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Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley called out former NBA player and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick for his harsh comments about Doc Rivers on Tuesday’s episode of First Take.
After Redick went on a rant about Rivers, saying that the longtime head coach “is always making excuses” and that “there’s never accountability with that guy,” Beverley wrote on X that Rivers “saved” Redick’s career and implied he couldn’t believe that the 39-year-old went on television and said what he said:
First Take @FirstTake
.@jj_redick on Doc Rivers 😳 pic.twitter.com/JRgLD1rx74
Patrick Beverley @patbev21
This Man Doc actually saved your career. Started you when no one else wanted 2. And u retire go on TV and say that. @jj_redick
Beverley is referencing the fact that Redick played for Rivers with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013-2017. The former guard put together some of the best seasons of his career under Rivers, starting 265 of the 266 games he played in.
Redick was quick to respond to Beverley, saying that he had an offer to be a starter for another team before signing with the Clippers and indicated that Rivers didn’t save his career:
JJ Redick @jj_redick
Pat my guy I had a four year offer with player option for the same money to be a starter for a different team. FOH “saved my career”. https://t.co/5lXowm2j8e
Patrick Beverley @patbev21
Why didn’t u take it then? U was comfy in your role with team. And don’t just say LA https://t.co/HXeennwGCW
Redick’s comments come amid Milwaukee’s struggles since the franchise fired Adrian Griffin and replaced him with Rivers in January.
The Bucks went 3-7 into the All-Star break under Rivers, including losses to the 15-39 Portland Trail Blazers and the 20-36 Memphis Grizzlies. They still sit third in the Eastern Conference with a 35-21 record.
And while Redick’s comments were harsh, it’s no secret that Rivers has seemingly been making excuses since he was hired last month.
Prior to making his Milwaukee debut, Rivers indicated to reporters that it was going to be difficult to take over the team in the middle of the season. The way he said it and the context he included sort of rubbed people the wrong way:
“Listen, I’ve never done this. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone; I could tell you that just from the day and a half. But, it’s gonna be a challenge. It’s a challenge that I’m running towards. [I] gotta get organized quickly. Can’t try to do too much, too soon. We’re in the middle of a season, so we gotta try to keep our rhythm. There are changes that we have to make; there’s no doubt about that. We’ll start working on it immediately.”It’s interesting. I looked at our calendar. I should’ve waited until after the All-Star Break. This is a tough stretch, but that’s good too. I always say good; I never say bad — I do. Rex (Kalamian) back there, first thing, ‘Did you see the teams we’re playing?’ And I said, ‘Good. Let’s bring it on. Let’s get it on. We win ’em all great, we struggle great, doesn’t matter. Our goal is to be great by the end of the year…”
After Milwaukee’s loss to the Grizzlies, which was the team’s final game before the All-Star break, Rivers hammered his players for their lack of discipline and effort while meeting with reporters.
“First play of the game, we gamble for the 50th time in the corner. Guy drives, we have to help, leads to a 3. On our set, two guys forget what we’re running. Then we missed a shot and nobody gets back. That’s how we start out the third quarter. That tells you all you need to know about where our heads were,” Rivers said.
“We had some guys here, we had some guys in Cabo.”
While Redick might have a case, it’s still hard to judge the team’s performance just 10 games into Rivers’ tenure. If the Bucks continue to struggle when they return from the All-Star break, then his comments might be warranted.
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