SUMMARY
- Milwaukee Bucks shock fans by firing coach Adrian Griffin mid-season.
- While official reasons remain undisclosed, reports suggest personal reasons.
On January 23, 2024, the Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Adrian Griffin. Griffin was with the Bucks for over 8 months and helped the team rank second in the NBA, as the 2023–24 season is approaching the mid-season mark. Griffin helped the team win 30 of the first 43 games. Concerning such stellar guidance, the team is standing at No. 2 in the Eastern Conference.
Firing a coach mid-season is a move that requires nerves. The last time the Bucks did anything close to this was in January 2018. The Milwaukee Bucks fired Jason Kidd after he failed to help the team make a postseason run for over three seasons. It’s astonishing why Griffin was granted just half a season to display his prowess.
Bucks players are vibing prior to tipoff 😂 🕺
(via @Bucks)pic.twitter.com/ieESew09Bu
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 25, 2024
Adding to the rhetoric, NBA fans are disgruntled by the fact as well. The Bucks faced off against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 24, 2024, at the Fiserv Forum. The team is now playing under the new interim coach, Joe Prunty. A recent video recorded before the tip-off shows how the roster is vibing to the beats. The players seem happy and unbothered by the recent developments.
Taking note of these ‘happy-go-lucky’ vibes, the fans have bombarded the comment section with negative reviews. A fan wrote, “They’re really dancing on Griffin’s grave.” While other fans are saying that the players must be hating Griffin, others don’t see this happy dance as representing a good picture.
However, the new narrative in the league is that Adrian Griffin was not fired for his performance with the team. While reporter Chris Haynes has dropped a real reason for the sacking, the former coach’s family has something else to say.
Adrian Griffin’s daughter-in-law supports Gilbert Arenas’ comments
Adrian Griffin’s daughter-in-law shared a clip on her Instagram story after the former was sacked by the Bucks. The clip explained why the dismissal had nothing to do with Griffin’s record with the team. The clip entailed an edit from one of the recent episodes of Gilbert Arenas’ podcast. In this podcast, Arenas pointed out more personal reasons for Griffin’s dismissal.
Jasmine Riggs, Griffin’s grandson’s mother, posted the clip, and the claim has found even stronger ground. Although Arenas just points to a personal reason, there is no specific statement about the reason. However, per multiple sources, it might be related to the tragic death of Griffin’s grandson. Although there is nothing solid to promote this claim, speculation runs wild in the league.
Whatever the reason, the Bucks are eyeing Doc Rivers as the new head coach. After all, Rivers has a lot of experience under his sleeves that might help in channeling the untapped potential of the roster. The Bucks can achieve great heights with two generational talents: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.