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The Milwaukee Bucks have parted ways with first-year head coach Adrian Griffin, according to ESPN.
Remarkably, Milwaukee sits in second place at 30-13 in the East behind the 34-10 Boston Celtics.
Griffin was hired to replace Mike Budenholzer, who guided Milwaukee to a тιтle at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Bucks ᴀssistant coach Joe Prunty will take over on an interim basis. Prunty previously served as head coach of the Great Britain men’s national basketball team from June 2013 until September 2017. He’s also won three NBA тιтles as an ᴀssistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich.
However, Prunty’s time as interim coach could be brief. According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, Milwaukee is already considering ESPN announcer Doc Rivers, a long-time NBA star and head coach who played his college ball in the city at Marquette.
The Bucks have replaced Adrian Griffin (left) with Joe Prunty (right) on an interim basis
The Milwaukee Bucks could hire Doc Rivers (left), who played collegiately at Marquette
With just 43 games, Griffin’s tenure is the third-shortest in NBA history for a head coach.
The only coaches with a higher winner percentage than Griffin’s 69.8 at the time of their in-season firing are David Blatt (73.2 percent for the 2015-16 Cavaliers) and Jack McKinney (71.4 percent for the 1979-80 Lakers).
Milwaukee Bucks stars Damian Lillard (left) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (right)
The good news for Bucks fans is that Cleveland and LA both won тιтles after making those changes.
The Bucks are obviously facing championship expectations in in Milwaukee following the off-season trade that brought in perennial All-Star Damian Lillard.
Milwaukee has been strong in a number of offensive areas this season, ranking third in field-goal percentage, for instance.
However, the defense has been underwhelming, allowing opponents to make 44.8 percent of their field goals – worse than all but three NBA teams.
A long-time point guard for the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, Rivers is now best known as a coach after winning an NBA тιтle with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08.
Over stints with the Orlando Magic, Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers, Rivers is 1,860-1,097 with a 215-111 postseason mark.
He was fired in 2023 after 76ers fell in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third consecutive season.
