Terry Porter's lack of bench experience might have been considered a liability in his pursuit of the Milwaukee Bucks' head coaching job.

But the 40-year-old Milwaukee native, named Wednesday as the eighth coach in franchise history, never thought of it that way.

Porter instead focused on the experience he had gained in 17 years as a National Basketball Association player, and a seemingly natural ability to share his knowledge with the league's rising stars.

"My playing career stands for itself," said Porter, who spent just one year as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings before being named the Bucks coach. "Some of the things that made me a great player will make me a great coach, as far as my work ethic, my time commitment and my personal drive to be better."

Porter need not look very far to find examples of successful NBA players who have made the leap from the court to the coaching hot seat. Orlando's Doc Rivers, Indiana's Isiah Thomas and New Jersey's Byron Scott are a few of the prominent names to make the switch in the last decade.

"Doc Rivers played point guard, so I think that's crucial," said Porter, who also was a point guard with four different NBA teams. "The current players are getting younger and younger, and they have to identify with the coaches to buy in. I think that (being an ex-player) helps tremendously."

Porter had breakfast at the Pfister Hotel on Wednesday with Bucks owner and Sen. Herb Kohl, team general manager Larry Harris and rookie point guard T.J. Ford.

Later in the day, a resplendently dressed Porter was taking the stage at the Cousins Center to be introduced as the successor to ousted coach George Karl.

The Bucks awarded Porter with a four-year contract estimated to be worth nearly $6 million, according to a team source. Porter also has certain financial incentives included in the deal, payoffs for playoff appearances and individual honors such as coach of the year awards.