Doc Rivers' cringeworthy revelation won't convince Bucks fans to take his side

Doc Rivers just can't get out of his own way. In a team meeting earlier this season, he told players to "check his resume" if they didn't trust his decisions as a head coach. Asked to clarify those comments, the Milwaukee Bucks' skipper just made things worse.

That was taken so out of context," Rivers told Lou Williams, his former player and a current host on FanDuel TV's Run It Back. "I had a guy that kept talking about his stats. I was basically saying the same thing, 'Well, I have stats too.'"

Judging by his "stats," Rivers is well past his prime. In Milwaukee, he has a sub-.500 record and three total playoff wins. He last won multiple series in 2012. Compared to the league's top coaches, he wouldn't sniff the rotation. 

Somehow, Rivers' justification is more off-putting than his initial remarks. He sounds more delusional, not less. Far from sympathizing with Rivers' logic, Bucks fans can only view his explanation with amused disgust.  

Rivers is completely out of touch with his present reputation

Wait, though, it gets worse. 

Revisiting the context of his retort, Rivers said, "I don't want to get too deep into it - this was the other thing. I wouldn't say anything about the meeting, because it's no one's business. I hate that, allegedly, there were players who talked, and I think it was more agents who talked than players, but you always know there's one guy talking." 

That rings a little hollow, doesn't it, when Rivers evidently benched Kyle Kuzma for standing by his teammates, Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr., against coaches' unfair criticisms. That happened in a players-only meeting. By Rivers' reasoning, what Kuzma said shouldn't be his business, either. 

Yet, Bucks coaches found out and punished Kuzma for intervening. Now, Rivers says he hates that players or their agents may have revealed what he said in the team meeting, sharing his comments with those outside the intended audience. Talk about hypocrisy. 

Retirement will give Rivers ample time to reminisce on past triumphs 

Rivers went so far as to say it wasn't hard to figure out which player did the talking. It's tempting to speculate on who it was, but that would ignore the more pertinent consideration. 

In citing his coaching record as a rejoinder, Rivers glosses over the embarrassing fact that he hasn't reached a Conference Finals since before Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted. With the Clippers and 76ers, he earned the reputation of a choke artist in the playoffs, blowing series leads with star-studded squads. 

It is now 2026. Hate to break it to you, Doc, but no one except the Hall of Fame committee cares that you won a title with Boston 18 years ago. 

The good news is that Rivers appears to be walking the plank on his Bucks tenure. He all but confirmed his departure on Tuesday, referencing a desire to spend more time with his grandkids when asked about his coaching future. Knowing he has nothing to lose, not even a last shred of favor among fans, he can speak impunitively. 

For everyone's sake, hopefully he exits the NBA coaching scene before humiliating his own career and the Bucks' franchise any further.