ESPN/ABC expert Doc Rivers is the best candidate for the Bucks job.
According to multiple reports published on Tuesday, Rivers, who is only a few months through his second season with ESPN/ABC, is being heavily considered for the newly vacant coaching position with the Milwaukee Bucks. After only 43 games, the Bucks fired a first-year coach Adrian Griffin on Tuesday.
The Bucks’ hiring would immediately reinstate Boston’s 2008 NBA champion Rivers to NBA title contention. Behind stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Milwaukee has the Eastern Conference’s second-best record.
An opportunity that appears insurmountable for a coach whose playoff underachievement has been a source of scrutiny since 2008 is this one.
ESPN paired Doris Burke and Rivers with Breen, and each of them has accompanied Breen on the call of a few games thus far in the season.
The loss of Rivers would undoubtedly constitute a setback for ESPN. Last summer, the network terminated long NBA analysts Jeff Van Gundy or Mark Jackson, who, in addition to Mike Breen, predicted 15 of the last 17 NBA Finals.
The potential influence of Rivers’ availability on the decision to part differences with Jackson or Van Gundy is unknown; however, the inclusion of a highly regarded NBA analyst, albeit one that had not presided over a game in two decades, probably helped to alleviate some of the pressure.
ESPN could retain Breen and Burke in a two-person booth if Rivers departs, or promote one of J.J. Redick or Dick Jefferson. There is, of course, the possibility that the Bucks change course and Rivers maintains his position.
Rivers stated during a preseason phone conversation that he “made no promises” regarding a long-term commitment to ESPN and described broadcasting as “the journey I’m currently on.”
Doc Rivers is anticipated to be a strong candidate for the coaching vacancy created by the Milwaukee Bucks after Adrian Griffin’s unforeseen dismissal on Tuesday afternoon, NBA source Chris B. Haynes reports.
After just 43 games as the head coach, the Bucks dismissed Griffin and appointed Joe Prunty as the interim coach. This season, Milwaukee has a 30–13 record, which is the second-best in the NBA.
Rivers, 62, last served as an NBA coach for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2022-23 season. He has been an NBA analyst to feed ESPN more recently, but a return to coaching by the middle of the ”23-’24 season is a distinct possibility.
Rivers possesses a wealth of experience. After 1999, he coached in the NBA for twenty-four seasons, during which time he was affiliated with the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and 76ers.
His career totals 1,860 regular time-of-year games and 215 playoff games coached, which is second-most in history only to Gregg Popovich. He has also won one championship along with a conference championship.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Milwaukee Bucks are “actively seeking a limited number of qualified and accessible head coaches.” Wojnarowski further states that Rivers is “approximately at the top” of the Bucks’ shortlist.
A favorite in the Eastern Conference is currently searching for a replacement head coach, and they may be considering the Warriors as a potential candidate.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Eric Nehm reported that Golden State assistant coach Kenny Atkinson might be a candidate for the position after the Bucks in Milwaukee fired Adrian Griffin on Tuesday after only 43 games with the organization.
Atkinson, who was reportedly among the three finalists for the Bucks job along with Griffin or former Toronto Raptors-turned-Philadelphia 76ers boss Nick Nurse, finished second place this season.
Griffin was ultimately hired by the Bucks and has since guided them to an Eastern Division-leading 30-13 record along with second place. He became a member of Golden State in 2021 and led the franchise to an NBA championship in the 2022 NBA Finals.
Atkinson commenced his career as an NBA assistant coach in 2008 for the New York Knicks. He was appointed head coach of the Brooklyn Nets in 2016, a position he held for the following four seasons while accumulating a 118-190 record.
As the NBA community attempts to comprehend Griffin’s abrupt dismissal, reports indicate that the Bucks are making hasty efforts to fill the void.
Doc Rivers is reportedly at the top of Milwaukee’s “rapid pursuit of a limited pool of accomplished or available experienced head coaches,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN on Tuesday afternoon.
Charania, Amick, and Nehm additionally referenced league sources when they reported that Rivers, who was fired by the 76ers in May and joined ESPN as an analyst this season, began advising Griffin informally a month ago. Rivers is now the “serious leader” for the position.