After losing to the Heat in the first round of playoffs last season, the Bucks decided to fire Mike Budenholzer. Milwaukee had multiple candidates to choose from and they went with former Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin. He spent five seasons from 2018 to 2023 with the Raptors and finally got his break with the Bucks to be a head coach in the NBA.
At 30-13 this season, Milwaukee has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference behind the Celtics. Despite the success they’ve had early on, the Bucks made a move that shocked the NBA world yesterday. After 43 games, Milwaukee fired head coach Adrian Griffin. He did not last a full season with the Bucks. Now, they need a new head coach and there are already a few candidates in line. NBA analyst Jamal Crawford was upset with how the Bucks handled the whole situation.
Why did the Milwaukee Bucks fire head coach Adrian Griffin after 43 games?
“I don’t like it, to be honest with you. … The Bucks aren’t going to be judged on the regular season anyway. … They’re going to be judged on their postseason success. He didn’t get a chance at that and, for me, that’s disheartening.”@JCrossover on the Bucks firing HC Adrian… pic.twitter.com/X2r1zxJ44K
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 24, 2024
In years past, the Milwaukee Bucks had an identity. They were a defensive-minded team that excelled in transition with Giannis Antetokounmpo as their best player. All that changed this offseason when they traded PG Jrue Holiday. He’s pound-for-pound one of the best defenders in the NBA. Milwaukee lost a lot of their defensive identity when Holiday was traded. On top of that, the Bucks had a first-year head coach who was quickly starting to lose the locker room.
Reports of disconnect between Griffin and his players started to surface. That’s never a good sign for a first-year head coach. From their best players to their worst, Griffin has lost the respect of the locker room. In response, Milwaukee’s front office decided they needed to move on from Griffin as head coach. Despite all this, NBA analyst Jamal Crawford still believes Griffin was not given a fair chance.
“This didn’t just happen overnight…The roster top down, from their best players to the backend of their roster, they simply were not responding to Adrian Griffin.”@ShamsCharania with the scoop on Adrian Griffin being fired by the Bucks.
📺: https://t.co/wdT8I0ST8g pic.twitter.com/9DAV8ZZgtU
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 24, 2024
Crawford made a solid point by saying that Milwaukee is a team that is based on their postseason success. They did not even give Adrian Griffin a chance to make it that far. In the past, Griffin has interviewed for several head coaching positions and finally got his chance with the Bucks. However, it was cut short after just 43 games. With Griffin out, the Bucks are reportedly eyeing former 76ers head coach Doc Rivers to come in and take over.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
