Bucks roster had 'lost faith' in Adrian Griffin before stunning firing

Griffin found himself in an increasingly difficult situation. The Bucks pushed their chips into the middle of the table when they acquired Damian Lillard this summer. However, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton have both regressed as players. They are both core contributors to Milwaukee's system, with Lopez being their defensive anchor. 

Cracks started to show when Giannis Antetokounmpo called out the team for lacking an identity following their Jan. 6 loss to the Houston Rockets.

“Your defensive effort, though, has got to be there. And defensively, our effort was not there," Giannis said. "There was no pride. Guys were just driving the ball, straight-line drive, getting to the paint, over-helping, shooting 3s, offensive rebounds. There was nothing. This was not the Milwaukee Bucks. This is not who we are...Now, defensively, we have to have a plan. What is our strategy? Are we going to give a lot of open 3s? Are we going to let them get in the paint? When they go in the post, are we going to stay with ours and play one-on-one? What is our strategy? Right now, we are giving everything."

When your team's best player is questioning the defensive system and imploring the team to find an identity, that's usually a sign of a disconnect with the coach. If Milwaukee had been suffering from multiple injury issues, then it would have been easier to look past Giannis' comments.  

Whoever the Bucks decide to hire as Griffin's replacement will have a significant job on their hands. Milwaukee's defensive pieces are all aging, and the addition of Lillard has added more complexity to creating a reliable and consistent defensive unit. 

Still, the Bucks want to contend this season. The pressure is on. Who they choose as their next head coach will have a significant impact on how the rest of this season goes and how we view Griffin's short tenure.