Former Milwaukee Bucks point guard Patrick Beverley is not one to take lightly the perceived lack of respect towards head coach Doc Rivers. During Monday’s episode Bev Pod Bed podcast, Beverley said the preseason coaching rankings he has seen paint Rivers in a bad airy as an NBA mentor.
(time Bleacher Report’s Timothy Rapp)
“They’re trying to slander the Doctor,” he said. “I saw some coaching rankings, there was Doc No. 22, man. I almost threw my fucking phone. This man…Phil Jackson is Doc Rivers. They need to show more respect to my coach’s name. They have to. They have to, brother. This is starting to be disrespectful. They wouldn’t do that to Phil Jackson. Why do they do that, Doctor? It’s wild.”
Patrick Beverley defends Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers
It’s no surprise why Beverley defended Rivers so passionately. First, he played multiple seasons under Rivers when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers and most recently with the Bucks. Before signing a contract with Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv last July, Beverley played 26 games for the Bucks (including eight in the starting lineup) during the 2023-2024 NBA season.
In any case, it’s still weird to compare Rivers to an all-time great head coach like Phil Jackson. The former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers mentor won a total of 11 NBA titles as a head coach. Rivers’ resume isn’t too shabby either, but it pales in comparison to Jackson’s NBA accomplishments. Rivers is a former NBA Coach of the Year and led the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA Championship – interestingly, defeating Jackson’s Lakers in that year’s NBA Finals.
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