"Present is the best time": Damian Lillard backs Doc Rivers' resume and storied history in Milwaukee
The league-wide shock from the sudden firing of Adrian Griffin wore off quickly as Damian Lillard and the rest of the Milwaukee Bucks looked ready to kick things into high gear for the second half of the season. Doc Rivers will be taking over starting Monday (Jan. 29) for a team that has a 32-14 record.
In his introductory press conference, Rivers talked about how his time playing at Marquette, a college located about a mile away from the Bucks' home arena at Fiserv Forum, played into his decision to sign with the team.
Point guard Damian Lillard expressed his interest in working with a coach of Rivers' caliber. He highlighted Rivers' college basketball career in Milwaukee, as well as his time as a player and coach in the NBA, and how those experiences benefit them as a team.
"I think when you're dealing with a team that's full of vets and as talented as we are, I think that's something that you need if you wanna reach the level that we want to reach and I think he's the perfect person for it," Lillard said, talking about Rivers' experience and coaching pedigree.
"I think the present is the best time," Lillard added. "I don't think it's a situation where you want to just hold off or anything like that, just jump in and get the ball rolling. [Doc Rivers] has been around this week, he hasn't coached yet but he's been around just kinda seeing how things go and getting to know the team a little bit better."
Doc Rivers certainly has had a storied basketball career both as a coach and a player and while he never got the chance to play for or coach the Bucks, he did play for Marquette.
Rivers' played three years for the Golden Eagles and made an immediate impact on the team. He was a starter in his freshman season (1980–81) and kept that role until he entered the NBA.
For his contributions to Marquette, the team retired his #31 jersey.
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Damian Lillard says that Doc Rivers thrives in extreme situations
In the same interview, Damian Lillard recognized that Doc Rivers is walking into a difficult situation but believes that he will thrive. Dame looked back to the 2008 Boston Celtics and talked about how having Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and a rising Rajon Rondo created extreme expectations for Doc Rivers to win.
The Bucks point guard went on to say that Rivers has previously demonstrated his ability to exceed the highest demands in that situation, before comparing it to the current position of the Milwaukee Bucks.
To Rivers' credit, he has thrived in difficult situations, such as when he led the Orlando Magic to a playoff berth in his first year as a head coach, despite the team being considered to be the worst in the NBA at the time. In fact, he won Coach of the Year for this achievement.
Rivers is recognized as one of the best coaches in league history, being named one of the Top 15 coaches in the NBA.
It is hard to think that Damian Lillard's faith in Doc Rivers is misplaced after looking at a resume like that, despite him also having a history of faltering in huge moments.
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