Warriors’ Kenny Atkinson backup plan if Doc...

Warriors’ Kenny Atkinson backup plan if Doc Rivers falls through-what

Warriors’ Kenny Atkinson backup plan if Doc Rivers falls through-what could this be?

Adrian Griffin was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks, the team’s head coach, just 41 games into his tenure.

The Bucks made the big decision to alter the power dynamics in the league due to growing

internal issues and the team’s disagreement with Griffin’s philosophy.

The Bucks aim to immediately fill the void created by Griffin’s departure with Doc Rivers,

but they may also turn to Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson.

The Athletic reports that although the Bucks and Rivers have started talking about

Rivers taking over as the team’s new head coach, Atkinson is still a contender for the

position in the event that a deal cannot be reached with Rivers. Atkinson was the

runner-up in the summertime interview process for the head coaching position with the Bucks,

as Griffin was the one who got the offer from Milwaukee.

Atkinson has been with the Warriors since the start of the 2021-22 season and has

previously been mentioned as one of the better head coaching candidates out there.

Despite interviewing with the Bucks to be their head coach during the offseason,

it would be a little shocking to see Atkinson leave the Warriors in wake of Dejan Milojevic’s

sudden and tragic passing that has left the entire Warriors organization in mourning.

A title held by Mike Brown before he left to become the head coach of the Sacramento Kings,

Atkinson is currently Steve Kerr’s top assistant.

Early indications point towards the Bucks getting a deal done with Rivers to

become their next head coach. Rivers, who was fired by the Philadelphia 76ers this past offseason,

has 24 years of head coaching experience in the NBA. He is currently

working as an analyst for ESPN. While Rivers is their top choice,

there is no guarantee that Milwaukee will be able to make the 62-year-old their next head coach,

hence the interest in Kenny Atkinson.

The Bucks currently find themselves with a 30-13 record, just 3.5 games behind

the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA.

Not envisioning Griffin’s coaching plans leading them to a championship this season,

Milwaukee is now pressed for time to find a suitable replacement.