Doc Rivers’ days as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks could be over soon. NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Sunday that the team could part ways with Rivers or restructure his role. Stein added that former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins “has emerged as a likely prime candidate in Brewton.”
One fan reacted to the news:
“Multitude of errors by the Bucks. Doc never should have been hired. … Bud never should have been fired.”
Another fan added:
“Good riddance to Doc Rivers but Taylor Jenkins feels like a lateral move at best. Memphis let him go for a reason.”
One more fan continued:
“Brewtown’s ready for a fresh voice. Jenkins makes sense.”
Another fan added:
“As a Bucks fan, I prefer Michael Malone.”
One fan tweeted:
“Taylor needs to hang tight. This isn’t a good job anymore.”
The rumor about Doc Rivers’ potential exit in Milwaukee came a few days after Giannis Antetokounmpo slammed the Bucks for allegedly forcing him to sit out games. Antetokounmpo said that he talked to Rivers and general manager Jon Horst but never got an update about his status. The two-time MVP called the team’s treatment of him a “slap in the face.”
Rivers arrived in December 2023 as a consultant for Adrian Griffin. The 2008 NBA champ took over from Griffin, who had a 30-13 record, the following month. Rivers finished the regular season with a 17-19 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
In his first full season with the Bucks, Rivers guided the team to a 48-34 mark for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, Milwaukee was sent home in the first round by the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers.
This season, perhaps the most tumultuous in Doc Rivers’ stay in Milwaukee, the Bucks have a 31-47 record. Already out of contention for the play-in tournament, the team could part ways with the 64-year-old coach after the regular season ends.
Taylor Jenkins, the potential replacement, is a familiar face in Milwaukee. He was one of Mike Budenholzer’s assistant coaches before the Grizzlies named Jenkins their head coach in 2019.
Doc Rivers is 0-2 in Playoffs with Bucks
In the 2024 playoffs, Doc Rivers’ Bucks owned the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 49-33 record. They faced the No. 6 seed Indiana Pacers in the first round. With Giannis Antetokounmpo unable to play due to a left calf strain, the higher-seeded team went out in six games.
In the highly anticipated rematch a season later, the Pacers held home court advantage as the No. 4 team. Antetokounmpo, who had a monster series, was finally healthy, but Damian Lillard tore his left Achilles tendon in Game 4.
Doc Rivers guided the Bucks to a Game 3 win to cut the Pacers’ series lead to 2-1. Lillard’s injury in the following game proved too much to overcome. Milwaukee lost the next two games to exit the first round for the second straight season to Indiana.
Rivers could leave Milwaukee without winning a series for the Bucks.
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