Milwaukee Bucks head coach hunt: 5 reasons why Doc Rivers shouldn't be signed
The Milwaukee Bucks shocked the NBA world by abruptly letting Adrian Griffin go as their coach. He was hired in the offseason and was the coach of the team for only 43 games. In this period, the Bucks showed that they were one of the most dominant teams in the East, sitting only behind the Boston Celtics in the standings with a 30-13 record.
Some confusion led to reports that they had already hired Doc Rivers as a replacement, which turned out to be false. Currently, Rivers remains a part of ESPN's broadcast team, although reports indicate that he is still being considered as Griffin's replacement.
A huge move like this could have some repercussions. As such, here are five reasons why the Bucks should refrain from hiring Doc Rivers as their new coach.
Also read: Why did false reports on Doc Rivers' hiring by Milwaukee Bucks come out? All details explored
5 reasons why the Milwaukee Bucks should not hire Doc Rivers as their new head coach
#1 An internal hire would be more beneficial
Joe Prunty has been a long-time assistant coach in the NBA with his career stretching back to 1996. He has been the assistant coach to guys like Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs (1996-2005), Avery Johnson with the Dallas Mavericks (2005-2008), and plenty more afterward. He is now serving as the interim head coach for Milwaukee after Adrian Griffin was let go.
The Bucks might benefit more from keeping him as their head coach for the rest of the season as he is already familiar with the system and the players. Theoretically, the rapport that he has with them and his knowledge of how they run things make him a better candidate than Doc Rivers.
#2 Terry Stotts is available
If the Bucks choose to hire someone outside of the organization, they should strongly consider bringing back Terry Stotts whom they hired last summer. However, Stotts resigned before the final preseason game of 2023. The exact reason for his departure is unknown but it is alleged to have been because of some tension between him and Adrian Griffin.
With Griffin gone, Stotts could come back with a much bigger role. He is a great offensive coach who is extremely familiar with Damian Lillard from their time together in Portland. He also has some level of familiarity with the rest of the team, so, his signing would not rock the boat too much.
#3 The Bucks could sign someone who has won them a championship already
After they were stunned by the Miami Heat in the playoffs last year, the Milwaukee Bucks made a surprising decision to let Mike Budenholzer go. The decision caught some people off guard as they pointed to Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury and other players' struggles for the defeat.
Mike Budenholzer already won a championship for them in 2021 and he consistently led them to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. If we're talking about familiarity, then no one is more familiar with Giannis, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez than him. His long coaching experience should allow him to adjust easily to having Damian Lillard among his weapons.
Additionally, he could be the answer to the Bucks' defensive struggles that have plagued them all season.
#4 Doc Rivers has a reputation for underperforming in the postseason
While he does have a championship to his name, some fans like to attribute the Boston Celtics' championship in 2008 to other factors besides coaching. Doc Rivers has a history of failing in the playoffs.
He has blown three 3-1 leads and has fallen short in 10 of the 16 Game 7s that his teams have played. The Eastern Conference has two powerhouse teams (the Celtics and the 76ers) that can potentially take down the Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game series and a few good teams could sneak up on them and eliminate them by surprise.
With the current strength of their conference, would it really be a good idea to hire a coach who is known for his inability to win in big playoff games?
#5 The Bucks are better off focusing on looking for a defense-first head coach
The Milwaukee Bucks were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in the past few seasons and a huge part of that was their defense. However, their reputation of being difficult to score against was erased this season as they have so far fallen to 21st in Defensive Rating with 116.8.
Yes, they no longer have Jrue Holiday, or even PJ Tucker for that matter, but that doesn't mean they have to be in the bottom half of the league. A good first step for them would be to look for a head coach who would instill a strong defensive mindset in the guys on the Milwaukee Bucks roster.
Also read: "Big mistake.": Milwaukee Bucks take heat from Magic Johnson, former Lakers star questions coaching move