There are about 40 million reasons why Doc Rivers won’t take charge of the Bucks’ 3-8 start to the NBA season.
Not that he’s not to blame for Milwaukee stumbling out of the gate with the league’s 21st-ranked defense and 17th-ranked offense, but it’s not going to cost him his job. The Bucks are dealing with the aftermath of a series of front office decisions — firing Mike Budenholzer, missing out on hiring Adrian Griffin and bringing in Rivers, changing the team’s identity by trading Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard – and it’s more likely that general manager Jon Horst’s chair will be called than Rivers. Here’s what Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote:
For those wondering if Rivers could be in the right seat, let’s not forget that the Bucks paid him about $40 million on a three-and-a-half-year contract less than a year ago. Additionally, Horst is under pressure because of the way the past few seasons have gone, and league sources are skeptical that he will be given the space to make another coaching change anytime soon.
The reality is that the Bucks are limited by being above the second luxury tax apron, they can make a few trades around the margins – they’re not trading Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard – and they are going to finish this season. Maybe things will be shaken up after this season.
In the short term, Milwaukee should and should pick up a few wins. Nine of their next 10 games are against teams at .500 or worse (Houston is the lone exception) and they are 5-of-6 at home. This is the Bucks’ chance to get it right and turn the season around.
If they don’t do it now, things could spiral and get ugly quickly.
