Doc Rivers Wanted to Wait Until 2024 NBA All-Star Break to Take Bucks HC Job

The Milwaukee Bucks are now just 3-7 since Doc Rivers took over as head coach on Jan. 26, though Rivers told reporters on Saturday he actually wanted to wait before taking the gig.

"Taking a job when you're about to go on the toughest road trip of the season is not the smartest decision," he said 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 road trip in question saw the Bucks travel to face the Denver Nuggets (Rivers first game on the bench, a loss), Portland Trail Blazers (loss), Dallas Mavericks (win), Utah Jazz (loss) and Phoenix Suns (loss). That tour took place over the course of nine days and included a back-to-back between the Dallas and Utah games.

Location hasn't mattered all that much for the Bucks since Rivers has taken over, however—the struggles have come at home and on the road.

And it raised some eyebrows when he was already starting to perhaps point fingers elsewhere during the team's struggles, including telling reporters the team had "some guys here, some guys in Cabo" after a 113-110 loss to the injury-depleted Memphis Grizzlies before the All-Star break.

"It's been probably more difficult than I thought," Rivers acknowledged Saturday about taking over as Milwaukee's head coach.

How the Bucks are playing in January and February isn't as important as whether the team is still playing in June, but it's an ominous sign that the early days of Rivers have been such a struggle. This is a team with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton—on talent alone, the Bucks should be able to handle most of the teams in the NBA.

But it's fair to question if Rivers has ever helped a talented team take the final step since his Boston Celtics days. He never got the Los Angeles Clippers or Philadelphia 76ers past the second round, and those teams featured players like Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Joel Embiid and James Harden.

Will the Bucks suffer a similar, underachieving fate?

"The end game is what we're playing for," Rivers told reporters. "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."

It sure has been a rough three weeks.