The Bucks and new head coach Doc Rivers are on track to add two veteran assistant to their coaching staff, according to reports from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).
Dave Joerger and Rex Kalamian are finalizing deals to become Bucks assistants.
A former NBA head coach in Memphis and Sacramento, Joerger was an assistant under Rivers in Philadelphia from 2020-23. He didn’t return to the Sixers for the 2023/24 season after Rivers was let go by the franchise.
Kalamian didn’t work with Rivers in Philadelphia, but was part of his staff with the Clippers from 2018-20. A longtime assistant coach at the NBA level, Kalamian has also spent time with the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Kings, Thunder, Raptors, and Pistons over the past couple decades. He had been working this season as a pro player personnel scout with the Nets.
Rivers has yet to be officially announced as the Bucks’ new head coach following Tuesday’s dismissal of Adrian Griffin, but he reportedly has an agreement in place with the team, which should be formally confirmed soon.
A report on Wednesday indicated that Rivers and general manager Jon Horst would work together to finalize new additions for Milwaukee’s coaching staff.
Doc Rivers may be the most overrated coach in all of sports history. He is constantly just gifted championship contender teams and he has a total of 1 championship from which any coach would’ve won with the Celtics that year. He’s 111-104 in the playoffs with mostly great teams and 6-10 in Game 7s. His teams have blown 3 3-1 series leads and 4 3-2 series leads. Only year he impressed me was that starless Clippers team the year before Kawhi. He continues to fail upwards.
I said it before… Being a Cowboys fan (shudder), I equate Doc to Mike McCarthy. Lands with teams that are very talented, has one ring, gets you to the playoffs most years and proceeds to get eliminated quickly because of uncreative and predictable coaching.
Bud would of been the choice
Joerger Bomb time
Should’ve just hired him to be the head coach. Not sure why he hasn’t gotten another chance after his surprise fire by the Kings.
If Doc was serious about Bucks’ or any head coaching job, he should have waited til the offseason. And he wasnt serious about his ESPN job either.
Why?
He was offered a job that there are only 30 of in the world that has a really high salary.
And, one with a very good roster.
He should have said no?
It takes a lot preparation in the offseason to do a proper job as hc – gathering assistants, building rapport with players, work on plays, and so many things that go into the art of coaching. You do it in midseason if one is interim, or just taking the money and worried opportunity wont come again.
Doc Rivers is not a closer. He will not do what Tyrone Lue did in Cleveland. Doc Rivers to me is the 12th best coach in the East. Never once heard Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett say it was Doc that won our championship.
Other Eastern Conference teams are ecstatic at Milwaukee hiring Doc… gives everyone else a path to the Finals