The Milwaukee Bucks made a significant coaching change on Friday as they officially named Glenn “Doc” Rivers as the team’s 18th head coach in franchise history. Rivers, a 62-year-old alumnus of Marquette University, signed a multi-year deal with the Bucks.
Bucks general manager Jon Horst expressed his excitement about the hiring, stating, “Doc is a proven, extraordinary leader and communicator during his renowned NBA coaching career. As a championship coach, he’s widely respected as an established innovator and the right coach to lead our experienced and talented team.” Horst also thanked the team’s owners for their commitment to winning and welcomed Rivers to the Bucks organization.
Rivers takes over from Adrian Griffin, who was fired midseason on January 23 after coaching the team to a 30-13 record. This made Griffin’s tenure as head coach the third shortest in NBA history. Rivers, who has previously coached four other teams, has never taken over a team midseason.
After retiring from his 13-year playing career in 1996, Rivers began his coaching career with the Orlando Magic in the 1999-2000 season. He won the Coach of the Year award that season after leading the Magic to an eight-win improvement from the previous year. Rivers was eventually fired in 2003 and transitioned into television broadcasting before being hired by the Boston Celtics in 2004. In 2008, he guided the Celtics, led by Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, to an NBA title.
Rivers’ most successful postseason runs came during his time with the Celtics from 2007-2012. The team won the championship in 2008, reached the Finals in 2010, and made it to the Eastern Conference finals in 2012. After leaving Boston, Rivers coached the Los Angeles Clippers for seven years, leading them to the playoffs six times. However, the team never advanced past the second round, and Rivers was ultimately fired after the Clippers squandered a 3-1 series lead in the 2020 playoffs.
In the 2020-21 season, Rivers was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers but was fired in May after the team failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs. He had been working as an ESPN game analyst before accepting the head coaching position with the Bucks.
Rivers’ overall regular season record is an impressive 1,097-763 over 24 seasons with various teams. He is one of only 10 coaches in NBA history to win 1,000 games and is currently ranked ninth all-time. However, he is not yet in the Hall of Fame, unlike the other coaches in the 1,000-win club.
In terms of playoff success, Rivers’ teams have gone 111-104 over 19 postseasons. He has won one championship and coached in two NBA Finals. However, his teams have also struggled in crucial moments, going 6-10 in Game 7s and 16-33 with a chance to clinch a seven-game playoff series. Rivers’ teams have also let slip three 3-1 series leads, a feat achieved by only 10 other teams in NBA history.
Rivers’ contract with the Bucks is reported to be a four-year deal worth approximately $40 million. This season’s salary may be prorated due to the timing of his hiring. The Bucks will also be paying salaries to former coach Adrian Griffin and current coach Mike Budenholzer, amounting to roughly $17 million for coaching staff salaries this season.
The Bucks’ ownership has a history of making coaching changes, as seen with the firing of Aston Villa’s manager in the English Premier League and the dismissal of Jason Kidd during the 2017-18 season. The new co-owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, have had similar experiences with multiple coaching changes in their ownership of the Cleveland Browns and the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.
In conclusion, the Milwaukee Bucks have brought in a highly respected and experienced coach in Doc Rivers to lead their team. With his proven leadership and championship-winning experience, the Bucks hope that Rivers can guide them to further success in the NBA..