The Bucks hoped last Thursday’s win over Boston would act as a catalyst as they look to turn their season around. But they’ve since dropped back-to-back games to Brooklyn and Toronto and now have an 11-17 record, with Giannis Antetokounmpo seemingly not close to returning from the calf strain that has sidelined him since December 3.
Still, head coach Doc Rivers said this week that he doesn’t plan to make any major tactical or personnel changes as Milwaukee attempts to get out of its slump, per Steve Megargee of The Associated Press.
“We like our team,” Rivers told reporters on Wednesday. “I really like this team. We’re not playing well. We’re not playing well for a lot of reasons. You don’t recreate the wheel. You just don’t. Teams that do that, then they fail. I’m just being honest. I’ve been around this long enough.
“… We want to tweak things. We like what we run. We like our defensive package overall. We’ve just got to do it better. We’ve got to take care of the ball. But we like the parts of this team, and that has not changed. This is not, ‘OK, guys, we’re five games under .500, let’s blow it all up.’ This is not where we’re at. We’re not even thinking in those terms.”
We have more from around the Central:
- Shortly after Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com published a column advocating for the Cavaliers to move De’Andre Hunter out of the starting lineup, the team did just that on Wednesday, as Fedor writes in a separate story (subscription required). The early returns weren’t great, as the new starting five – with Jaylon Tyson in Hunter’s spot – was outscored by eight points in 11 minutes of action in a loss to Chicago. However, sources tell Fedor that the Cavs plan to stick with it for the foreseeable future in the hopes of stabilizing the second unit and getting Hunter, who thrived as a sixth man last season, back in his “comfort zone.”
- According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls‘ priority in the coming months shouldn’t be competing for a play-in spot — it should be doing all they can to unlock the star potential of forward Matas Buzelis, who has been up and down in his second NBA season. In Cowley’s view, it’s not inconceivable that Buzelis and Josh Giddey could be the only current Bulls still on the roster in a year, so maximizing their potential is crucial.
- As Tony East of Circle City Spin details, a handful of Pacers players provided updates this week on injuries they’re coming back from or are continuing to deal with. Among those players was Bennedict Mathurin, who admitted that the toe injury which sidelined him for 11 games earlier in the season isn’t fully behind him. “Still an issue. I would say it’s still a problem, but I’m a problem solver, I find solutions,” said Mathurin, who has played in every game since November 17. Asked specifically how the injury is affecting what he does on the court, the Pacers wing replied, “Without saying too much, I can still feel it, man.”
Remember when the Bucks were like 30-11 and fired Adrian Griffin for no reason and signed one of the worst coaches in the nba?
Crazy
Griffin was one of the worst coaches in the NBA. Which is why he hasn’t gotten consideration for another job since.
Can you explain to me why he is one of the worsr coaches?
You can Google Adrian Griffin defensive coaching if you need help with this
So his defense was so bad that they were 30-11. But Doc is better because his defense is good but they are below .500 with him but thats fine because the defense is good
Make it make sense lmao
I can’t make it make sense for you. You have to put the work in yourself and figure out why a 30-11 coach didn’t get the Knicks job. Among others that have since been available.
Doc’s done a whole hell of a lot more in his career than Adrian Griffin.
I fear he has been a coach for a lot longer, but yeah Udonis Haslem also has done a lot more than Cooper Flagg
Just to be clear – you’re comparing Adrian Griffin’s coaching ability… to the level of an 18-year old #1 Overall pick?
That’s what’s going on here?
Udonis Haslem has done a lot more than Olivier Maxence-Prosper. Fixed your dumb analogy for you.
Doc hasn’t done anything but underperform since his championship in Boston.
The game has passed him. Long before the Bucks hired him.
Adrian Griffin, means nothing in this equation, other than the fact he’s a very inexperienced coach being more successful with the same group of players than Doc has been.
Doc is terrible and will never head coach again after this debacle in Milwaukee.
The Bucks consistently shoot and make fewer free throws, grab fewer rebounds, and turn the ball over more than their opponents. Not a recipe for “I really like this team.”
Starting to wonder about Cavs. They are starting to resemble the Bucks. A top team in East. Yet something always goes wrong for them. They may need to shake things up. The window to a title is not that long. They have already blown one year….
Sabonis and DeM DeR >>>>> to Cleveland
Garland and Allen >>>>>>> to Sacramento
Start there …….
Bucks management are so stubborn….
Yet, the Bucks management continue to mortgage the future for Giannis and waste roster spots for his brothers that are NOT NBA caliber players.