The Bucks have had their fair share of flaws (including their head coach) this season, but it’s still jarring to see a head coach call out his own roster. But that didn’t stop Doc Rivers from pointing fingers at the Bucks’ roster construction in a recent interview with Dan Patrick. When asked about the ongoing saga with star Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rivers pointed to the team’s roster flaws as the primary source of frustration for Giannis.
Rivers said, “If we had all the pieces here, I have no doubt he’d want to stay here. But we don’t. And so that puts him in a tough spot.” The stinging comments are ill-advised in the current situation when the Bucks need leadership and guidance rather than doubt cast upon them from one of their own.
Doc Rivers has no ground to criticize others
The controversial comments from Rivers also come off very tone-deaf considering his own role in the Bucks’ disappointing play this season. He’s been one of the league’s worst coaches in terms of both in-game strategy and player development. But of course, he won’t acknowledge those flaws as potential reasons that Giannis may want to leave.
Even now, Rivers is actively hurting his team with his comments. With the Bucks’ postseason hopes dashed, they should be doing their best to develop younger promising talents rather than making those guys doubt themselves. And a head coach with tons of experience and a solid playing career in his own right should be the perfect guy to provide that encouragement.
However, as usual, Rivers is not doing right by his young players. He’s always been notoriously stingy with playing time for young players, going back across his time coaching on multiple teams. By criticizing the roster as a whole, Rivers is also telling the Bucks’ unproven players that they aren’t talented enough to appease Giannis.
Hopefully the Bucks will learn their lesson
This is just the latest blunder in Rivers’ Milwaukee tenure that has been fraught with disappointment. Recent reports showed multiple ways in which he’s lost the locker room this season, both among veterans and youngsters alike. If all of that wasn’t enough for the team to move on this summer, hopefully his remarks on Patrick’s show will be.
It’s clear to all that Rivers is not the man to lead the Bucks back to title contention, whether that happens in the short- or long-term future. The earlier the Bucks make this realization and act upon it, the better their future will look. There are already some high-profile coaching free agents available now, and potentially more to come this offseason.
Doc Rivers hasn’t done himself any favors with his coaching this season, and only made things worse on Dan Patrick’s show.