data-mm-id=”_rykpnj70f”>The start of Doc Rivers' tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks has been defined by losing and a whole lot of complaining from the head coach. The Bucks entered the All-Star Break with a record of 3-7 with Rivers at the helm. The final loss before the break was perhaps the worst of them all as Milwaukee lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, who at this point are missing their entire starting lineup. Rivers accused his roster of mentally being on vacation already. Which is a bit of a funny heel turn after his media appearances to that point had been basically devoid of criticism and instead were chock-full of quotes bemoaning how difficult his job was after taking over halfway through the year. Enter the We're All Trying To Find The Guy Who Did This meme. Rivers was in the spotlight again over the weekend because he coached the Eastern Conference All-Stars. The top team's coaching staff in each conference is supposed to coach All-Star Weekend but the Boston Celtics did it last year and can't do it two years in a row so the duties fell to the second-place squad. Rivers said it was really weird and he would rather have gone to the beach but apparently couldn't get out of it so off to Indy he went. He dragged the spotlight towards himself again during Media Day by repeatedly mentioning that he took over for the fired Adrian Griffin before the "toughest road trip" of Milwaukee's season: "Taking a job when you’re about to go on the toughest road trip of the season is not the smartest decision," Rivers, who will be coaching the Eastern Conference team in Sunday’s All-Star Game, said Saturday during the NBA’s All-Star Media Day. "I even told them that: ‘Can we wait ‘til All-Star break?’ You know, it would have been a lot nicer.""The end game is what we’re playing for," Rivers added. "And the organization felt strongly that a change needed to be made defensively and things like that, and that’s what we’re doing. The problem is, while you’re doing that, you’re in the middle of the season on the toughest trip.""I’ve been in Milwaukee [for] four days," he added. "I’ve had the job for three weeks." This is not sitting well with Craig Carton, who derided Rivers by calling him a "snake in the grass" on Monday morning. "Doc Rivers is a snake in the grass." 😳— @craigcartonlive pic.twitter.com/6oeTXPUDSJ— The Carton Show (@TheCartonShow) February 19, 2024I mean, it is a bad look for Rivers. He took the Bucks job after spending months as an "advisor" to Griffin and the team's ownership behind the scenes. Griffin, despite his problems, still led Milwaukee to a 30-13 record. Then he got fired, Rivers was immediately hired (a sequence that never happens that quickly unless there are shady dealings occurring in the backdrop), and proceeds to spend the following month telling everyone his job is very hard and the losses piling up are a function of the mountainous task he has bravely undertaken. He's working awfully hard to engender sympathy towards a situation that appears to be entirely of his own making. So it's pretty tough to feel bad for the guy! And this will merely be one of many such segments if the Bucks keep losing and Rivers keeps whining about the schedule/situation/his players, anything to slide the blame off his back. The conversation will change once Milwaukee starts winning but until that happens Rivers has a target on his back and this is a prime example.
Related Posts
Arsenal and Newcastle United are favourites for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, according to . The Italian news outlet has noted that Juventus and West Ham United are also keen on Phillips, adding that the England international midfielder would prefer to stay in the Premier League.
Phillips has failed to make an impact at City after joining from Leeds United in the summer of 2022. The midfielder is a peripheral figure in Pep Guardiola’s squad and could be offloaded on a loan deal. Things are looking bleak for the midfielder at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal are third in the Premier League table at the moment with 27 points from 12 matches, level on points with Arsenal in third and a point behind leaders and defending champions Manchester City.
…
Atletico Madrid were eliminated from Europe in midweek after a 2-1 loss at Porto and are looking to bolster their squad.
One player who could be sold is Joao Felix, who Atleti signed for €126million from Benfica on a seven-year deal in 2019.
The Portuguese forward has underwhelmed this season, with only two goals, and has been unsettled at times.
TOP STORY – ATLETICO WILLING TO LISTEN TO JOAO FELIX OFFERS
Cadena SER claims Atletico Madrid have put Joao Felix on the market and are open to offers for him.
Bayern Munich were rumoured to have made a €100m off-season move for Felix, while Manchester United reportedly had a €130m bid turned down in August.
Fichajes reported last month that the 22-year-old had handed in a transfer reques…
Tottenham are reportedly interested in Sporting right-back Pedro Porro, and could launch a move as soon as January for the Spain international.
Porro, 23, was identified by Manchester City back in 2019, when they purchased him for £11million from LaLiga s Girona.
He never played a game for the Premier League champions, spending a season on loan with Real Valladolid before two further campaigns on loan to Sporting, with the Portuguese club eventually agreeing to make his move permanent earlier this year for £7m.
That has proven to be a masterstroke, as he has contributed four assists in 10 Primeira Liga games, and apparently caught the eye of Antonio Conte when starting in a 2-0 home Champions League victory over Spurs.
TOP STORY – SPURS PREPARE JANUAR…
AC Milan head Gennaro Gattuso has been in conversation with opposite number Carlo Ancelotti in the build-up to Saturday s trip to Napoli.
Milan face a daunting opening to their Serie A campaign at Stadio San Paolo after last week s scheduled meeting with Genoa was postponed.
Gattuso played under Ancelotti during the latter s celebrated eight-year spell in charge of the Rossoneri between 2001 and 2009, twice winning the Champions League.
It will be a very tough game, Gattuso told a pre-match news conference. I spoke yesterday with Carlo Ancelotti.
Carlo and I have a great relationship. He was more than a coach to me, I would call him during my hardest times. I can only learn from him.
The press says we have different characters but Carlo as a pl…
According to Fabrizio Romano, Donny van de Beek is set to leave Manchester United and join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for the rest of the season as soon as the transfer window opens on Monday, January 1st. The two clubs have already signed all the necessary paperwork, and the Bundesliga side will have an option not an obligation to turn the loan into a permanent move at the end of the season.
Van de Beek was an important player for Ajax during Erik ten Hag s tenure there, but since the player and the manager reunited at Old Trafford, things have gone completely differently between them. This season, the Dutch midfielder has only made one appearance in the Premier League and one in the Carabao Cup, both from the bench, amounting to 21 minutes combined. There s hardly any need t…
Real Madrid are interested in signing Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan in the summer transfer window, according to . It has been reported that Spanish and European giants Madrid have already approached Milan for the 27-year-old central defender, but the asking price of €55 million is high for Los Blancos.
Skriniar is one of the best central defenders in the world, and at the age of 27, he is at the top of his game at the moment. The Slovakia international centre-back has been on the books of Inter since 2017 and won the Serie A title last season.
Madrid are at the top of the La Liga table at the moment with 57 points from 25 matches, six points ahead of second-placed Sevilla. Inter, who are the defending Italian champions, are second in Serie A with 54 points from 25 m…
Matthijs de Ligt has dismissed suggestions that Erik ten Hag was the deciding factor in his transfer to Manchester United.
The Dutchman, along with Noussair Mazraoui, joined the Red Devils in a double signing worth up to £60million from Bayern Munich in August.
De Ligt s breakthrough, however, came at Ajax under Ten Hag, with the manager making him the youngest-ever captain in the club s history during that time.
The following season, Ajax reached their first Champions League semi-final since 1997 and won the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup double before De Ligt left the club to join Juventus.
Ten Hag has often been criticised for targeting his former players during the transfer windows while at United, with De Ligt falling into that category.
However, t…
Aberdeen manager Neil Warnock has renewed his acquaintance with Junior Hoilett after signing the winger in a deal until the end of the season.
The 33-year-old Canada international joins following a spell with Vancouver Whitecaps.
The left-sided player has spent most of his career in the English league with the likes of Blackburn, QPR, Cardiff and Reading.
“Junior is a player I know well – he’s played for me three times so I know him inside out,” said Warnock.
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC)
“He’s an international player and I think he’ll benefit the squad between now and the end of the season.”
“I’ve worked with the gaffer before so it was a no-brainer to come up here and join him,” said Hoilett, who played …
Daley Blind has made a shock move to Bayern Munich after being released by Ajax.
The Netherlands defender had been heavily linked with Royal Antwerp, but he jumped at the chance to join Bundesliga leaders Bayern.
Blind has committed to a six-month contract, with the 32-year-old adding the Bavarian giants to his illustrious list of clubs, having also had a four-year stint at Manchester United that ended in 2018.
We re delighted that Daley is joining our team. Daley is a versatile defender, capable of playing on the left or in the centre. He has great international experience and leadership qualities. I m sure he ll help us, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said.
Blind travelled to Germany on Thursday before undergoing a medical with Bayern. He has an …
Spain coach Robert Moreno expects Real Madrid and La Roja captain Sergio Ramos to play until he is 40.
Ramos, 33, has already enjoyed remarkable consistency and longevity at the top, having made his LaLiga debut with Sevilla as a 17-year-old.
He moved to Madrid in 2005 and has established himself as a club great, winning every competition possible since, while he has also been instrumented at international level.
Ramos was a key part of the Spain squads that emerged victorious at the Euros in 2008 and 2012, as well as the 2010 World Cup.
While Gerard Pique – his partner at the back for many years with Spain – has called time on his international career, Ramos could keep going for another seven years, according to Moreno.
Robert Moreno: Ramos…