The Milwaukee Bucks are gearing up for their last postseason game before the regular season opener just seven days away. It was announced today that Terry Stotts would be stepping down as the Bucks’ assistant coach, something that no one expected to happen.
Terry Stotts has stepped down as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, sources tell ESPN. Stotts returned to coaching after two years away to join Adrian Griffin’s new staff but has decided that he won’t continue in that role.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 19, 2023
Stotts Steps Down as Bucks’ Assistant Coach
Stotts had addressed the team yesterday of his announcement, and coach Adrian Griffin and players addressed their reactions on Thursday. Griffin told Jim Owczarski of the Milwuakee Journal Sentinel that the move caught everybody off guard:
” It caught all of us off guard, of course, but again, you just support him,” Griffin said. “He was a terrific guy. I learned a lot from him in a very short time. He was really good at what he does. He made a decision — a personal decision — and we just have to respect that.”
The news comes just after Damian Lillard joined the team just about a month ago. Lillard had worked under Stotts for nine years, so coming to Milwaukee and being able to work with him was something he looked forward to. Lillard also said that Stotts had called him personally called him to let him know the news.
Stotts hadn’t been in the game for two years after being fired from the Portland Trail Blazers, where he had a 402-318 record over a nine-year span and led the Blazers to the playoffs eight different times.
This was the third time Stotts had been apart of the Bucks’ coaching staff. He came to Milwaukee in 1998 as an assistant coach under George Karl and stayed with them until moving to Atlanta in 2002. After he was a head coach for the Atlanta Hawks for two years he went to the Golden State Warriors before coming back to Milwaukee as their head coach in 2005.
Bucks Fans React to Stotts News
It truly came as a shock to fans when the news was announced. No one was expecting it, as Griffin and Stotts seemed to have a good system going.
Many felt like this was a big loss to the coaching staff.
Hope all is good with Terry Stotts and his family.
To me, this feels like a really big loss for the Bucks. https://t.co/IE9ftIhtu2
— Adam McGee (@AdamMcGee11) October 19, 2023
Terry Stotts stepping down a day before the Bucks seek to begin another championship run, isn’t exactly a good day for the Bucks. pic.twitter.com/F3j7pQJiNC
— Mark Mitchell ™ 🌊 (@EMRendering) October 19, 2023
Or, some are saying it’s a nice distraction from the leaked 2023-2024 City Connect jerseys that Milwaukee will allegedly be sporting this season.
The Terry Stotts news is being used to distract you from this abomination of a Bucks uniform from Nike. That’s a nice pair of swim trunks, though pic.twitter.com/l7xofXNr0T
— Alex Hartig (@alex_hartig) October 19, 2023
And there are those who are saying Milwaukee is doomed because they lost one coach…Spoiler alert, the Bucks will be fine.
Bucks hand Jrue Holiday to the Celtics.
Now, their experienced assistant coaches are leaving.
Terry Stotts must have looked at the Bucks roster and realized they are two deep.
It’s going well in Milwaukee. https://t.co/L6YbU6r7Xd
— Will D. (@WAD1980) October 19, 2023
The overreaction on Twitter for losing Terry Stotts is crazy…
Apparently the Bucks season is over because of losing an assistant coach😭💀 pic.twitter.com/ccUS0WaVxu
— Bucks Muse (@BucksMuse) October 19, 2023
I promise you Terry Stotts was not making or breaking the season. The team is full of adults who can handle their coaches not seeing eye-to-eye. You’d think Giannis requested a trade based on some of the reactions on here.
— 🦌 Bobby Portis Fan Club 🦌 (@deercrossin6) October 19, 2023
Some of you guys care way too much about “Terry Stotts.” You think we’d just lost Phil Jackson.
— 🦌 (@BangoBornAgain) October 19, 2023
The Milwaukee Bucks still have plenty of other coaches on their staff to consider that Griffin can evaluate should they need to add a new hire. They will be fine with or without Stotts, they won a championship without him, I thin they’re alright.
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