Bucks Reportedly Hire Doc Rivers as Head Coach Following Adrian Griffin Dismissal
By Joe Summers
The Milwaukee Bucks reportedly hired veteran coach Doc Rivers to replace Adrian Griffin Tuesday night, completing a swift, decisive, and stunning transition over the last 12 hours.
News broke this afternoon that Griffin was fired following damning reports on the roster's faith in the first-year coach, and it seems the organization knew their desired candidate the entire time.
While legitimate questions exist about Rivers' ability to lead a championship contender, this is now the path Bucks fans must hope can deliver success with one of the NBA's most complete rosters, led by two-time former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Bucks News: Milwaukee Reportedly Hires Doc Rivers as Head Coach
BREAKING: Bucks are hiring Doc Rivers as HC, per CNN Sports pic.twitter.com/CnWsvah2kB
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 24, 2024
Rivers was most recently the coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, with whom he spent three seasons but struggled to find playoff success.
That was the theme of his seven-year tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers as well, though Rivers did win a championship with the Boston Celtics in the 2008 season.
Despite the concerns about his postseason pedigree, the longtime NBA veteran has almost always enjoyed regular-season success. He's got a career .590 winning percentage as a head coach, which bodes well for a roster built to win right now.
Moves like this don't come together in a matter of hours like this one did, so it's likely the front office knew they wanted to hire Rivers when they fired Griffin today. Milwaukee currently holds the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 30-13, hoping to catch the Boston Celtics, Rivers' former team, to maintain home-court advantage in the playoffs.
New reports are surfacing that contradict CNN Sports' initial report and we'll keep you updated on the status as news becomes available.
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
The Bucks have the third-best odds to win the NBA Finals at +480 at FanDuel Sportsbook, and it may now be on Rivers to deliver this talented team to the promised land.
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