Milwaukee Bucks star Khris Middleton was removed from the starting line-up recently. Facing off against the San Antonio Spurs, Middleton could be spotted coming in off the bench. Now, while such a move fueled his trade rumors significantly, the Bucks’ Head Coach had a more rational explanation for the same.
Doc Rivers and Khris Middleton (Images Credit: Getty Images)
Speaking with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Rivers stated that the only reason for Middleton getting benched was his tendinitis niggle. Terming the issue as a “minute thing,” Rivers expressed his concerns at how Middleton’s tendinitis kept coming back.
“He keeps getting the tendinitis. It’s just not improving to the place he wants it or we want it. And so we just gotta monitor it. We’re cutting his minutes back a little bit and just trying to make sure he can get through this,” said Rivers.
Now, there are reasons for his trade rumors getting fueled. With a scoring average of 12.7 points, Middleton will likely be replaced by Taurean Prince. While Rivers did not confirm the news, the fact of the matter remains that this is Middleton’s worst average since his sophomore year. Meanwhile, Doc Rivers also expressed his concerns and vouched for a major change of rule.
Doc Rivers Unhappy About Post NBA Cup Fixtures
Doc Rivers helped the Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA Cup emphatically. However, despite having the cream of the tournament, the Bucks HC did not seem too happy. A major reason for this was that the Bucks had no rest days. They had to jump into the regular season games right away.
Rivers was so annoyed that he took things up with none other than Adam Silver. “I can be honest, I don’t know if we’ve recovered yet… It just takes a lot. I just think after the Cup, the first game should be probably on Sunday. You know, that would be great for everybody. That’s exactly what I was talking to him about, you know… He asked me what changes [he] should make,” said Rivers.
Thus, it is evident that Doc Rivers is not shy about expressing his opinions. However, seeing how he makes the Milwaukee Bucks perform for the rest of the season will be interesting.
