What Made Bucks Fire Coach Adrian Griffin Only After 43 Games? What Did Not Sit Right?

Adrian Griffin, the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, was fired, the franchise announced on Tuesday. Griffin had only coached 43 games when he makes this startling decision. Following Mike Budenholzer’s dismissal due to the team’s shocking defeat to the Miami Heat in the opening round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, Milwaukee signed the former Toronto Raptors assistant this offseason.

What Made Bucks Fire Coach Adrian Griffin Only After 43 Games? What Did Not Sit Right?

With the support of star player Giannis Antetokounmpo, Griffin started the season with a 30-13 record in Milwaukee (.698 winning percentage); but, a number of events during the season indicated that things weren’t going as planned.

Doc Rivers is the primary target for the Bucks, according to sources who spoke with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team plans to move swiftly to sign one of the few available and successful experienced head coaches. According to insiders, the Bucks have contacted Rivers regarding the coaching position with the team.

“This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst in a statement. “We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”

The Bucks have a 30-13 record, which is excellent for second place in the East and tied for second place in the NBA, so this is surprising, but there have been several rumors all season long about a rift between Griffin, his staff, and the players.

Before the team’s inaugural game, assistant coach Terry Stotts resigned from his position following reports that he and Griffin got into a heated argument at the team’s shootaround. This was the first indication of trouble.

Another incident occurred in December when Griffin was reportedly “challenged” by veteran forward Bobby Portis after the Pacers defeated them in the In-Season Tournament. Antetokounmpo, a player for the organization, supported his friend during the press conference that followed the game.

It’s unclear who else they are considering, although several successful former head coaches are out of work right now. Ironically, Budenholzer, Dave Joerger, and Mike D’Antoni are among them. Given his extensive background coaching Lillard, Stotts would appear to be a good fit, but it’s uncertain if either team would be open to a reconciliation following their October breakup.

A franchise dismissing a rookie head coach 43 games into a season in which he has the second-best record in the NBA is a somewhat unique occurrence. While other coaches have had shorter total tenures—Jerry Tarkanian’s 20 games in San Antonio and Bob Weiss’s 30 games with the Sonics, for example—both were dismissed because their teams’ winning percentage was below.500.

The Athletic’s most recent report said, “The issues plaguing Griffin’s early tenure ranged from putting together strong schemes on both ends of the floor for the Bucks to fulfill their championship potential to successfully communicating his vision to his players for them to execute it on the floor.

“But the bottom line, given the high stakes of this Bucks era, the concern over Griffin’s ability became a question too big for the Bucks’ executive leadership to withstand any longer.”

With a record of 30-13, the Bucks are ranked second in the Eastern Conference going into Tuesday’s games. This is the highest winning percentage by a club that has dismissed its head coach in a season.

Before gaining a significant position with the Bucks and an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019, Griffin served as an assistant coach for fifteen years.

Who will replace Adrian Griffin?

Veteran NBA coach Doc Rivers is a strong contender for the position and has already begun talks with the Bucks, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic on Tuesday.

Has Doc Rivers won a championship?

The harsh reality is that Doc Rivers has repeatedly shown he is unable of leading teams aiming for championships to success, especially since he helped the Boston Celtics win their only title sixteen years ago.

Does Adrian Griffin have a PHD?

Griffin graduated from Seton Hall with a bachelor’s and master’s degree. In January 2022, he graduated from Concordia University Chicago with a Ph. D. in Organizational Leadership.

 

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