With the Milwaukee Bucks having struggled under Doc Rivers, former NBA players Gilbert Arenas and Matt Barnes have called him out once again. Arenas recently reminded fans in Milwaukee that he had predicted it would all go downhill for them after they hired Rivers.
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Meanwhile, Barnes commented on that Instagram video and stated Rivers just keeps stealing money.
Well, safe to say that the Bucks aren't getting value for their money after reportedly hiring Rivers on a four-year, $40 million deal through the 2026-27 season. At this point, it is looking like an all-time bad hire. The Bucks had a 30-13 record when they decided to fire Adrian Griffin and they are now 15-17 under Rivers.
The latest setback came in the form of a 122-109 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night. It was a fourth-straight defeat for the Bucks, who had seen the lowly Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, and Toronto Raptors get the better of them prior to that game against the Knicks.
The Bucks are now 47-31 on the season and are barely clinging on to the second seed in the Eastern Conference, as the Orlando Magic (46-32) and the Knicks (46-32) are breathing down their necks. No matter which seed they end up with, though, an early playoff exit seems almost inevitable at this point.
If the Bucks do lose in the first round or in the Conference Semifinals, Rivers can expect a barrage of criticism to come his way. Many in the basketball world like Arenas did not believe he deserved to get that job.
Rivers has not managed to lead a team to even the Conference Finals in over a decade now. There have been one too many disappointing playoff runs for talented teams under him and this would be the latest example.
Doc Rivers Has Taken The Blame For The Bucks' Recent Struggles
What made Rivers look even worse during the team's struggles was him throwing everyone else under the bus. He always seemed to be pointing fingers at others, like when Rivers called out the Bucks players and travel crew for their disappointing road record.
There has been a change in Rivers in that regard of late. Following those three losses to the Wizards, Grizzlies, and Raptors, Rivers admitted the Bucks' struggles were on him. He stated he had to figure out how to get the team playing at a higher pace.
Then following the loss to the Knicks, Rivers said the Bucks were too talented to struggle like this and added that he had to figure out how to get them out of this mess. Well, time is running out for him to fix things here, as we're just weeks away from the playoffs.
What would certainly help Rivers a lot is if Damian Lillard starts to play better. The eight-time All-Star is averaging 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game this season while shooting 42.5% from the field.
Lillard has been very inconsistent this campaign and has shot a woeful 38.8% from the field in his last eight games. If Rivers can find a way to get his star point guard to play better, the Bucks might just make a deep playoff run.
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