Nickel: Dame and Doc, dinners and discussions between two of the newest Bucks members
Damian Lillard and Doc Rivers go to dinner quite often. They also like to talk to each other about boxing - a spectator sport for Rivers, a hobby participation sport for Lillard. They have discussions over small disagreements. They text quite a bit.
This is a really encouraging sign that the two newest members of this franchise are spending some time together, since they never had this opportunity in an offseason.
“It’s terrific,” said Rivers when asked about how well they got along. “But you know, the coach is usually the last to know.”
Rivers, coaching his fifth NBA team, has been through enough to know that managing a club of 15 different people every year will always lead to differing points of view, so that’s why he added that last part.
But doesn’t it seem like this Dame-Doc relationship has to work well if the Bucks are able to advance at all in the playoffs, which begin Sunday with Game 1 against Pacers?
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What is interesting is both coaches who have worked with Lillard have found him a good person to work with in his short year here. But the fact is Rivers and Lillard have had to help each other along to navigate this season.
"I think it really is very good; we communicate a lot,” said Rivers after the Bucks fourth practice of the week. “It is collaborative. It's also coach-player and player-coach, but it's good."
Here’s an example of why communication is so important:
Back when the Bucks faced Boston, Rivers pulled Lillard on a certain defensive set that he wanted. A few days later on the Bucks-Lakers TNT broadcast, TNT reporter Chris Haynes who knows Lillard well reported that Rivers and Lillard didn’t see eye-to-eye on that. This is what Haynes reported:
“I was told that Dame actually had some words for Doc and the coaching staff, saying, ‘listen don’t ever do that again. I’ve never been pulled out for a defensive-offense substitution pattern. Never.’ He said, ‘I live for those moments. On both ends of the court. Don’t y’all do that.’
“And it led to Doc Rivers having to, after the game, send Dame a text letting him know ‘it’s not personal. I just did what I thought was best for the team at that point.’ But he said, since then he’s seen a fire in Dame. ‘This is Dame’s best defensive season.’”
Of course, that can be blown up by media and/or social media as if the two have a beef with each other.
On Saturday, Rivers explained further with his point of view.
"It wasn't that big of a deal. In this day and time everything is - but it really wasn't,” said Rivers. “It was the Boston game and I took him out, defense-offense and he said, ‘You know, I'm used to staying in.’ I said, ‘just not tonight.’
"One thing I did like: he texted me and then we texted back and forth. And his text was, ‘hey, you do what you need to do. I'm good, but don't feel like I'm not.’ And then he said, ‘but I'm going to prove to you that you don't want to take me out.’ And I said, ‘I'll be the first in that line.’
“And he actually has, in some times, he's been really good for us defensively as well."
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Communication kills useless drama, not that the Bucks are paying much attention.
But imagine being in Damian Lillard’s shoes just for a moment.
He comes to Milwaukee just before the season kicks off to join an elite team and pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo under a first-year head coach in Adrian Griffin, who has no head coaching experience.
The season starts off well, but there are red flags. There is at least one game where there is an issue over no called play, and other games where players note the disorganization on plays. In it all is a new point guard trying to figure it out. But Girffin felt confident in his rapport with Lillard.
"Great relationship. Dame is extremely coachable. He's more vocal than you might imagine,” said Griffin on Dec. 10. “We've had some really good talks and really good dialogue. I mean, the way he sees the game - super intelligent player, has a lot of pride of how he approaches the game and how he sees the game.
“So I definitely listen to him and it's been great. We have a good very good, very good relationship. You know, he Dame is very receptive to maybe more than what people may notice. He seems more reserved on the surface, but we have very good talks all the time.”
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A month and a half later, Griffin is fired and Lillard endures a coaching-change, mid-season, including a three-game period of total uncertainty under interim coach.
Then Lillard adapts all over again to another coach, Rivers. And Rivers leans on Lillard among others to help catch him up.
"We helped each other you know, same thing with Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Khris (Middleton)," he said. "I probably early on, (and) even now, still have questions that only they can answer. They've been here throughout the year; things that have worked, things that they're comfortable with; what they didn't like. So they've really been good for me."
Months ago, in the earliest games of the season, Lillard noticed a pretty major shift in his role. He was the guy in Portland, and now in Milwaukee, he could share that role with others – especially Antetokounmpo.
“I appreciated the most was just the fact that I didn't have to be so responsible for everything. I think,” he said in November. “Typically I'm having to just know where I got to be calling the plays. I got to be calling out everything that's happening.
“You know, I think it is much heavier than people watching the NBA think, just being a point guard and always having to pay attention to everything and speak on everything. So playing with vets and guys that see the game and recognize things that I would recognize that may not happen to be the one responsible for was the first thing I noticed.”
At least now, Lillard can count on another former NBA point guard, his coach, to see things as well. With communication and collaboration, they can feel good about their chances.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nickel: Damian Lillard and Doc Rivers, and the dinners and discussions
