The Milwaukee Bucks didn't wait long to fire first-year head coach Adrian Griffin, and now they're already strongly considering veteran head coach Doc Rivers to replace him as the team pushes for another NBA title.
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ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted the news that the team was firing Griffin on Tuesday afternoon. Shortly after, TNT's Chris Haynes shared that the Bucks were strongly considering making a run at Rivers to take over for the team.
Milwaukee Bucks will strongly consider Doc Rivers, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 23, 2024
A first-year head coach, Griffin had started with the Bucks organization as an assistant back in 2008 following his NBA playing career. After stints with multiple teams across the league, Griffin returned in 2023 to take over as a head coach for the first time.
Unfortunately, Griffin was unable to meet expectations that Bucks fans were hoping for with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Brook Lopez leading the charge. The Bucks were the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record, but were 22nd in defensive rating with consistent struggles to handle opposing teams in transition.
The lack of cohesion, particularly on defense, led the Bucks to quickly move on from Griffin as they try to maximize their shrinking window at another NBA title with Giannis.
With few available options to quickly hop in as a head coach, Rivers could make sense for the Bucks as a stop-gap replacement. The former All-Star has more than two decades of head coaching experience, winning more than 1,000 regular season games with an NBA title under his belt with the Boston Celtics.
However, some Bucks fans may be nervous about Doc Rivers' ability in the postseason if the team ends up hiring him. Rivers has gone just 111-104 in the postseason, and hasn't reached the conference finals since the 2011-12 season with Boston.
However, Rivers is currently serving as a color commentator for ESPN, and the fact he could be quickly available might as an established head coach might make him the easiest potential replacement for the Bucks as they try to make a run at another NBA title.
