The Milwaukee Bucks head coach points his fingers at his own player once again.
The Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers has a well-established habit of throwing others under the bus. When his teams inevitably disappoint in the playoffs, Rivers never takes the blame. It is always external factors, including his own players.
That trend continues in Milwaukee. After going 17-19 during his tenure and flaming out against the Indiana Pacers in the first round, Rivers didn’t take any responsibility. Instead, he chose to throw his star player Damian Lillard under the bus.
In his guest appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast, Rivers said Lillard came to training camp out of shape after not having worked out the entire summer.
During the interview, Rivers made the claim that Lillard didn’t work out the entire offseason for the first time in his career.
Doc Rivers says Damian Lillard came into training camp out of shape
"I didn't even realize Dame was traded two or three days before training camp. … We were at dinner, and he said, 'Coach, I didn't work out all summer. It's the first time in my life that I've not worked out.… pic.twitter.com/f12v62B1rn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 13, 2024
“We were at dinner, and he said, ‘Coach, I didn’t work out all summer. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve not worked out. I was so scared of getting injured working out'”
Even though Lillard had a down season in 2023-24, it is hard to believe that he didn’t work out in the summer. Even if Lillard had said this to Doc, it’s unacceptable for Rivers to disclose it publicly.
It is especially egregious since Rivers wasn’t even the head coach during training camp. He was hired in late January when Lillard had over three months to play himself into shape. Claiming that one of the reasons the Bucks struggled is because Lillard came into the season out of shape is ridiculous.
Adrian Griffin went 30-13 in his tenure before he was fired. If Lillard was indeed out of shape to begin the season, Griffin still managed to win a ton of games. Rivers, on the other hand, went below .500 in his tenure. It may be time for Doc to look in the mirror instead of playing the blame game.
