Why the Bucks fired a coach who won 70% of his games: Nine incidents that led to Adrian Griffin’s dismissal

Griffin and his veteran players were never on the same page, and now Doc Rivers is in charge in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks stunned the sports world on Tuesday by firing first-year head coach Adrian Griffin despite boasting a 30-13 record (.698 winning percentage) that was good for second place in the Eastern Conference. Less than 24 hours later, they replaced him with Doc Rivers, who boasts over two decades of head coaching experience.

While the timing of the decision remains surprising, the fact that the Bucks’ front office ultimately arrived at this point is not. Over the past few months there have been numerous signs, some more obvious than others, that Griffin and his players were not on the same page.

Griffin’s inability to ever gain the full trust of his star players led general manager Jon Horst and Co. to conclude that he wasn’t the right man for the job, regardless of what the record said. As the Bucks prepare to forge a new path forward with Rivers, here’s a look back at how they got to this point.

1. Stotts steps down

The first warning sign came less than two weeks before opening night when veteran coach Terry Stotts stepped down from his role as an assistant coach. Stotts, who had been hired due to his experience and offensive genius, decided to call it quits after an incident at shootaround prior to a preseason game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder

Per The Athletic, Griffin asked the coaches to meet by themselves while the players did individual shooting. Stotts began speaking with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard first, and when he asked for more time with the stars, Griffin yellled at him in front of the entire team.

Stotts and Griffin already had a tenuous relationship, and that was the final straw.