers update remains a speculation. The 2nd seeded Bucks spearheaded by Giannis Antetokounmpo will travel in the dark until the management comes up with a quick replacement.
I want to congratulate my friend, and one of the best to ever coach in the NBA, Doc Rivers for accepting the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching job! Doc is a World Champion so he will demand that the Bucks play hard, play good defense, and play well together.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 24, 2024
The Lakers legend in his post, wrote, “I want to congratulate my friend, and one of the best to ever coach in the NBA, Doc Rivers for accepting the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching job!” While the update isn’t official yet, Rivers has already proved himself one of the most experienced coaches in the NBA world.
He had coached across multiple franchises for 24 seasons and won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. The historic series that stopped the dominant Kobe Bryant-led Lakers.
Moreover, in his latest outing against the Joel Embiid–James Harden led Sixers, he orchestrated the team to a dominant 3rd seed finish in the East.
While the Rivers news is yet to get official, let’s dig deeper into Adrian Griffin’s exit.
Why did the Bucks fire Adrian Griffin?
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The Adrian Griffin’s exit may seem like a sudden decision, but the management had this call in the pipeline for quite sometime, reported The Athletic. Notably, this season is Griffin’s first job as the head coach of an NBA team. Unfortunately, it came crashing down after only playing 43 games in the season.
The report further stated that the team had internal concerns with Griffin’s coaching style. Especially with the aggressive defense approach, which largely backfired the Wisconsin team in the initial stages of the season. Moreover, another report stated that the exit of top assistant Terry Stotts in October after an altercation with Griffin may also have affected the decision.
Above all, the Bucks, who are in the top of their game, should continue the same despite the confusions surrounding the head coach fiasco.
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What do you make of the Doc Rivers speculation? Let us know in the comments below.