Miami Heat's Giannis Antetokounmpo Receives Huge Apology From Doc Rivers

Last week former NBA coach Doc Rivers made headlines when he dropped some criticism toward Miami Heat superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

Rivers was recently critical of Antetokounmpo on a bunch of subjects. The most notable jab was Rivers questioning Antetokounmpo's basketball IQ. After the comments went viral, Rivers issued an apology according to ESPN's Marc Spears. 

Spears, while speaking on NBA Today, said Rivers regretted what he said. According to Spears, Rivers meant to say his words were directed toward Antetokounmpo's "feel" for the game. 

Rivers coached Antetokounmpo for two-and-a-half seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. The two could never find much success. It likely played a role in Antetokounmpo deciding to request a trade out of Milwaukee. 

The Rivers comments have caused a stir throughout the NBA. It got responses from Antetokounmpo and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. They both wanted to give their opinions but refused to make it that big of a deal. 

Rivers also said Antetokounmpo was difficult to coach. It wasn't necessarily a criticism. It almost seemed like he was putting Antetokounmpo in a select company with the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic. Many would consider them tough to coach because of their super-high talent level. 

The reality is Antetokounmpo has taken lots of criticism from several media outlets. The reason is simple: the Heat have struggled during the first month of the season. It's expected because they were also the same ones praising the Heat for making the move during the preseason. Many pegged the Heat as instant contenders in the Eastern Conference, but it has yet to play out that way. 

The good news is it's still early. The Heat have plenty of time to turn things around, starting with Tuesday's game on the road against the Utah Jazz. They are still adjusting to playing with virtually a new roster. 

After giving up Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware and Kasparas Jakucionis in the Antetokounmpo trade, the Heat added a new group of role players. They included Klay Thompson, Bobby Portis Jr., and Tim Hardaway Jr.

If the Heat can get it together, the criticism will stop. Until then, expect many to throw their darts toward Antetokounmpo, Spoelstra and even team president Pat Riley. It's not a surprise to see so many taking aim at the Heat because of their success over the years. It comes with the territory of being one of the top franchises in the NBA.