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Doc Rivers is inching closer to becoming the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, according to a report.
The franchise fired Adrian Griffin on Tuesday but have seemingly moved quickly to hire Rivers, who won the NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008.
The organization, which currently sits second in the Eastern Conference, have targeted Rivers over the past 24 hours and are close to landing their man, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The former Celtics close is said to be finalizing an agreement to replace Griffin as Milwaukee’s next coach.
Griffin was hired to replace Mike Budenholzer, who guided Milwaukee to a тιтle at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Doc Rivers is inching closer to becoming the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks
Adrian Griffin was fired as head coach of the Bucks on Tuesday despite a 30-13 record
The Bucks replaced Griffin (left) with Joe Prunty (right) on an interim basis on Tuesday
Bucks ᴀssistant coach Joe Prunty was appointed take over on an interim basis but he may not have to fulfill that role for much longer.
Prunty previously served as head coach of the Great Britain men’s national basketball team from June 2013 until September 2017. He’s also won three NBA тιтles as an ᴀssistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich.
The Bucks reportedly turned to Rivers for help as far back as December with the coach-turned-analyst acting as an informal consultant to Griffin at the request of the franchise.
Rivers signed with ESPN as a lead commentator with Doris Burke and Mike Breen last July.
Prior to that, he had 24 seasons of NBA head-coaching experience with the Orlando Magic, Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.
Rivers holds a 1,097-763 record and has only missed the playoffs five times, going without a losing year since 2007 – the fourth best streak in the NBA’s history behind Basketball Hall of Famers Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley.
Rivers signed with ESPN as a lead commentator with Doris Burke (R) and Mike Breen last July
He played his college basketball at the Marquette University in Milwaukee and, as a Chicago native, his appointment would be a homecoming of sorts.
It’s claimed several veterans, including team leader Giannis Antetokounmpo, were no longer on board with coach Griffin’s methods after one half of the NBA season.
The unrest at the helm, per Sports Illustrated, had been making the rounds through NBA circles ‘for weeks.’
It it’s also claimed Damian Lillard, recruited from the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason, was struggling to adapt to Griffin’s scheme.
With just 43 games, Griffin’s tenure is the third-shortest in NBA history for a head coach.
The only coaches with a higher winner percentage than Griffin’s 69.8 at the time of their in-season firing are David Blatt (73.2 percent for the 2015-16 Cavaliers) and Jack McKinney (71.4 percent for the 1979-80 Lakers).
Milwaukee Bucks stars Damian Lillard (left) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (right)
Antetokounmpo was allegedly one team veteran who had ‘lost faith’ in Griffin at the helm
The Bucks are obviously facing championship expectations in in Milwaukee following the off-season trade that brought in perennial All-Star Damian Lillard.
Milwaukee has been strong in a number of offensive areas this season, ranking third in field-goal percentage, for instance.
However, the defense has been underwhelming, allowing opponents to make 44.8 percent of their field goals – worse than all but three NBA teams.
A long-time point guard for the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, Rivers is now best known as a coach after winning an NBA тιтle with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08.
