Why did the Milwaukee Bucks fire Adrian Griffin and hire Doc Rivers?

Why did the Milwaukee Bucks fire Adrian Griffin and hire Doc Rivers?

Hello welcome to the point forward podcast Milwaukee Bucks chatter from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel my name is J.R Radcliffe and I am joined by the one and only Jim ozari Bucks beat reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and oh boy do we have a story to talk about

The Milwaukee Bucks well they’re 30 and 13 and they have a brand new head coach they make the somewhat shocking maneuver to uh to fire Adrien Griffin first year coach Adrien Griffin has he he’d been a little bit malign despite how well the Bucks have been in the win loss column

Haven’t blown out a lot of opponents have really struggled uh to to be teams that they should handle defense has been an issue we have talked about some of this stuff and the Bucks felt like they had to make a change and then here we are Wednesday morning and Doc Rivers

After some pretty heavy speculation that it would be Doc Rivers it is in fact Doc Rivers Marquette University alumnus one of the 10 winningest coaches in NBA history will be taking the Reigns uh we don’t even know if he’s going to be coaching tonight as we record this

Against Cleveland I we we’ll figure some of that out so Jim I I really um I mean obviously I want to know what what you were thinking here when this happened you wrote a ton at jsonline.com really going into the backstory of why the Bucks felt like this had to happen so

I’m just going to give it to you there and and give us some bullet points like what led to this and and you know like what how shocked are you I mean it seems like maybe maybe not shocked is the overall prevailing sentiment around the Bucs organization and then the Twitter

Verse but tell me where you stand on all of that all right uh look I I think I’m G to ride the fence a little bit J.R and the broad question of are you surprised it’s a yes A no um I’m surprised yes in that I didn’t

Think Doc Rivers was John horst’s Craig Council right like David Ross was the manager of the Cubs until he wasn’t because they thought Craig counil was the guy to to take them over the top I I’m surprised that that that was enough and and Doc was that that person um

Identified during the season um that had its ups and downs but you know to this point largely successful not surprised in that Jr if if they would have re-evaluated Griffin after this year in the off season if again Doc Rivers or Steve Kerr or name any other maybe

Longtime coach with with tyo you know a couple free agent tobes were available I would not have been surprised if the team moved on so um and I wrote about this at jsonline.com as to as to why that was and and really Jr Adrien just never never took control of the locker

Room um of these games and it look they they they sort of pitched him as a guy who could who would I think the Damen Lillard shakeup right before training camp totally altered the team um from a game plan level to a personality level and despite their success I don’t think Griffin

Ever you know got his arms around that and you know we could see it from the very beginning Jr in those first two blowout losses in Atlanta against Atlanta and Toronto where veterans are in his office telling them to change the def defense when Damen Lillard says I

Need to change my rotations um on one hand the players like that open door policy they like that he was willing to listen and do the things they thought could be successful but there’s a fine line there of too much empowerment from the players because at some point they want to be

Coached and they want to be led and I think for as much as they liked Adrien as a person and and I do think they like the fact that they had a varied defensive scheme or schemes I don’t think they ever got to the point where they were like marching

Behind him Rank and file this is the guy who can win us a championship um Doc Rivers comes with his own set of questions in that regard Jr which maybe we’ll get into but we will we will I think that’s just why this happened now um really really tough stretch of games

Here before the All-Star break I think John Horst and owners we just like you know what we’re not going to wait till the allar break we’re not going to wait till Adrien coaches in the game and then redo this with with two months left I think they just thought this was the

Time and um you know uh couple close wins in Detroit maybe just were you know were enough and and and push this team over the edge to make this move yeah those games those games really were frustrating I think if you’re a Bucs Fan because you’re supposed to blow out a

Team with four wins you you just aren’t supposed to struggle when you have two Hall of Famers and a really great Supporting Cast and think of yourself as a as a championship Contender and if it were just two games against Detroit you could explain some of that away but it’s

Been all year they haven’t had dominant wins they they dominated oddly enough the Celtics and that was one of like their biggest blowout wins of the year one of their true like easy wins of the season when they hired him when they hired Adrien Griffin you know obviously

He hadn’t been a head coach before and and you you hit on this but this is a really important point they had not yet traded for Damen Lillard he was inheriting a team very different and potentially I don’t know if I even agree with this but you could see the argument

That this is still this is a short like it might be good in the short term but could be rebuilding very very soon you don’t know if Giannis is resigning his extension you don’t know Chris Middleton’s situation at the time it’s possible that he would have been a a

Rebu a perfect coach for a rebuilding situation he had a lot of experience he came in with a defensive first I think think mentality and yet that’s been where the team has struggled so I guess I’m curious knowing what you know what you think they they really didn’t

Understand about the situation that they would cut bait so early if it was you just don’t know what kind of leader he’s going to be until he’s in that situation where he is a head coach or the X’s and O’s weren’t there I mean I don’t I don’t

Get the sense anyone thought he was a bad guy like like you mentioned that they liked aspects of him he was open-minded and he listened to his players but I I personally just get the sense he was overmatched which isn’t something you’d think would get past the

Interview process so I wonder what what maybe what was misunderstood here about Adrien Griffin that they’d be willing to cut bait before February 1 yeah I I think Jr and look John horse is gonna speak after this and and yeah ideally he’s gonna have to have that

Answer tonight I I the sense I I feel that that they miscalculated was frankly that he was the guy in his first year that could Le this team to a championship um which is by the way not unprecedented in the NBA that has happened first year coaches win

Championships that can happen it’s a short list it’s a very short list um and Adrien was on a team that had done it right where Nick nurse had had done that in Toronto um I think what was what’s funny Jr is I think they believe they made the right hire in

June and then when everything changed in October M September 27th they had to something about this and look this is not um I don’t want this to be misconstrued as some sort of issue with Damen Lillard but the fundamental like the the basis of the team totally flipped

180 um the you know everything that he had done from June to September 27th had to be torn up and thrown out thrown away um and now you could say hey that’s sports that’s the job true um and maybe now we can say Adrien wasn’t in a place to do that

But how could you know that in June that you would have this franchise altering trade in late September so I think I think John horse if I can guess is going to say they firmly believed Adrien Griffin vers your head coach could get the job done when they hired him now

When they fired him they’ have come to the realization that currently constructed and and the The Growing Pains of this first year head coach they just felt it was untenable to continue um so I think they’re also going to walk a line there like acknowledging they

Made a change and they fired the guy when he’s 30 and 13 but also not be willing to just say wow we totally got it wrong in June just the Dynamics of everything changed in the interim and it just it just was no longer the fit they

Thought it was back in the summer I want you to speculate too about where Yannis adeta Kumo’s role is in this presumably I’ve always assumed if if Adrien Griffin got hired it’s because yanus gave his Blessing because whoever gets hired is going to get giannis’s blessing I’m not

Saying that the guy was driving the decision-making but how can you not imagine that he is heavily heavily involved in the decision- making now he’s been one of the guys who’s been fairly vocal I would say about kind of there needs to be a change you know he

Sort of challenged I would say his teammates but not just the teammates kind of the whole organizational structure at points this season at one point particular this season you know and and he’s bringing up things that make it sound like you know if you read

Between the lines he he he would be okay with a different coach I mean that’s that’s reading quite a bit into it I’m not saying that Giannis advocated for it or anything I’m just saying at some point maybe his involvement his his attitude changed too and I don’t I don’t

Know that for sure I I’m just I’m just under the ass assumption that no move is getting made without giannis’s blessing hiring or firing and that maybe he didn’t think this fit or he thought the fit was different I I know I’m asking you to speculate a lot but I have to I’m

Under that assumption is that is that fair or unfair to assume his involvement here um I mean it’s fair to a degree I mean he sat in in the interviews or had interviews with the finalists in in June in the summer um out of which Adrian Griffin’s hired uh over two very experienced

Coaches as many people remember and so look I mean John hon ownership said hey no player makes these decisions uh but of course he interviewed was part of the process like so so yes I don’t think Giannis is hiring or firing coaches but yes I also believe clearly he was a big

Part of the process at the end of the road in June for Adrien Griffin to be hired um now that said the things he has said publicly are there’s no reading between the lines there like Giannis is very honest and open he says what he thinks and he and what he feels

So from the very beginning Jr Lord our Lori nickel wrote about this after Chicago what did he say well the politically correct thing is to say he’s the coach I’m the player but this is a partnership right so this is the very beginning of the year um he has been

Vocal after games about this is not us defensively we need to be better defensively in you know the very controversial Vegas ja to Vegas right that that people you know are gonna mention as some sort of harbinger of Doom you know look Giannis set up on the podium and Malik Beasley said the

Same things and Bobby poris we were disorganized we didn’t know what was going on in the game and what did Jana say that’s not on the head coach that’s on us on the players Adrian’s not on the court that’s on us to do it so as we get

To that point and then beyond we get to January 6th where it goes the other way about no Pride on defense and he rips himself he rips his teammates and he says we need to be coach better and that was a start in the language Jr where it

It it wasn’t just us as players need to do this right it he it’s it then became we don’t have a direction we don’t have a strategy we don’t have a um and I think that’s where things began to turn that’s January 6 this is theend this is

Just few days later right and then in Detroit J.R the the broadcast shows Yannis drawing plays on the sideline really really interesting you know Giannis loves the game um he’s interested in the game he thinks about the game all the time he does draw plays but

Again what what do you do with that right um and so yeah I don’t think he’s had anyone hired or fired per se but clearly wherever he was in this process he was visibly vocally frustrated there’s no way around that Damen Lillard um you know vocally not as sort of um forceful

As Giannis but Dame got his points across about well you know I’ve never been off the ball this much or you know I’m kind of standing around or or right he was searching like he was changing his game to fit Giannis but I think Dame was also looking for a little Direction

In how to do that or also how to make him in spots and this isn’t all just on Griff man I I think you know Griff had a nice rotation to start the year with them staggering those two right Giannis on Dame off and and ETA and then Dame

Wanted to play all the first and all the third and that screws up that really messes up rotations when you have a player wants to play two full quarters or or you know a quarter and a half right um so I I it’s not just Giannis so

I have to bring Damon because that’s part of this uh so yeah they’re they’re it’s it’s part of it Jr and look um jannis signed the extension this is daman’s first go round in Milwaukee I don’t think they want Damen Lillard to request the trade in

The summer oh my so I think that there’s a part of all of this that that’s it’s just bigger than bad defense and it’s not necessarily an indictment on the person of Adrian I again I think the Dynamics of the team changed and and he just was not equipped

For this version of the Milwaukee Buck I think that’s really well observed and you know there it’s already tenuous because Damen Lillard we know wanted to go to Miami didn’t want to come to milwauke which is oh not Miami so uh there’s there’s already a little bit of

And he said all the right things and it’s settled you know settled in I think but just you know there had to be a certain assuaging of the situation and I don’t I don’t know like Adrien Griffin just got here I don’t know if that was really something he should have been in

Position to do but I like even even more for people who may Rubes like me who maybe don’t see the Matrix when it comes to X’s and O’s it’s hard to parse what is personnel and what is the coach because Damen Lillard and Malik Beasley

And others on this team are are not the Defenders that they have had in previous years obviously Drew holiday being the missing one I don’t think if they don’t make the Lillard trade that they’re any better off I think they have many more losses because they’ve needed that

Offense from Lillard you know they they don’t they certainly don’t win in like sacr against Sacramento you know there’s a lot of games that I think you could point to but uh and Drew has struggled offensively a little bit in Boston as well but you know there is a shift there

That’s going to create a drop in defense I don’t know if you’d think go from top three defense in the League 2 bottom third that feels pretty pretty Stark but when we talk about the team struggling on transition defense you know that feels like an effort thing but is it is

It maybe more of an X’s and O’s thing you know I’m trying I’m trying to pinpoint because because Kevin oconor of the ringer was is one of the most vocal people about how Adrien Griffin is not the fit you know it’s not working with him he’s not the only one certainly the

Bucks Twitter verse has latched on to this and honestly I see some really good points I don’t see you know I don’t see them I hear people talk about them and write them but what I’m trying to figure out which part is the coach and which part is just the Personnel like your

Defense is going to slide backwards it’s just the way it is based on the guys on the floor and which part is the coach needs to be the one to step in and make this work where it’s not and is that just get guys to give more effort or is

There a schematic thing that really has to happen a schematic fit that the Bucks don’t have yeah again I think it’s a little bit of both um I think when the trade was made the the front off is probably realized your Griffin probably realize oh this is not going to be what we

Thought it was going to be defensively I’m sure the tumble down to the bottom third Jr is is the bigger issue I don’t I’m sure they’ll say all the right things and and I wrote about this at the halfway point where Brook Lopez finally was like look we can’t like few teams

Are great at both things like even Brooke was at a point where it’s like well we can get those stops when when it matters but not and they have they have and so um I think it’s just how I think the front office must feel and the players believe they’re not as

Bad defensively as they’ve shown some of that is scheme and has to be some sort of ex’s andos communication I.E uh there’s the Portland game they come back and win but Damen Lillard and Pat conon have no idea what they’re doing coming out of a timeout and leave a wide open Corner

Three like that’s unacceptable how do those two guys who have been in the league a total of 20 years yeah not know what they’re doing is that because they weren’t listening is that because they were listening but didn’t understand or they got out there and they didn’t talk to

One I don’t know I don’t know um I they might reveal that stuff later in the season um you know you mentioned so offensive rebounding and second chance points have been an issue in Griff’s scheme guys like Giannis and Bobby and Chris some of their rebounders if you will are have not

Been the the scheme has put them on the perimeter where even Bobby said he’s like look I sometimes it’s not my job to get the rebound I gotta go find this guy over here and and so that that scheme um you mentioned transition defense now to me that’s on the court

That’s paying attention um that’s Chris Middleton makes a 10-footer and Detroit decides to run up the court what are you doing they’re pulling you’re pulling the ball out of the basket like that’s not a coaching thing yeah that’s and look there was another play in Detroit in

Transition Brook Lopez and Pat conon are back okay Brooks in the paint there’s it’s a two on two why was Pat hedging toward the lane and leaving Alec Burks wide open for a three like give if if that dude wants to go one-on-one against Brook Lopez in the

Paint that’s what you got to do Pat you gotta get over good luck that’s like to me that’s not a coaching thing that’s that guy made a mistake right and that happens every single player on the team has those moments Giannis has been caught floating and not doing what he’s

Supposed to do either yeah yeah right so it it’s always combination um but I do think some of of the schematic laws um were accentuated by Personnel Flaws accentuated by whatever on transition defense they played hard they never quit on this guy like that’s the thing J.R like how many games could they

Have mailed it in you know and but they never did now they they had some bad losses Cleveland Utah um those two Toronto Atlanta early you never thought wow the Bucks have quit on Adrian Griffin like that’s not their makeup um and yeah Personnel wise look we’ll see I

You know John horse has made several deadline deals in his time none of them have been like spectacular like he does his work in the off season but we’ll see maybe they’re counting on Doc Rivers and whoever he brings in to accentuate this staff can can make Damen

Lillard and Malik Beasley and campaign um and Andre Jackson Jr and Maran Bo champ like you know replacement level to plus Defenders maybe there’s a magic scheme and a magic language they can Implement immediately that like that’s part of this too now I’m I’m curious to see

But look Damen and Malik try hard um they give effort defense is effort you see that right J absolutely you can’t have these comebacks you can’t have these close wins like like Chris said that last game of Detroit was a defensive win I think they strung together like five six straight stops in

Order to win the game that’s what they’ve been doing that could win a championship like you score 125 points and make five stops like you’re gonna win right um but I think it was just the all of that together and maybe that little bit of unease uh of as adrien’s stuff gonna

Click is it finally going to get there and I just think J they’re like you know we can’t risk it we feel like Doc is is you know going to be the guy so let’s just make the move now yeah yeah in a way 30 and 13 is is it’s quite

Astonishing because they’ve had a lot of those clutch defensive stretches at the end of games and you know I do think there were red flags early on I I think the biggest one is Terry stots walking away from this team and then I I said this before coupled with the the slow

Start and slow start again in quotes because they were winning games they’ve always been winning games but I don’t think that like I I truthfully could not have foreseen this team winning a championship and under as currently constructed because I like I think they would be completely exposed in in a

Series against the same team four or five times they wouldn’t get clutch defensive stops in game four against a competent really high level Eastern Conference team so I I did think I did think they had a major ceiling on them even at 30 and 13 going back to the

Terry STS thing does this reframe that at all do you have any greater Clarity on what happened there do you think we’ll hear from Terry from Terry stot sometime in the next couple days because there might be some information there I don’t know uh to the latter point no I

Don’t think so I don’t think we’ll ever hear from Terry STS again until he’s hired somewhere else or he gets an analyst job or whatever um I mean look that’s always gonna be part of this story um until Terry and Adrien really and John horse are really like honest

And open about that but let’s be real they can’t that’s not going to happen so so that’s being said it’s always going to be in the mix as oh the first Domino to fall I still maintain Jr that that was just not a fit between two personalities two styles of

Coaches I don’t think the Damien trade helped that situation because all of a sudden now you have a player coming in who had been with Terry for nine or 10 years yeah it’s a total power shift completely I think there was a an already a weird working environment

There trying to make work if anything J.R I mean look I I I don’t have reason to doubt that the reporting that Doc Rivers was sort of asked to Mentor or be a confident or consultant to Griff but if that’s the case like John horse has been pretty heavy-handed here then with

Sort of hiring Terry stots or hiring Doc Rivers or whatever it may be I mean that’s a very interesting um that’s to me of the stock stuff Jr that’s the more interesting part of it to me is that the front office has been this involved with you know sort of forcing or putting

In other coaches yeah um well goes back to Jason kid too I mean he had a winning record in the middle of the Season it was not a good enough season but like yeah they’re not afraid to make bold Strokes like this they are involved

Right um so you know I I still don’t so the stats things is always going to be part of the narrative uh but I I I I still feel like that was more of a coaching personality issue as opposed to oh my God Terry STS like look Terry

Might have thought this was inevitable or this could happen but also if he thought this was inevitable Jr why not stick around because right now you’re the head coach of the bucks right like so I I think you know I I think and and I have been around

Enough NFL coaches Jr who have stuck around because they’re like you know what big guy gets fired I’m the interim I’m the next one like so um look maybe Terry just didn’t want to do that um but he could have so I don’t know I still

Feel like that was a uh more of a fit issue as opposed to you know um you know some grander predictor but again it’s it’s always going to be you know a flag in the a flag in in this this story line I have a two-part question the second

One is more important but they’re certainly related could am I do you agree with me that this team couldn’t really didn’t look like they could win a championship with Adrien Griffin and if so does changing the coach work like is is the forget we’ll talk about Doc Rivers specifically but the Gambit of

Changing a head coach can that take a team from not good enough to Championship caliber I mean the record the record says their Championship caliber so is this a Gambit that you think can pay off um I thought they could win a title with Adrian Griffin

Um I had seen enough I had seen the things he was talking about and that the players talked about on the court of okay this is better now than it was when they were six and four this is better now than it was when they you know ended the year but it was

Taking a long time and the players were getting ant more antsy um because they don’t have a lot of years here this isn’t a long-term play with what they’ve got on the roster right now yeah so I think they and and honestly Jr they literally it’s basketball anytime you name all your

Teams you want that you you’d be curious about anytime the Milwaukee Bucks would walk out on the court they’d have the two best players of the 10 on the floor and then Chris Middleton might be the fifth best the sixth best depending who who that is and then Brook Lopez is

Maybe the eighth best right so if not seeven right so like they they were so talented that it was making up for some of this stuff early and I thought as they got to the spring or summer it could it could come together um I had

Doubts about that but I I was willing to say like sure um and largely because Dam and Yannis like it’s like those two guys they can win gam by themselves you know and again that’s leaving Chris Middleton one-on-one to hit an 18f footer of his own making a

Right that you know to go up so I I think so I think they could have now changing the coach I think you can’t really separate it from Doc because if you were to just say well all right we don’t believe it is going to get better we don’t think

The players are going to stay in line so we got to change the coach Joe prny I think is a good offensive tactician I think he’s a good assistant coach I also think he’s a good assistant coach sure um look he I think the Bucks were gonna

Make the playoffs that year um whether Jason kid was still there or not would they have Push the Celtics to seven games maybe I don’t know um I think you can’t really argue Joe Joe did a good job steering that ship right yeah um if

You were to say he was gonna finish this out I don’t know I’m like what like why are you changing this like it’s just the same guy it’s the staff etc etc so I think you can’t separate it from Doc and that they they feel this is um the move

They can make so yeah I a of course they can win the championship if I thought they could with Adrian of course they can with Doc Rivers um yeah I guess it’ll be to be determined um if it’s you know because they have the two best players on the court every

Time or if there’s some magic formula that Doc Rivers has that can you know make this a a a top 10 or a top 15 defense and you know yeah well time will tell on that one Doc Rivers has a lot of experience working with superstars that’s obviously a situation he’s

Walking into now his knock is that he does not do well in the playoffs he he does have a title and he’s got two NBA Finals appearances but it’s been a while and uh that is why they fired Mike buen holler because they didn’t like how his system translated into the playoffs so

Here they have a different coach with kind of a similar you know a similar issue I guess you could say um I don’t believe for a second the reporting this was very strange how it was oh Doc Rivers is the leading candidate and then oh they haven’t even spoken the Bucs

Haven’t even spoken to Doc Rivers and then you know within 12 hours he’s I don’t believe for a second they hadn’t spoken you don’t find a replacement you don’t even make this change if you don’t have Doc Rivers lined up to step right in again he’s one of the 10 winning as

Coaches in NBA history so you could do a lot worse he’s got Milwaukee ties went to marquet University he’s very well known in this town but um did he have a relationship with the Bucks before this you know I’d kind of heard Rumblings that he might have been Consulting a

Little bit I know he worked with ESPN but what where I mean they didn’t they didn’t pull him out of thin air they clearly have had conversations has he been what where what’s he been doing like what is his relationship with John horse that this came together so

Quickly I mean I’m sure they’ve known one another I mean you can’t coach for 25 years I think John’s been in the league I mean I’m sure they they know that um they’ve known one another yeah I’m I’m guessing we’ll get some clarity

On um some of this I I I knowing John I I curious to see this Consulting thing in December I we’ll see if if he’ll speak to that or not because again it sort of lends itself to some thoughts of sub Refuge or you know um what oh you’re the consultant we fire

This guy because we’ll do the like we’ll see um you know doc look Doc’s been doing this for 25 years so there’s GNA be good and bad right he he’s won more games than he lost he’s won coach of the year his very first year in Orlando back

In 99 won a title with the big three of kg Paul Pierce uh Ray Allen back in 2008 19 playoff appearances in 24 years pretty good um finals appearance in 2010 uh a Eastern Conference Finals trip in 12 Jr and that was it second round and out guy which let’s be real that’s

One of the reasons Mike bu noer has been fired our was fired the Bucks had lost in the second round or earlier in three of his five Seasons um I mean and doc has had some notable chokes uh I hate to say it 3-1 in the bubble like that’s that’s a choke

By the math yeah especially with the players he’s had I mean he’s had top shelf talents yeah the the one the one seed Philadelphia 76ers losing to Atlanta in the Bucks championship year like that’s not good Ben Simmons catches a lot of stuff for for that but Joel

Embiid was not good on one hand Joelle becomes an MVP um but yet when all of that goes the heck um with James Harden Doc Rivers is fired and again to as we started this like if James or Joelle are really loving what’s going on is Doc Rivers even available right so I

Don’t know um the Clippers been very good obviously they have still yet to achieve much under tyo um so you know maybe that’s not a coaching issue in La maybe that’s a player thing um but it’s you know 15 years ago is it he’s won a title stars

Are stars right hall of famers are Hall of Famers uh doc played um just like Adrien played um but doc was an All-Star you know so maybe there’s a you know a different kind of mentality there to a degree Jr um you know we’ll see um I think you know

Defensively that that’s the thing like what are I’m really interested to see what he decides to do defensively because part of the issue with Bud was yes this is a great defensive system top five Brook plays top one you get to the playoffs and things were really rigid so

Does Doc build off of what Adrian started and the fact that these guys are more comfortable in zone they’re more comfortable in some switching um they’re more comfortable in some like you know different types of of defensive moments but maybe they just go back to a

Drop like all the time but then puls it I don’t know we’ll see I don’t I’ll be honest j i I don’t know doc Rivers’s um defensive like if he’s adjusted this year to year if he’s got got a certain thing he likes to do and

That’s what they do I guess we’re going to find out um but yeah I think those are real questions like is Doc the guy to get him over the hump clearly they feel he is he’s he’s been there but it’s been a while and so we’ll uh you know we

We’ll see we’ll see how how this plays out for sure yeah yeah I was gonna ask what he what his strengths are perceptively because I I I can’t answer that question I mean he’s had so many superstars and granted every team has Superstars now so you know you can’t

Ever separate a coach from from their best players of course but you know I I don’t like when I think of the Boston Championship I don’t even think of Doc Rivers I think of keev you know kg’s anything as possible GIF and you know you think of the big three you don’t

Think about Doc Rivers doing amazing things to put them in positions although I’m sure I’m sure he did you know I don’t I I don’t know exactly what I would say he does well but he is you know he’s got the eighth month win you know he’s been coaching for 24 seasons

He’s obviously doing something well um and and I don’t know if you have any more insight Insight on that like I I also you know part of me is like part of me thinks well well not many guys are going to be available in the middle of

The season so it’s not like this can be an exhaustive search to find you know Kenny ainson is employed now Nick nurse is employed now you know there aren’t other options really lying around that you can just insert into a championship caliber situation and have work I mean I

Do think Doc Rivers is Kind of Perfect that way and that he has this experience and happen to be working for ESPN after 24 straight years in the business but um but you know like I’m I’m sure I’m sure there’s some there’s something that he brings to the table right I don’t know

Yeah look and some of it might just be especially this year no Camp no practices I mean Doc’s a smart guy like it would not be a recipe for success in my view to totally hey guys uh I know we’re playing eight games in 13 days and six of them

Are on the road but let’s change everything yeah for sure right like I feel like there there’s going to be um you know doc maybe learning the language so he can call these things that the guys already know but it might be um you know tactically I mean look the

Easy one right now Jr is okay well Damen Lillard and jannis and kumbo don’t spam pick and roll and we’ve talked about this on these videos where you know I have felt some sometimes that’s not you don’t really need to do that like they’re they’re the greatest bucks offense in franchise history is

Currently constructed they’re the number four offense in to total points of all time or top five I think in and the this year’s Pacers are number four so like they they’ve had despite some of the Lillard shooting issues and maybe some of the Herky jerkiness with him and

Yanis in their two-man game it’s the offense is amazing so maybe doc comes in and says well you know what um Dam and Yannis we do need to see more Twan pick and roll like if we’re going to go down to that in the stretches of games you

Have to run it more now so maybe we see that more often um you know Damien has has really you know tried to fit in um you know his his usage rate is down his shots per game are down threes are down as he’s trying but obviously Giannis

Giannis is scoring more than ever right so like I think maybe doc comes in and says hey um Dame I know you want to make the right play and kick it out to Beasley in the corner or Pat over here but this is a shot you have taken your

Whole career because that has happened Jr where we’re sitting there Giannis kicks it out or something and and Dame doesn’t shoot it we’re like why doesn’t he shoot this right so I think Damen has struggled a little bit with his comfort of not wanting to come in and just be

Like well if Giannis takes 25 shots I take 25 shots because that’s the way it’s got to go um maybe doc comes in and empowers him a little more to say hey guys like yes Malik Beasley 47% from three in the corner awesome but Dame you’re Dame Lillard uh you help change

The game of basketball um if you’ve got it you can also shoot so this sounds like so I I think that’s what we’re gonna see from Doc I I don’t now defensively you know I I imagine he’s got some ideas of of how to put guys in some better spots um again

We mentioned the schemes where Giannis and Bobby are away from the rebounding angle um angles that they they need to be or you know Brook is you know trying really hard but maybe Brooke should have zero possessions where he’s guarding Malcolm Brogden at the 39 um so maybe there’s just some stuff

Like that J.R that um you know because I I can’t see it totally changing with no practice and and no Camp um so it’s hard to say like oh doc does this this is what we’re gonna see um maybe but I I feel like that might be too tall of a task even

For a guy who’s done it for 25 years here’s what we need to see because I use the mecca backdrop for those of you that watch this on YouTube uh of course that’s the that’s a venue Doc Rivers knows well they should definitely have a game at the mecca again not this year

Obviously but like they need to uh they need to bring that back cuz that a lot of fun and uh and that would be a cool thing what a what a great homage if Doc Rivers is in fact here beyond the rest of the season which I would assume so

You know like I don’t I don’t know I don’t think you bring duck rivers in just for a few a few weeks a few months um I before uh before I let you go just uh you know January 24th here just a couple thoughts on where what has to

Happen for this Bucks team to to reach that Peak efficiency to to survive this difficult schedule you know and and come out through the through the All-Star break firing on all cylinders are there are there a couple things that really jump to mind that you’ve been following lately or or things you’re still

Wondering about before before this team can take that step yeah I you know again this really changes some stuff look the Cleveland Cavaliers since they’ve come back from Paris I think they’ve beaten Everybody by like yeah they’re back to being really good you know they so the

Bucks have them now twice in two days here would I’d be shocked if the Bucks lose twice and look bad no um especially if pry coaches the first game and then doc shows up the second game um I don’t think you’re going to like change a

Whole lot maybe I don’t know maybe maybe that different voice that different yeah whatever um dude Doc’s gonna be at the game tonight I don’t think he’s gonna be coaching but like I bet you he’s there and he gets a big round of applause I don’t know it’s yeah that’ll be interesting um

So you know they were good already um so in terms of it it’s about smoothing it out and I think the thing I’ll look for first is the guys talking about Clarity and confidence sort of that intangible stuff J.R I don’t know their their schedule is is bananas before the All-Star break I

Don’t know about wins and losses um I don’t even know if they’re that concerned about that like if they go 500 through this stretch and they the 3C going into the break like I don’t think that’s a big deal to these guys but I think it’s it’s

Okay well you lost that at Denver where very few people win or you went to the wire and Phoenix against their big three but there’s a Clarity and vision or there’s a a belief in change of what they’re doing Jr I think that’s what I’ll be looking for um because I think

To this point and the reason Adrian Griffin was fired is these guys really didn’t have those things so um we’ll just have to you know kind of keep an eye on what what’s said and what in you know thoughts and feelings right as opposed to maybe immediate sort of offensive

Defensive kind of um things that may happen but it may not so I think I’m gonna doing a Vibes check if you will J Vibes check baby love those what a fascinating moment for John hor tier the uh I don’t think he can really do anything at this point to tarnish his

Legacy as an excellent GM in the Milwaukee Bucks Cannon I mean he’s been awesome but uh he he hires Adrien Griffin over Nick nurse who is you know now with Philadelphia and maybe if Philadelphia is going to break through this trouble they’ve had getting to the Eastern Conference Finals and it’s with

Nurse it could be super interesting could be a match up with the Bucks somewhere along the way and and then you know will will it have been a mistake to have gone the Adrien Griffin route go with the unproven guy and then wind up not having the fit that you wanted for

The regular season it’s a it’s a fascinating little pivot moment he is Jim ozari find everything he has at jsonline.com he’s covering the Milwaukee Bucks he’ll be there tonight if you’re listening to this on Wednesday uh to to take in that Cleveland Cavaliers game that’s a big game these games are big uh

You know they they could easily fall like to the fourth seed if they can’t hold off Cleveland I know their record is still really good and they’re still in great shape they’re going to make the playoffs of course but I don’t know these These are kind of big games so

Interesting Moment In Time Jim uh unless you have any last thoughts I’ll let you go thanks for joining me man yeah thanks for having me see you next time yes we’ll be back on the point forward podcast uh there there’s going to be some stuff to talk about I imagine

Thanks for tuning in everybody we’ll chat with you again real soon bye-bye

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Bucks reporter Jim Owczarski joins JR Radcliffe to discuss the shocking maneuver by the Milwaukee Bucks this week, firing first-year coach Adrian Griffin despite a 30-13 record and hiring longtime coach Doc Rivers as his replacement.

What did the Bucks get wrong when they hired Griffin earlier this season? What makes Doc Rivers a fit (or not)? Could the Bucks have still won a championship with Griffin, or was the team operating with a ceiling? What were the specific issues that led to his ouster?

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