The Milwaukee Bucks fired coach Adrian Griffin Jr. less than six months into his stint as head coach after he joined in the offseason to replace Mike Budenholzer. The Bucks are 30-13, holding the second seed in the East. Their strong form has led to questions about why Griffin was let go, with Chris Mannix revealing that several veterans, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, had lost faith in the rookie head coach.
“There have been steady rumblings for weeks in NBA circles that several Bucks veterans, including Giannis, had lost faith in Griffin. What appeared to be a smart hire last spring just never worked out.”
There have been steady rumblings for weeks in NBA circles that several Bucks veterans, including Giannis, had lost faith in Griffin. What appeared to be smart hire last spring just never worked out.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) January 23, 2024
In addition, the team’s marquee offseason acquisition of Damian Lillard ultimately ended up struggling to adjust to the Bucks’ offensive scheme, something that the front office thought was a big problem due to the haul they traded to Portland to acquire Lillard.
“Along the way, league sources say, Lillard has spent much of this season struggling with the way the Bucks function on the offensive end. While he had remained patient with coaches and teammates, there was an inevitable pressure on Griffin from the organization to make the most of Lillard’s talent in the kind of way that validates the choice to part ways with Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and three first-round picks to land him.”
Pressure had been mounting on Griffin from the start of the season after experienced NBA coach Terry Stotts quit Griffin’s staff before the season even started. Now, the Bucks are looking at experienced replacements to save the season, with Doc Rivers being the leading candidate.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Hand-Picking Coaches
As the resident superstar of the Bucks and the player who led them to their first title in 50 years, every decision the Bucks make goes through Giannis Antetokounmpo. While they didn’t ask him before trading Jrue Holiday for Lillard, that was by design to not put Giannis in a position to betray one of his close friends. There’s no love lost between Giannis and the coaches, so he has been in the loop throughout.
Reportedly, Giannis refused to endorse Nick Nurse to take over the Bucks, according to Marc Stein. Nurse went over to coach Joel Embiid and the 76ers instead.
“League sources say now that the desire to play for Griffin is better described as a determination to play for someone other than Nick Nurse. Nurse was among the candidates that the Bucks had high on their list after a five-game drubbing by No. 8-seeded Miami in the first round of last season’s playoffs… But sources say that Antetokounmpo wanted the Bucks to go in a different direction and thus chose to champion Griffin.”
Griffin was approved by Giannis at the start of the season, with many credible reporters believing that Giannis’ souring on Griffin is what led to the coach being sacked.
Now, it’s a question of whether Giannis will endorse Doc Rivers internally or not. It’s likely the veteran coach finds his way back to the NBA this season and Milwaukee seems like the perfect destination for him.
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