In what was largely his own doing, Doc Rivers was introduced as the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and lamented that he wouldn’t wish his current situation on anyone.
The 62-year-old Rivers ditched ESPN’s lead NBA broadcast before the honeymoon even ended, leaving to become the new head coach of the Bucks following the surprise firing of Adrian Griffin. CNN, oddly enough, was the first to confirm Rivers was leaving ESPN for the Bucks job, although whether or not they intended to break the news remains murky.
Formally introduced as the next head coach of the 31-14 Bucks, Rivers joked that he wished he had waited until after the All-Star Break to take this new gig, which involves coaching two of the best players on the planet in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard if only Griffin were granted that same luxury, but alas.
He’s done a lot of things in his NBA coaching career, but Rivers has never taken over a team mid-season and one with NBA Finals aspirations at that.
“Listen, I’ve never done this,” Rivers told reporters Saturday. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone; I could tell you that just from the day and a half. But, it’s gonna be a challenge. It’s a challenge that I’m running towards. [I] gotta get organized quickly. Can’t try to do too much, too soon. We’re in the middle of a season, so we gotta try to keep our rhythm. There are changes that we have to make; there’s no doubt about that. We’ll start working on it immediately.
“It’s interesting. I looked at our calendar. I should’ve waited until after the All-Star Break. This is a tough stretch, but that’s good too. I always say good; I never say bad — I do. Rex (Kalamian) back there, first thing, ‘Did you see the teams we’re playing?’ And I said, ‘Good. Let’s bring it on. Let’s get it on. We win ’em all great, we struggle great, doesn’t matter. Our goal is to be great by the end of the year…”
Rivers’ abrupt pivot from commentator to championship contender has the NBA abuzz. Trading in the cushy analyst desk for a mid-season coaching hot seat in Milwaukee showcases his insatiable fire for coaching and a likely unyielding belief in the Bucks’ title potential. But the lightning-fast turnaround and suffocating pressure shroud this daring gamble in an aura of uncertainty.
