SPORTSLINE

The Milwaukee Bucks’ time under new head coach Doc Rivers hasn’t gotten off to a good start.
While some of that can be attributed to the rough transition between coaches, a huge part of the slump is due to the Bucks’ defense, which continues to be suspect. Doc Rivers has no regrets about taking the Bucks’ head-coaching job, but he certainly seems to wish he had come into the position differently. Rivers admitted that taking over the Milwaukee job midseason has been “more difficult than I thought.” He even added that he had asked the Bucks if it would have been possible for him to take over at the All-Star break instead of when he did on Jan. 26. It’s no surprise the Bucks weren’t interested in that arrangement.

Rivers would have ended up coming into the job three weeks later than he did. Milwaukee’s superstar guard Damian Lillard recently revealed that Rivers has gotten on the team, challenging them to live up to their words and goals. Lillard recalled how Rivers spoke to the team in the locker room, asking them to ramp up their defense which remains a problem in the Bucks’ armor this season, ranking 23rd in points allowed per game and 18th in defensive rating. Under Griffin, Giannis said he felt he had to take on more of a leadership role given the former’s inexperience. But with Doc around—someone who has coached for more than two decades, Antetokounmpo emphasized he no longer has to do that, giving him peace of mind. There is no doubt that it has been a difficult task for Rivers, but at some point, the excuses have to stop, and the results have to come.

Rivers has improved his win/loss record, going from 2 and 7 to 5 and seven, which helps, but it’s nowhere near his much-maligned predecessor who was at 30 and 7 when he was dumped.  It is kind of interesting that with players now being paid individually more than coaches, many of them seem to want to take the task of making coaching decisions instead of sticking to what it is they might do best.