Right now, Doc Rivers appears to be the frontrunner to land the recently vacated head coaching post for the Milwaukee Bucks. This is after the team decided to part ways with rookie coach Adrian Griffin barely half a season into his tenure as a first-year shot-caller.
Rivers, who is currently under contract with ESPN as a broadcaster and analyst, is reportedly Milwaukee’s top choice as Griffin’s successor. However, if that plan falls through, it appears that the Bucks already have a contingency in place.
Milwaukee Bucks Want Doc Rivers
According to NBA guru Shams Charania of The Athletic, Rivers has “emerged as a serious candidate” as MIlwaukee’s next head coach. Rivers’ ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that the former is “near the top” of Milwaukee’s list of top candidates for the job.
These two are pretty much the who’s who of NBA reporting these days and for them to have concurring reports about Rivers and the Bucks only means that these are very likely to be accurate.
The Backup Plan
In a more comprehensive report by Shams, Sam Amick, and Eric Nehm of The Athletic, it is indicated that the Bucks have actually already started negotiations with Rivers. However, the report also notes that Milwaukee already has a backup plan in place if discussions fall through with Rivers.
“The Bucks have started discussions with Rivers to become the new head coach of the franchise, league sources said. Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who was a runner-up to Griffin in the Bucks’ head coaching search last year, is a candidate for the job as well if the team is unable to secure a deal with Rivers,” read the report.
As the report indicates, this isn’t the first time the Bucks have shown interest in Kenny Atkinson, who also served as a head coach of the Brooklyn Nets between 2016 and 2020. The 56-year-old was part of the Golden State Warriors’ 2022 title run and you just know that he would bring a lot to the table if Milwaukee decides to go in his direction.
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