With each passing day, more and more cracks are showing up in the dynamic between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks organization. A recent sound bite by Antetokounmpo’s head coach did not help this cause at all. As a matter of fact, Doc Rivers might have driven the wedge further amid all the trade rumors surrounding the Greek Freak.
This week, Philadelphia 76ers beat writer Adam Aaronson reported that Rivers had identified Joel Embiid as “the most talented player I’ve ever coached.” This quote went viral for a number of reasons, one of them being the fact that Rivers has coached Giannis Antetokounmpo for nearly two years.
After this sound bite was posted, fans expressed their disbelief towards Rivers’ snub of the Greek Freak.
“isn’t this guy giannis’s coach,” one fan tweeted.
“Did Giannis die ??!!!” another fan wondered out loud.
“doc rivers saying that while coaching giannis is wild symmetry,” another fan commented.
“Giannis welcome to New York,” another fan sarcastically said.
Meanwhile, some hoops lovers pointed out how Rivers overlooked other elite talents aside from Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“Giannis or KG never existed ig,” one netizen posted.
“He coached Paul pierce tho…” another netizen added.
Of course, it’s possible that Rivers meant no harm to Antetokounmpo with these comments. After all, Rivers gave this quote prior to the Bucks-Sixers game in Philadelphia; being in the City of Brotherly Love, Rivers could have easily had Embiid at the top of his mind.
Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, is recuperating from a calf strain that will keep him out of action for a number of weeks. Prior to sustaining this injury, he had infamously given Rivers the cold shoulder on multiple occasions caught on camera. Rivers’ compliment towards Embiid might not help fix his relationship with the Bucks’ longtime franchise player.
Reporter Believes That Knicks Are Targeting Jrue Holiday to Entice Giannis Antetokounmpo
In recent months, it was reported that Giannis Antetokounmpo seriously considered going to the New York Knicks during the offseason.
After insider Marc Stein reported that the Knicks were targeting former All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, Knicks beat reporter Ian Begley connected the dots.
“The idea would be that Giannis would enjoy playing with Jrue Holiday again,” Begley said on an episode of his “The Putback” podcast. “Obviously, they won a title together in Milwaukee.”
The Knicks, however, will have to make their move soon as there is barely a week left before the February 5 trade deadline.
