NBA fans were left stunned early Tuesday when the news emerged that the Milwaukee Bucks had fired Adrian Griffin as their head coach. Hours later, a report said the team had already hired a replacement.
The Turner Sports crew reported during their NBA telecast on Tuesday that the Bucks have hired Doc Rivers as their new head coach. Oddly, TNT’s crew cited CNN Sports even though most people didn’t realize CNN Sports was an actual media outlet.
Immediately after Griffin was fired, reports said Rivers was a candidate for the job, so his name was tied to the job all day. But prominent NBA reporters such as Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania had not confirmed the news of Rivers’ hiring.
CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter and Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes also said no agreement was in place between the Bucks and Rivers.
What’s notable is that Rivers has already been involved with the Bucks.
The Athletic reported Tuesday that Rivers has been serving as an "informal consultant" for the Bucks since they reached the semifinals of the in-season tournament.
Rivers, 62, has served as a head coach for the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, L.A. Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers during his coaching career. He won a championship with the Celtics in 2008, but he has become more known lately for blowing leads in playoff series.
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