Stephen A. thinks THIS could be DICEY for Doc Rivers in Milwaukee 🍿 | The Stephen A. Smith Show

Stephen A. thinks THIS could be DICEY for Doc Rivers in Milwaukee 🍿 | The Stephen A. Smith Show

There was a firing that took place and as far as I’m concerned nobody should be happy about it the Milwaukee Bucks made the decision to fire Adrien Griffin even though his record was 30 and 13 I’d love to tell you that I didn’t see it coming

But needless to say I did I said it over and over and over again and it all started from the inseason tournament in Las Vegas Nevada when jannis an DMO was doing a press in front of the media and I was standing in that room and I specifically asked him question about

The Milwaukee Bucks last year compared to this year and what did he say he said quote we were discombobulated we were all over the place we just haven’t been what we need to be we need to get our stuff together you know and when you say stuff like that there is no question

That in the end the coach is in trouble you can’t have a first year coach being spoken about that way and think that he’s going to keep his job we can slice it any way we want to but that’s what this comes down to the Milwaukee Bucks were rank red fourth defensively last

Year they’re 21st now 21st they’ve ranked 28th in the month of January giving up 121 points per 100 possessions that’s awful defensively now one could easily argue on behalf of Adrien Griffin who by the way was a first year head coach a black man who literally went through and endured 14

Different interviews before the 15th interview got him finally a head coaching job with the Milwaukee Bucks okay so I feel bad for but in the same breath do you remember when they went against the Indiana Paces four to five times and got shellac do you remember how they got embarrassed In the End

Season tournament in Las Vegas do you remember all of those things do you remember how they’ve looked porest defensively do you remember those things one could easily argue in his favor that when he got the head coaching job Drew holiday was his point guard it wasn’t Damen Lillard so how could you not

Expect a precipitous drop off defensively fair enough you dropped off but not that badly not that badly and that’s exactly what happened now you read reports for example because early in the season when they lost in Toronto where Adrien Griffin was an assistant coach last year fourth game of the

Season to be exact veteran players approached Griffin and told him that such an aggressive scheme defensively was not going to fit with their personnel and suggested letting Brook Lopez who was last year’s defensive player of the year go back to playing drop coverage and picking roles okay and

Remaining closer to the rim through our defensive possessions rather than trapping or switching near the three-point line that seemed to be to make logical sense how is Brook Lopez going to be out near the three-point line trapping and switching that ain’t gonna work but nevertheless no matter

What was tried in the end it wasn’t happening you’re not getting it done and as far as I’m concerned Chris Middleton has never looked the same Bobby poris isn’t looking the same right now Brook Lopez didn’t look like he looked last year under coach Mike buen hoser and you

Could see the disinterest and the the apathy and the indifference that Janis sent the Tumo the Superstar for the team you could see it as it pertained to his dealings and his relationship with Adria Griffin so that’s what happened and that is what it is Adrien Griffin 30 and 13

Out as head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks again 21st in defensive ra rating 28th in the month of January you can’t fight that I feel real bad for him I don’t like it at all it’s not a good luck and I get that and I see people like Magic Johnson who put a

Tweet out there and he was talking about how it was wrong you know to get rid of Adrien Griffin or whatever but respectfully the Magic Johnson okay we might all feel it was wrong I saw this coming secondly three times in NBA history when I think about notable stuff

That has happened of this magnitude I think about Paul West head being replaced by Pat Riley in the 80s Magic Johnson was on that team that’s the change that Magic Johnson wanted he had his fingerprints all over that so they made the change when it came to Paul

Weste head they made the change when Pat Riley decided to dismiss Stan Van Gundy because he was getting on Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal’s last nerve and as a result Pat Ry inserted himself into the equation then the heat went on to beat Dallas and win the NBA championship

The other one was David black coaching in Cleveland and he was replaced by Tylo who ultimately coached the Cleveland Cavaliers to a championship with Lebron James Kyrie Irving and Kevin loving those board but in all those situations it was either an assistant coach being elevated to the head coaching job or the President

Coming down from upstairs to take over the head coaching job because he wasn’t satisfied with the coach he hired in the job that he was doing we haven’t seen a situation where a coach a new coach that’s outside the mix comes inside and ultimately takes over the

Team and in Doc River’s case a lot of people are salty about that because supposedly he was Consulting for the Milwaukee Bucks all right and did he have anything to do with Adrien Griffin being gone I’m not going there don’t need to go there because I knew based on

Giannis that Adrien Griffin’s numbers days were numbered remember Giannis picked him Milwaukee interviewed three coaches Giannis picked him Giannis said that’s the guy that I wanted and within one month of the season starting Giannis wanted his ass gone I don’t care what anybody says go back and watch jannis

Talking about the Milwaukee Bucks and specifically the coaches at the n Season tournament in Vegas and you’ll see for yourself it’s all there it’s right there you’re Damian Lil you got to step up you got to be that Superstar we know you to be he’s won a couple of games for them averaging

Over 25 but we know what he needs to be Giannis you got to get re-engaged you’re the leader of this franchise Milwaukee clearly has to make a move because even though they signed him to a long-term extension jannis you know how Superstars are in the NBA these days he demands out

You can get out and as it pertains to Doc Rivers that’s where things get very very very interesting Doc Rivers is a champion Doc Rivers at one time was labeled one of the top 15 coaches in the history of basketball Doc Rivers is a veteran coach who knows how to deal with

Veterans better than most a career record of 1,097 and 763 that’s 59 winning percentage in 24 seasons is an NBA head coach with four different teams the Orlando Magic the Boston Celtics the Los Angeles Clippers and now the Philadelphia 76ers current streak 16 straight winning seasons last losing season as a coach

Was a 2006 2007 season for the Celtics the 1999 2000 NBA coach of the year 2021-22 was when Doc Rivers was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history as part of the league 75th Anniversary team I give you all of that along with his Championship in 2008

Along with that 111 and 104 career playoff record which is 51.6 percentage winning percentage he’s reached the playoffs in 19 of his 24 seasons as a head coach here’s where he gets dicey Doc Rivers is the only head coach in NBA history to blow multiple re one playoff

Series leads he’s blown three of them okay he’s six and 10 lifetime in game sevens but it’s currently on a five game winning losing streak and he couldn’t get Joel embiid and the sixes out of the Conference Finals out of the conference semi-finals so those are going to be the blemishes

Those are going to be the question marks here’s the only thing that I have to say as it pertains to Doc Rivers who is a friend who is somebody that I root for he was my colleague here at ESPN ABC uh before he decided to take this head

Coaching job obviously I’m wishing him nothing but the best nothing but the best of luck here’s what we have to acknowledge UPF front this is Doc River’s last chance after 24 years after getting Let Go by Philadelphia last year when James Harden quit on him in game seven against Boston after all that

Happened this is it we jannis Cent Tumo and Damen Lillard as your stars if Doc Rivers and I’m not talking about this year because a coach coming in Midstream midseason but by next year if Doc Rivers isn’t in the finals or winning the championship and the Milwaukee Bucks decide to go in a

Different direction I do not believe that Doc Rivers will get another head coaching job I don’t believe that’ll happen He

On The Stephen A. Smith Show, Stephen A. talks about the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to fire Adrian Griffin and the recent hiring of Doc Rivers.
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