Doc Rivers agrees to deal to be Bucks’ coach, sources say

After a brief courtship, Doc Rivers has reached an agreement in principle to become the next coach of the milwaukee dollarssources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Rivers, an ESPN NBA analyst who recently directed the Philadelphia 76ers with three straight trips to the Eastern Conference semifinals, he emerged as the top target immediately after Adrian Griffin’s firing. The sides negotiated late into the night Tuesday and into Wednesday morning before reaching an agreement, the sources said.

Despite having the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, the Bucks fired Griffin just 43 games into his head coaching career, largely because the organization came to believe it could find an upgrade that would give the team a best chance to compete for a championship. , sources said.

Based on Rivers’ accomplishments and availability, general manager Jon Horst planned to pursue him and persuaded him to take the job and seek his second NBA title as a coach.

The Bucks believe Rivers’ history of coaching star tandems makes him uniquely suited to maximize Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

One high-level assistant coach being considered to join Rivers in Milwaukee is Dave Joerger, sources told ESPN. Joerger, former coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and Kings of SacramentoHe spent three seasons with Rivers in Philadelphia.

Rivers has a long history in Milwaukee, where he was an All-American shooting guard during Marquette in the early 1980s.

He has had 16 consecutive winning seasons since winning the NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, a streak surpassed only by Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, according to ESPN Stats & Information. His 1,097 regular season wins are ninth in NBA history and his 111 playoff wins are fourth all time.

Rivers has obstacles to overcome in the postseason, including 10 Game 7 losses in his career and a streak that includes five in a row. He has also lost nine straight games with a chance to reach the conference finals, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

However, Rivers has a chance to bolster the Bucks’ defense and keep them in the fight for the number one spot in the Eastern Conference. After the 76ers fired him at the end of last season, Rivers was second to Frank Vogel for the phoenix suns‘ He worked as a coach, sources said, before accepting an analyst position on ESPN and ABC’s coverage of NBA games.

“We wish Doc the best and look forward to documenting the next chapter of his coaching career. We have a deep roster of extremely talented broadcasters who will continue to serve NBA fans with tremendous skill, passion and experience,” David Roberts, director from ESPN. event and studio production, he said in a statement.

Griffin had a 30-13 record (.698), but the Bucks had fallen from fourth in defensive efficiency last season to 22nd, although some of that had to be attributed to the loss of the All-Star guard. Jrue vacation.

Under immense expectations, Griffin was hired to replace Mike Budenholzer in June and was tasked with adding his system to a team of veteran stars. According to sources, Horst believes Griffin will become a good NBA head coach, but he had lost confidence that he could do so within the schedule of the Bucks’ immediate championship window.