Bucks Eyeing Doc Rivers After Firing Head Coach

The Milwaukee Bucks have begun talks to make Doc Rivers their head coach after the midseason firing of Adrian Griffin. Despite Griffin coaching the Bucks to a 30-13 record, the team's defensive efficiency had dropped drastically, falling from 4th last year to 22nd this year. As a result, the organization believed they could find an update that would give them a better chance of championship success, per ESPN sources.

Rivers, who is currently serving as an ESPN broadcast analyst, was fired by the Sixers after the 2022-23 season. He is the "top available coach" for the Bucks, who are primarily eyeing veteran coaches to replace Griffin. In the interim, Joe Prunty will serve as head coach. It will be Prunty's third stint as the Bucks' interim head coach. If he accepts the job, he will inherit a team with one of the league's best superstar tandems in Giannis and Damian Lillard.

Will Doc Rivers Join The Bucks?

In Summer 2023, Rivers said he was content to remain a coaching free agent after being linked to several coaching vacancies. "I don't know what I'm gonna do," Rivers told TMZ. "I'm just gonna enjoy life." After that, he signed on with ESPN as part of their revamped broadcast team with Mike Breen and Doris Burke. Rivers has been coaching since 1999 when he joined the Orlando Magic.

In a pre-season press conference attended by HotNewHipHop, Rivers noted that the Bucks were one of his favorites for the 2024 NBA title. However, his overall favorites were Denver and Boston. "Denver has to be the favorite. Aaron Gordon was such a good pickup for them and its one that not enough people talk about. However, the West is wide open. They [Denver] will have old contenders, young contenders. Meanwhile, Boston lost Marcus Smart, they lost their best defensive players. And then they go and get probably the best defensive guard in the league. I think that makes them the favorite in the East," Rivers said.

[via]