The Milwaukee Bucks have fired head coach Adrian Griffin midway via his first season on the job, in keeping with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Bucks are 30-13 total on the time of the transfer and presently maintain the No. 2 seed within the Jap Convention playoff image.
Milwaukee is planning to pursue Doc Rivers as its subsequent head coach, in keeping with NBA insider Shams Charania. Assistant coach Joe Prunty would be the interim head coach till the workforce names a substitute. The Bucks are concentrating on “a small pool of achieved and obtainable veteran head coaches,” in keeping with Woj.
Griffin had reportedly “misplaced” the workforce, together with the assist of famous person Giannis Antetokounmpo.
There have been regular rumblings for weeks in NBA circles that a number of Bucks veterans, together with Giannis, had misplaced religion in Griffin. What gave the impression to be sensible rent final spring simply by no means labored out.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) January 23, 2024
The Bucks have been No. 10 in web score regardless of their document. That hinted at greater issues beneath the hood in Milwaukee which have held the workforce again all season.
The Athletic reported that the Bucks requested Rivers to be a guide for Griffin earlier this season. Rivers is the highest candidate for the job, and Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who misplaced out to Griffin for the job this summer time, is one other best choice if a cope with Rivers doesn’t come via.
Whereas Milwaukee’s document seems good, it’s been apparent for the reason that begin of the season that this workforce didn’t seem like the juggernaut it was speculated to be after buying and selling for Damian Lillard. Milwaukee’s protection has been disappointing — rating No. 21 total on the time of Griffin’s firing — with Griffin toggling between schemes and gamers all season in an try and discover a answer. The Bucks’ protection is struggling on the level of assault, the place former star Jrue Vacation thrived, as they attempt to combine a a lot weaker defender in Lillard.
The Bucks have gained 5 of their final six video games on the time of the firing.
Griffin took over for Mike Budenholzer, who was fired after the Bucks misplaced within the first spherical of final season’s playoffs because the No. 1 seed. Budenholzer guided the workforce to the 2021 NBA championship, however his playoff choices have been usually extremely questionable. It was a daring transfer to rent a life-long assistant like Griffin to be head coach of a workforce with championship-or-bust aspirations, and it wasn’t working regardless of a successful document.
Griffin’s tenure obtained off to an odd begin when assistant Terry Stotts — former head coach of the Portland Path Blazers with Lillard — left the workforce earlier than the season began amid turmoil with Griffin. Milwaukee began the season at 5-4 however ultimately discovered a option to win, even when it wasn’t all the time convincing.
Learn Brew Hoop on the issues Griffin’s Bucks have been having via the primary half of the yr. Milwaukee was barely hanging on defensively regardless of having main opponent capturing luck from three-point vary. The workforce was fouling an excessive amount of, and wasn’t rebounding properly sufficient. Milwaukee can also be useless final within the league at forcing turnovers.
Rivers was fired by the Philadelphia 76ers final season after a second spherical playoff exit. He’s presently working as an analyst for ESPN and varied different retailers.
We’ll replace this story because it develops.