ESPN analyst JJ Redick may have played under Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers back in the day, but he isn’t going easy on an old acquaintance.
On the contrary, Redick eviscerated Rivers for comments the newly hired Bucks coach made about the difficulty of joining a team during the season.
Redick went off on Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, claiming Rivers was “throwing [his] team under the bus.”
“I’ve seen the trend for years,” Redick said. “The trend is always making excuses. Doc, we get it. Taking over a team in the middle of a season is hard. It’s hard. We get it. It’s hard. … But it’s always an excuse. It’s always throwing your team under the bus.”
.@jj_redick on Doc Rivers 😳 pic.twitter.com/JRgLD1rx74
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 20, 2024
Redick and Rivers were together for four seasons on the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013 to ’17, so Redick’s words may carry more weight than most.
During All-Star weekend, Rivers complained to Fox Sports about the timing of his hiring and mentioned he would’ve preferred to have been hired during the All-Star break. Rivers said, “Taking a job when you’re about to go on the toughest road trip of the season is not the smartest decision.”
From Redick’s point of view, Rivers is offering nothing but excuses. Redick pointed out that Milwaukee’s 113—110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last Thursday was particularly inexcusable, given that nearly all of the Grizzlies’ usual starters didn’t play.
The Bucks are 3—7 since Rivers replaced Adrian Griffin last month and sit in third place in the Eastern Conference.
While Rivers tries to right the ship in Milwaukee in his fifth career head coaching stint, Redick will take over for Rivers on the sideline by calling the 2024 NBA Finals for ESPN.
