Now that the Milwaukee Bucks have officially announced Doc Rivers as their new head coach, it’s time to get to business. Now, the hard part begins.
There’s no denying that Giannis Antetokounmpo is excited about this new transition. However, there’s also no denying that of all people, the former back-to-back MVP is very much familiar with the pressures of the job — something that Doc Rivers is going to get accustomed to now that he’s taken on one of the most high-profile roles in the NBA.
Giannis Gives Doc Rivers His Flowers
The good news for the Bucks is that experience-wise, Doc Rivers is the perfect man for the job. They’ve already tried their luck on a rookie coach but unfortunately, this did not work out too well for them. Rivers has a ton of experience under his belt and he’s pretty much been through it all in his many years as an NBA head coach.
Giannis knows that it takes a pretty big man to take on the head coaching job in Milwaukee, which is why he gives Rivers a lot of credit for doing so:
“It speaks volumes,” Antetokounmpo said. “You could tell what he’s built of. He’s tough. It’s hard to take this job.”
Giannis’ Milwaukee Bucks Warning
Giannis then went on to speak about the harsh reality Rivers is going to be facing now that he’s the team’s head honcho. The pressure to win a championship is going to be immense.
“You lose, it feels like the whole world is ending. You win by five, why didn’t you win by 20? You have Giannis, you have Dame, you have Khris (Middleton). It’s hard. Nothing is good enough. Only a championship is good enough,” Giannis said. “We’ve got to that point, which is crazy. But I’m embracing it. I’m OK with it. I can sleep well at night. And I think having somebody that, you know, he’s not uneasy with that, he’s confident. Having somebody like that, I think he makes the environment of the locker room better.”
Fortunately, Rivers has been in the pressure cooker many times in his career. He also emerged with a championship during his time with the Boston Celtics back in 2008. It’s been way too long, though, and Coach Doc will now be looking to add another chip to his resume now that he’s with the Bucks.
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