Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘surprised’ by Adrian Griffin firing, trusts Bucks’ brass،
MILWAUKEE — Two-time Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said the firing of first-year coach Adrian Griffin surprised him, but he trusted Milwaukee's decision-makers to give the team the best possible chance to win a championship.
“I have to trust the front office, I have to trust the ownership group looking at the big picture,” Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks' 126-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. “My job is to be the best version of myself, lead this team and help them win games.
“Their job is to create the best possible team and the best possible atmosphere around the team that they think gives us a better chance of winning a championship. But yeah, I think [firing coach Griffin] It was a surprise.”
Griffin was fired Tuesday despite going 30-13 in his first 43 games, second in the Eastern Conference. He is the first coach since the Cavs fired David Blatt in 2015-16 to be fired with such a high winning percentage.
Sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Doc Rivers reached a tentative deal Wednesday to become the Bucks' next coach. General manager Jon Horst said he would not comment until a deal is official.
Before Wednesday's game, Horst detailed his decision to fire Griffin, saying he wanted to improve the group coaching-wise in order to maximize the team's championship window this season. He also emphasized that this was a decision made by the team's front office and ownership group, not player input.
Antetokounmpo has been critical of the Bucks' performance all season despite their record. Even on Wednesday, he acknowledged ways Milwaukee could improve when asked about Horst's assessment that they hadn't played to their full potential.
“From our chemistry, to the way we practice, to our concentration level when we go out there, there are a lot of things we could do better,” he said. “Game for two with me and [Damian Lillard] more. Me and Khris [Middleton] to also connect more. To post Brook [Lopez]. There's so many things…so I'll probably assume he's referring to those things.”
Still, Antetokounmpo refuted the notion that he didn't have a good relationship with Griffin or that he was involved in the decision.
“I loved the guy. I invited him to my wedding,” Antetokounmpo said. “I was coached by him and we did very, very, very well. When someone is hired, the general manager can come and ask, 'What do you think?' or anything and not just me – the players, the people he trusts with their advice. But sometimes they give the impression that the players are the ones making the decision. »
In their first game since Griffin's firing, the Bucks never trailed against the Cavs, avenging a 40-point loss at Cleveland last week when Antetokounmpo did not play. On Wednesday, he had 35 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, his third triple-double in the last four games and seventh of the season, tying a season high (2020-21).
Lillard said he was also caught off guard by Griffin's firing, but also acknowledged that Milwaukee hadn't played to his full potential.
“There are a lot of expectations for our team,” Lillard said after Wednesday’s game. “We expected things to turn out a certain way. We had a bumpy road to our success, which is sometimes part of the process. I was surprised. But that's part of the process. game. People get traded, people get exempted, people get fired, and that's never something you want to see.”
