There isn’t a team heading into the NBA Postseason that will be under the microscope more than the Milwaukee Bucks. They made a very bold decision about midway through the campaign to fire head coach Adrian Griffin, who had a 30-13 record, and replace him with Doc Rivers.
Rivers was in a consulting role with the team prior to being hired as head coach. It was a bizarre situation to unfold, as the Bucks had just hired Griffin to become head coach over the 2023 NBA offseason.
With the hiring of Rivers, there was hope that the team’s defense would get on track and elevate the team to another level. Instead, the team has regressed across the board. Instead of challenging for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, as they had been doing, the Bucks are now in a fight to hold onto the No. 2 seed.
Milwaukee is only one game ahead of the New York Knicks for second place and homecourt through the first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs. The Bucks have gone 17-17 under Rivers and don’t look like a team that will be a serious contender, especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo hurt and nursing a calf injury.
For some people in the basketball world, seeing the Bucks unravel under Rivers isn’t too surprising. One person who is in that camp is former NBA point guard, Nate Robinson. Robinson made an appearance on The OG Show, via NBA Central on X, and ripped into Rivers.
“It seems like he mess up every place he goes,” Robinson said about his former head coach.
Robinson admitted that he does hold a grudge against Rivers, so his opinion is a bit biased. Set to earn an incentive in his contract for the number of games he played in, Robinson was benched by Rivers and missed out on the payday.
That certainly explains why he feels the way he does about Rivers, but he also noted his track record as a head coach. Rivers’ teams are known for blowing leads, which the Bucks have done regularly, and Robinson doesn’t feel like that gives fans too much confidence about their outlook.
Robinson certainly isn’t alone in that assessment. There are plenty of people in the NBA and basketball world who cannot understand why the Bucks made the move they did, as some believe it eliminated them from contention even if they did stay healthy.
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