The Milwaukee Bucks sent shockwaves through the NBA community Tuesday when they announced that they had fired first-year head coach Adrian Griffin. Despite being in second place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-13, the team decided to make the change. The Bucks had won their last two games against the struggling Detroit Pistons but had allowed the worst team in the NBA to score 141 and 113 points in back-to-back games.
Milwaukee currently ranks 20th in defensive rating and 29th in steals, which are discouraging numbers for a team with aspirations of making a deep playoff run in May and June. Griffin was given a difficult task once he was hired, and it became even more difficult once the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard.
This termination comes at a very peculiar time – just a few weeks before the All-Star game. However, this should provide enough time to ensure that the new coach can solidify the team’s concepts and flow before the playoffs. Is that what this Milwaukee team needs? Only time will tell as we await to see who becomes the new coach.
According to Shams Charania from The Athletic, Doc Rivers is reportedly being considered as a strong contender for the position.
