Bucks Fire Adrian Griffin, Doc Rivers 'Serious Candidate' for the Job

The Bucks, tied for the second-best record in the NBA but in the bottom 10 defensively, part with Adrian Griffin just past the midway mark of his first year as a head coach.

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The Milwaukee Bucks stunned the basketball world on Tuesday afternoon, moving on from head coach Adrian Griffin.

While there were plenty of concerns about a defense that ranked 22nd in defensive rating, surrendering 116.8 points per 100 possessions, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Co. are generating a 120.6 offensive rating, which ranks second in the Association.

The reconfigured Bucks, a top-ten team in net rating (3.8), are also tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the second-best record in the NBA (30-13).

However, teams with this significant of an imbalance rarely even reach the NBA Finals. And with Lillard 33, Khris Middleton 32, and Brook Lopez turning 36 in April, the franchise wasn't willing to find out if Griffin could figure out how to help Milwaukee's ailing defense.

Antetokounmpo repeatedly questioned his team's approach at that end of the floor, and Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported several Bucks' veterans, including the former league MVP, had lost faith in the coach they chose over Nick Nurse in the offseason.

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According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is a "serious candidate" to fill the newly created vacancy in Milwaukee.

Rivers spent the last three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers, whose 2022-23 playoff run ended with a 112-88 loss at TD Garden, as Jayson Tatum put a Game 7 record 51 points on the board.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski adds the Bucks plan to quickly pursue a small pool of accomplished and available veteran head coaches.

For now, assistant coach Joe Prunty will wear the interim tag for the third time and the second year in a row after stepping in for Nate McMillan with the Atlanta Hawks last season before they hired Quin Snyder.

Further Reading

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Jaylen Brown's 10-Assist Triple-Double Exemplifies His Playmaking Growth: 'Keep Making the Right Play'

Celtics Finding Joy in Basketball and Each Other's Company: 'We've Been Blessed'

Fixated on Winning, Jayson Tatum Again Proves He's Not 'Bored Making the Right Play Over and Over'

Ime Udoka Assesses Tatum and Brown's Growth Since Coaching Them: 'A Lot of Potential That I Haven't Tapped Into'

Jrue Holiday Responds to Celtics Saying He's Sacrificing Most: 'Not Mad at My Situation'

Brad Stevens Shares What Celtics Are Looking to Add and How He Hopes to Do So

Derrick White Opens Up About Journey from Uncertainty He Belonged in the NBA to an All-Star Caliber Guard

Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'

Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'

Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'