Is a civil war brewing in ESPN? The network's NBA coverage is bound to be laced with some tension after Austin Rivers came to the defense of his father, Doc Rivers, by firing a direct shot at former teammate and current colleague JJ Redick. This happened after the retired guard criticized the Milwaukee Bucks head coach on First Take for not taking accountability.
Austin Rivers addressed that stance, as did Patrick Beverley, while also opting for a classic barb that Redick detractors repeatedly uttered throughout his career.
“For someone who's not accountable, {Doc} seems to always be held responsible considering he's the guy that's always fired when things don't go right,” he said on Tuesday's edition of NBA Today, via ClutchPoints. “I don't know if there's tension between you, I know a lot of times we had to sit you towards the end of the game due to defensive reasons, but you had your best years as a starter {with the Los Angeles Clippers}…It's just very ironic and kinda weird that you have this energy towards him.”
"In terms of accountability, your best years in the NBA were when you played for him and the Clippers… It's just very ironic and kinda weird that you have this energy towards him."
Austin Rivers responds to JJ Redick criticizing his dad Doc.pic.twitter.com/jV64Cza2UF https://t.co/jtm6E4Mjyj
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 20, 2024
JJ Redick and Doc Rivers spent plenty of time together
Redick's role in the league was to knock down catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, as Rivers notes in the rest of the video clip above, and he did so at a highly reliable rate (41.5 percent). A balanced squad is essential to win playoff games, though, and a starter who doesn't defend well can be majorly costly. That being said, Doc Rivers' track record can't be ignored.
He has blown several 3-1 postseason leads with talented teams and is seen as one of the biggest chokers in the sport. The big-game defeats have piled up to the point that his 2008 title with the Boston Celtics often gets overshadowed. JJ Redick did not cite his postseason pitfalls, however, when calling him out.
He specifically took issue with the longtime coach explaining why it has been difficult joining the Bucks more than midway through the 2023-24 campaign and also revealing that he was one of a few people who consulted the Clippers before their James Harden trade. It is simple. Redick believes Rivers is shirking responsibility for the tough times in Milwaukee (3-7 since he took over) and patting himself on the back for Harden's success in LA.
Austin Rivers vehemently disagrees with that notion and instead thinks his fellow Duke alum might have an accountability problem himself. JJ Redick did come into his own under Doc Rivers and produced the best shooting numbers of his 15-year career, something Austin Rivers clearly wants him to acknowledge.
Doc Rivers will be ‘held responsible' once again if Bucks flop
Regardless of how either man feels on the matter, the Milwaukee Bucks will be considered massive failures if they do not advance to at least the Eastern Conference Finals. And that's generous. When a coach is fired after earning a 30-13 record, his successor is expected to win a title.
Redick is replacing Rivers in the broadcast booth for the NBA Finals, and given that he interviewed for a head coaching job this past offseason, there is technically a possibility he does so again if this experiment doesn't work out. If that hypothetical scenario were to ever come into play, then things could really get tense.
Perhaps the two analysts can work this out at the next company picnic, or at a gathering at Mike Krzyzewski's house.
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