Leading the Bucks to a 30-13 record wasn't good enough for head coach Adrian Griffin to keep his job.
On Tuesday, Milwaukee fired Griffin a little over halfway through his first season as head coach, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Bucks are seriously considering Doc Rivers to fill their opening.
Both bits of news sent shockwaves throughout the NBA.
wait WHAT https://t.co/rNID8r6AZQ
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) January 23, 2024
Adrian Griffin lasted 43 games, which as far as I can tell -- and not counting interim guys -- might be the shortest head coach tenure in modern NBA history.
— @howardbeck.bsky.social (@HowardBeck) January 23, 2024
Only comparable I can think of is Mo Cheeks being fired in 2014, after just 50 games with Detroit.
Thanks, everyone!
— @howardbeck.bsky.social (@HowardBeck) January 23, 2024
NBA HCs Who Didn't Last Even One Season (AND WERE NOT INTERIM):
Jerry Tarkanian: 20 games, SAS 1992-93
Bob Weiss: 30 games, SEA 2005-06
Griffin 43 games
Mo Cheeks: 50 games, DET 2013-14
Terry Porter: 51 games, PHX 2008-09
John Beilein: 54 games, CLE 2019-20 https://t.co/2TDewCVQZp
Doc Rivers’ Milwaukee Bucks leading 3-1 in the second round against the 76ers.
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) January 23, 2024
I need it to happen. Let me have this.
The panicked Doc Rivers hire is a rite of passage for every NBA contender.
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) January 23, 2024
Doc Rivers: for the team that wants to lose in the second round
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) January 23, 2024
i want someone to have as much unwavering belief in me as NBA front offices searching for a head coach have in doc rivers
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) January 23, 2024
What a wild 24 hours.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 23, 2024
As reporter Chris Mannix wrote on social media, the move to fire Griffin wasn't entirely shocking to those in NBA circles.
There have been steady rumblings for weeks in NBA circles that several Bucks veterans, including Giannis, had lost faith in Griffin. What appeared to be smart hire last spring just never worked out.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) January 23, 2024
Still, from the outside, the move is a surprise. Milwaukee is one of three teams with 30 wins and has the second-best offense in the NBA, averaging 124.6 points per game.
However, defense has been a problem, allowing 120.5 points per game. Only the Pacers, Hawks, Wizards, Pistons and Spurs have been worse on that end of the court.
Despite the team's shortcomings, most coaches should expect to be given more than 43 games if they win nearly 70% of their games like Griffin did.
This wasn't a scenario like when the Cavaliers fired John Beilein following a 14-40 start to the 2019-20 season.
It's more similar to another Cavs mid-season firing when they dismissed David Blatt 41 games into his second season with the team in 2015-16 when Cleveland was 30-11.
The Cavaliers won the NBA title that season, something the Bucks hope to duplicate. That's where targeting Rivers is a head-scratcher.
For all of his regular-season success, Rivers hasn't reached the NBA Finals as a head coach since the 2009-10 season. In the 13 seasons since, he's best known for blowing 3-1 series leads.
If there was a disconnect between Griffin and the locker room, it's hard to fault the Bucks for cutting his tenure short.
But if the decision was made out of a fear that he wouldn't be able to lead Milwaukee on a deep playoff run, then hiring Rivers should be off the table.
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