Not long after the Milwaukee Bucks relieved Adrian Griffin of his post as the team’s head coach, reports immediately surfaced pointing to Doc Rivers as his successor. Multiple sources have already confirmed that the Bucks are already engaged in negotiations with the one-time NBA champion coach to take over the helm now that Griffin is out of the picture.
As we have all learned through the years, however, nothing is ever a sure thing in the NBA. The Bucks know this for a fact, which is why they also appear to have a few backup names available in case the Rivers deal falls through.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Contingency Plans
At this point, it feels like it’s only going to be a matter of time before the Bucks announce Rivers as their next head coach. In fact, reports also indicate that Rivers had been working for the team — albeit in an informal capacity — over the past month, serving as an adviser for Griffin.
Rivers is currently under contract with ESPN as a broadcaster, which is a job he took after he was fired by the Philadelphia 76ers this past summer. His contract with the network is also something both he and the Bucks will need to deal with as they negotiate the terms of his coaching contract in Milwaukee.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Bucks are “zeroing in” on Rivers as Griffin’s successor. Haynes also reports, however, that Milwaukee “has also formulated a short list of candidates.”
The two coaches Haynes named are Nate McMillan and Jeff Van Gundy.
McMillan has been around the coaching scene for quite a bit, having started as a head coach of the now-defunct Seattle SuperSonics back in 2000. It is worth noting that McMillan spent many years as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, so he has a lot of history with Damian Lillard. McMillan’s last stint was with the Atlanta Hawks, where he spent the last three seasons as the team’s head coach.
Jeff Van Gundy, on the other hand, seems to always be a name that pops up whenever there’s a coaching availability in the NBA. JVG hasn’t been a head coach in the NBA since the 2006-07 season with the Houston Rockets, though, and he has since been doing commentary for ESPN.
Another name that has also been linked to the Bucks is Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who also served as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets several years ago.
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