There are so many factors that led to the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to fire Adrian Grifin.
For one, the Bucks reportedly have Doc Rivers waiting in the wings already as they look to bring in a more tenured coach to replace the inexperienced Griffin.
Reports have also emerged about Griffin supposedly losing the Bucks locker room in the weeks leading up to his departure.
All in all, the tough decision to axe Griffin went through a comprehensive process. It was anything but a knee-jerk reaction from the front office.
Nevertheless, there appears to have been one particular tipping point that made the Bucks brass come to a decision that they had seen enough.
What Led to Adrian Griffin’s Milwaukee Bucks Exit
The fact that the Bucks are coming off back-to-back wins makes the timing of Griffin’s firing a bit contentious, to say the least. After all, NBA coaches are usually fired after a bad string of losses.
Then again, you have to note that prior to Milwaukee’s last two wins, they were coming off their toughest loss of the season. In fact, not too many will argue that this had to be one of the worst losses in recent history.
This came in the form of a humiliating 135-95 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 17. The fact that they got blown out by a Central Division rival made the situation even worse. So much so, that Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Eric Nehm of The Athletic believe that this was a last straw of sorts for the Bucks front office:
“The embarrassing loss to the Cavs, in many ways, appears to have been a tipping point,” read the report.
To be fair, the Bucks bounced back in their next two games. They produced back-to-back road wins against the Detroit Pistons. In both games, however, the league-worst Pistons — who also did not have the services of Cade Cunningham — nearly pulled off an upset win.
Apparently, Milwaukee’s “poor performance in both games did little to ease the unrest growing within the organization.”
Ironically, the Bucks return to action on Wednesday in a matchup against the Cavs. These two teams battle it out again on Friday as they face off twice in three days. This presents itself as an opportunity for the Bucks to make amends. Unfortunately for Adrian Griffin, he has been given no such chance.
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