The Milwaukee Bucks shook the NBA when it fired Adrian Griffin last week, causing several personalities to react on the matter. Along with those people, several players also gave their thoughts on the issue, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Right before Griffin was terminated, the Bucks were second in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record. There were rumors of the former losing the locker room and Antetokounmpo using his influence to have Griffin removed. And while the Greek Freak has addressed the issue, the front office has moved on by hiring Doc Rivers as the new head coach.
With a big win over the New Orleans Pelicans kicking off the teams’ road trip out west, Milwaukee will finally know how its lineup with shape up as Rivers assumes the head coaching gig. If all goes well, the Bucks will have a chance to take the Eastern Conference’s top spot.
Milwaukee Bucks Fired Adrian Griffin Stemmed From Several Uncertainties and Damian Lillard Trade Last Offseason
Sometime after the actual firing itself, more details surfaced about Griffin’s removal from the Bucks’ coaching staff. According to Chris Haynes’ most recent podcast episode with Marc Stein:
“It was explained to me that when they hired Adrian Griffin they didn’t know at the time, remember that was a hire in June of 2023, they did not know if they were going to bring back Khris Middleton, he was going to be a free agent, he had that option, they didn’t know if Brook Lopez was going to re-sign, they didn’t know what Giannis was going to do, if he was going to sign an extension,” Haynes said.
“He had some comments in certain articles out there about I can win here or I can win elsewhere. You just didn’t know where he was leaning towards pertaining to his future. So they felt very comfortable at the time hiring Adrian Griffin, somebody who hadn’t been a head coach yet in the NBA. Then when they had the opportunity to trade for Dame and they did, that changed things,” Haynes added.
As it stands, Griffin was only chosen due to the scenario of key players leaving, such as Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez. That all changed when the front office traded for Damian Lillard, a decision that signaled an all-out move toward another ring.
With Griffin out and Rivers in, there’s hope that the Bucks can put this issue behind them and focus on winning. If this decision works out, Milwaukee will certainly have a strong chance to win another championship soon.
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