Head coach news: Giannis wanted Bucks to fire Adrian Griffin

How many NBA teams fire their coach when they’re in second place in their conference midway through the season? We don’t even have to run the numbers to know that’s not an orthodox decision.

Nonetheless, most people — players included — thought the Milwaukee Bucks‘ record was deceiving, especially considering how much they had struggled against some Eastern Conference foes.

That’s why it wasn’t much of a surprise to see them part ways with first-year coach Adrian Griffin, who looked overwhelmed and over his head at times and had seemed to lose control of his locker room.

The Bucks failed to find their usual defensive dominance under Griffin, and he failed to make the most of the Damian Lillard–Giannis Antetokounmpo duo despite having two of the best scorers in the Association.

Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Giannis, Bucks Players Wanted Him Gone

“There have been steady rumblings for weeks in NBA circles that several Bucks veterans, including Giannis, had lost faith in Griffin,” reported Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “What appeared to be smart hire last spring just never worked out.”

Apparently, the players didn’t like his schemes and thought there were serious communication issues. At the end of the day, there were just too many questions about his ability to get the team to the promised land:

“According to team sources, 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,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Shams Charania and Eric Nehm wrote. “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.”