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Despite owning a 30-13 record at the time, the Milwaukee Bucks sent shockwaves throughout the NBA when they fired head coach Adrian Griffin.
Griffin was a first-time head coach tasked with leading the Bucks back to the NBA Finals and did a solid job, but still got let go because of reported disagreements with the players.
Perhaps the move wasn’t shocking considering former assistant Terry Stotts left before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season due to an issue with Griffin.
However, Milwaukee moved quickly to replace Griffin as they came to terms with Doc Rivers on a four-year, $40 million contract.
Rivers spent the regular season as an analyst on the ESPN broadcast but now finds himself back on the sidelines with a championship-caliber team.
Shortly after being named the Bucks’ new head coach, Rivers had a message for the team and it’s fans via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“We just have to find our identity…If you’re going to have Fear the Deer, you gotta fear the deer,” Rivers said.
Doc Rivers: “We just have to find our identity…If you’re going to have Fear the Deer, you gotta fear the deer.”
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) January 27, 2024
After trading away Jrue Holiday in the offseason, Milwaukee’s defense has slipped dramatically which is surprising given the personnel on the roster.
Rivers has always been a defense-first head coach and will try to implement a more cohesive scheme that plays to the strength of the team.
Offensively, Rivers should be able to get more out of the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Lillard pairing as the two have yet to hit their potential as partners.
Rivers may have a shaky record in the postseason, but he is a proven head coach with championship experience.
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