For the most part, everything was going according to plan for the Milwaukee Bucks in the preseason. This was until Terry Stotts suddenly decided to step down from his post as the team’s assistant coach barely a week before the regular season started. It was a considerable blow for the Bucks, especially taking into account the fact that Stotts was supposed to be an integral piece in Damian Lillard’s transition with his new team.
Did Terry Stotts Have a Problem With Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Adrian Griffin?
The reason why Stotts was considered an important factor for Lillard is because the latter coached Dame for nearly a decade with the Portland Trail Blazers. Sotts, who signed with the Bucks earlier this summer, was reportedly extremely excited when Milwaukee secured the services of his former superstar player via a blockbuster trade.
So what happened?
According to reports, Stotts’ decision to leave happened shortly after an incident during practice. Head coach Adrian Griffin reportedly shouted at Stotts for the latter refusing to join the coach’s huddle. Apparently, Stotts wanted to speak with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard instead.
While there’s no way for us to conclusively determine that Stotts’ decision to resign was brought about by the Griffin incident, the fact of the matter is that he’s now no longer with the team.
According to an NBA insider, Stotts was expected to play a pivotal role with the squad this season before his sudden exit:
“It’s not like Boston dropping [Ime] Udoka last year and putting in [Joe] Mazzulla, but Stotts was supposed to have a big role with [the Bucks’] offense,” the source told Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports.
The source then went on to say that it’s very much possible that Stotts wasn’t loving life as an assistant coach:
“It seemed like he was having trouble adjusting to being an assistant again,” he said. “I think that was a factor.
“He was out for two years, he doesn’t need the money. … Maybe it was just a thing where he just wasn’t feeling it.”
Before joining the Bucks, Stotts served as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers between 2012 and 2021. Stotts has played the role of an assistant before, but perhaps his nine years at the helm in Portland made him feel that an assistant’s role no longer fits him at this point in his career. That is, of course, under the assumption that the information from the above source is true.
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