Live look at Doc during a team meeting in February:
Protip: If you are ever, EVER, in an argument, and you say something to the effect of, “check my resume,” you are losing that argument. It’s over. Done. Finito.
Now look, my hatred for Shams* is WELL document on the blog and on the podcast over the course of the last 10 months. He’s been pushing rumors about Giannis relentlessly for almost a year, and ESPN as an entity has been pushing that agenda since 2017. To the point where most Bucks fans feel like Regina George in Mean Girls, “why are you so obsessed with me?”
That said, the article he posted yesterday isn’t so much about Giannis and trade rumors, as it is about dysfunction in the Bucks’ front office and with the coaching staff. THAT I do tend to believe. Especially as it relates to the stories about Doc, which Shams claims he got corroborated by six, SIX, different players who were in the room when it happened.
Essentially it sounds like there is a total and complete disconnect between Doc and the players. A feeling I’ve had for the better part of the last two seasons. The offensive and defensive schemes don’t seem to have any organization, his rotations are peculiar, he’s got 27 different assistant coaches and I’m not sure who knows what is going on or who is in charge.
Now I’ll grant Doc this, he hasn’t had the benefit of team health over his 2.5 seasons in Milwaukee. Giannis got hurt before the playoffs in year 1, Dame got hurt before the playoffs in year 2, and the whole team has been a MASH unit this season. I’d be shocked if we’ve had our preferred starting lineup on the floor for more than 10 games this season.
That said, even when we have had a healthy team over the last 2.5 seasons, it’s been an underachieving unit. Keep in mind: Adrian Griffin was fired when he had a 30-13 record and was in first place. He got fired because we weren’t beating bad teams by enough points. Really think about that. How long ago does that feel? We fired a coach because we weren’t winning by enough points. So they parachute Doc in in February of 2024, and all he has done is go 95-100 in 195 games.
So regardless of what happens with Giannis this offseason, the #1 thing this franchise has to do when the season ends on Sunday is move on from Doc. And he sounds like he’s resigned to that:
As I’ve always said: Doc deserves to be in the HOF for what he’s done as a college player, NBA player, and coach, but it is well past time to go to a farm upstate.
*I’m not sure if this is Stockholm Syndrome or not, but the fact that Shams won’t quit on this story is almost becoming endearing. Almost.
PS: Rumors that the Bucks will target Taylor Jenkins if they move on from Doc. Fine. Not a sexy hire, but a solid hire. 41 years old, from the Budenholzer tree, knows the franchise, knows Giannis, had a good run in Memphis derailed by Ja Morant’s injuries and gun obsession. Regardless of whether not Giannis stays, hiring Jenkins would be the first sensible thing this organization has done in 4 years.
Double PS: I still think Giannis is staying. He’s going to sign that Supermax extension in October because that will probably be the last 4 year, $275 million dollar deal he’ll see in his career. Get a competent coach, either hit on the Top 10 pick or package it to get a bigger name, this can still be reworked.
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