The Milwaukee Bucks, who are sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, have fired coach Adrian Griffin, according to multiple reports.
Griffin is in his first year as the Bucks coach and has a record of 30-13.
There seems to be little reason to fire Griffin on the surface. The Bucks are second in the NBA in offensive efficiency and second in effective field goal percentage.
But look deeper and the Bucks fell from fourth to 22nd in team defense. They were 27th in January. Defense has the potential of keeping Milwaukee from being a championship team.
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Adrian Griffin in first season with Milwaukee Bucks, been coaching since 2010
Griffin got a job as an assistant with the Chicago Bulls under Tom Thibodeaux in 2010. He rose up the ranks, with stops at Orlando, Oklahoma City and Toronto.
In a statement, Bucks general manager Jon Horst said: “This was a difficult decision to make during the season. We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”
He was hired as the Bucks coach before this season began to replace Mike Budenholzer, who was fired after a couple of early round playoff losses.
Budenholzer led the Bucks to an NBA title in 2021.
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