Doc Rivers emerges as leading candidate to replace Adrian Griffin as Bucks head coach

Doc Rivers emerged Tuesday as a leading candidate for the vacant Milwaukee Bucks coaching job, a league source said. Another source said the former 76ers coach has positioned himself to get the gig.

The Bucks are 30-13 and tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the NBA’s second-best record. Milwaukee is 3 ½ games behind the first-place Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings and a half-game ahead of the third-place Sixers (29-13).

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid channels idol Kobe Bryant as he scores 70 and breaks Wilt Chamberlain’s Sixers scoring record

However, there were growing concerns about Milwaukee being a title contender under Griffin, who was hired June 5 to replace longtime coach Mike Budenholzer. Budenholzer was let go March 4 after the Bucks suffered a humbling first-round playoff exit as the East’s No. 1 seed.

Milwaukee dropped to 22nd in the NBA in defensive rating this season after being fourth a season ago. The pressure to win only increased this season after All-Star point guard Damian Lillard was acquired in an offseason trade.

“This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”

Assistant coach Joe Prunty took over as interim coach. The Sixers will entertain the Bucks on Feb. 25 at the Wells Fargo Center. Then the teams will meet for the third and final time of the season on March 14 at Fiserv Forum.

The Bucks defeated the Sixers, 118-117, in the Oct. 26 season-opener in Milwaukee. If Rivers gets the job, it will be a homecoming for the former Marquette University standout guard and a native of nearby Chicago.

The Sixers fired Rivers on May 16 with two seasons left on the five-year, $40 million deal he signed in October 2020.

He received the lion’s share of the blame for the Sixers’ 112-88 Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals. It marked the third consecutive season that Rivers’ squad had suffered a second-round postseason exit.

Rivers compiled a 154-82 regular-season record with the Sixers. He was 20-15 in the postseason.

Overall, he has a 1,097-763 regular-season record over 24 seasons with the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and Sixers. He would be ranked second in regular-season wins among active coaches if he comes comes. Rivers is also the ninth in NBA history, and is two wins shy of surpassing former Sixers coach and Hall of Famer Larry Brown (1,098).

Rivers also has the fourth-highest total of postseason victories (111) and a 2008 NBA title with the Celtics. His other accolades include winning the 2000 NBA coach of the year and being named coach of the month twice last season.

This season, Rivers has joined Doris Burke and Mike Breen on ESPN and ABC’s top NBA broadcast crew.