Is Doc Rivers Milwaukee Bucks’ new head coach? Understanding TNT crew's initial confusion about fresh hiring

Doc Rivers has been hired as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, as per ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. The veteran coach was touted as the frontrunner to replace Adrian Griffin since Tuesday. After Griffin was fired, reports surfaced that Rivers had already accepted the Bucks' offer to become the new head coach.

CNN Sports reported on Tuesday that Rivers was confirmed as the new Milwaukee coach. The NBA on TNT crew ran with the news . The validity of the signing was, however, refuted by various insiders, which led to some confusion. Woj's recent report confirmed Rivers' hiring.

Before the latest development, Charania and Wojnarowski called Rivers a frontrunner for the Bucks job. Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report took to social media and said that talks between the veteran coach and Milwaukee remained ongoing:

"Milwaukee Bucks and Doc Rivers continue to work towards a deal that will make him the franchise’s next head coach, but there is no agreement in place as of now."

Here's the TNT clip about Rivers, citing CNN Sports as the source.

Doc Rivers was reportedly working as an 'informal consultant' with the Bucks

It appears that Doc Rivers is quite familiar with the Milwaukee Bucks. According to reports, he was working as an 'informal consultant' to former coach Adrian Griffin over the past six weeks.

Rivers was a part of the ESPN broadcast team along with Mike Breen and Doris Burke, but he will now return to the NBA only a few months after parting ways with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The veteran coach has a ton of NBA coaching experience. He reached the NBA Finals twice (2008, 2010) with the Boston Celtics, winning the title in 2008.

It remains to be seen if the hire reaps the best results for the Bucks. Doc Rivers hasn't reached the NBA Finals since 2010.

As for Adrian Griffin, it is alleged that the Bucks stars lost faith in him, and it was a matter of time before he left, even though he joined the franchise after the end of the 2022-23 season.

The addition of Damian Lillard to create a superstar duo alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo brought a lot of pressure on Milwaukee. The Bucks simply can't afford to have another early playoff exit.

Thus, parting ways with Griffin didn't come as a surprise. Milwaukee has sturggled defensively, something that used to be the team's identity in the past few seasons. The Bucks would want this to change after hiring Doc Rivers.

Milwaukee is currently second in the East with 30 wins and 13 losses. The Bucks have won two in a row and trail the top-seeded Boston Celtics by 3.5 games.