A 30-13 record is not reflective of who the Milwaukee Bucks really are.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are superstar talents; there is no denying that. Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, and Bobby Portis are all championship players. However, dysfunction, inconsistent play, and no continuity is an accurate way to describe what the Bucks have looked like through the first half of the 2023-24 season. This is why Doc Rivers is now the head coach of the Bucks after first-year head coach Adrian Griffin was dismissed after 43 games.
Wait a second, are we talking about the same Doc Rivers who was just fired by the Philadelphia 76ers for not being able to advance far into the playoffs? Why would the Bucks want him to take over in the middle of the season, one in which they expect to win a title?
Well, this situation seems to run a lot deeper than those running the organization wanting to see a change on the sidelines.
The fact of the matter is that Griffin was put in a position he never expected to be in. The Bucks had not yet traded for Lillard when Griffin was appointed as the successor to Mike Budenholzer, who led the team to a championship in 2021. Not to mention, Milwaukee should've anticipated growing pains and learning lessons with a first-time head coach, one who spent the last 15 seasons as an assistant before earning a chance to prove himself.
Perhaps Griffin could have handled some things differently pertaining to his schemes and his players' willingness to adapt, but the whole firing of Griffin and hiring of Rivers seems a little too pre-planned. After all, Rivers was hired by ESPN as an analyst and seemed to be content with his role covering the NBA instead of being on the sidelines.
The Bucks' decision to fire Griffin on Tuesday brought new details to light, ones that make you raise an eyebrow and ask, “How long have the Bucks and Rivers been talking to one another?”
Upon being fired by the 76ers and hired by ESPN, Rivers secretly became an informal consultant to Griffin at the command of the Bucks, according to The Athletic. Viewed as a veteran, experienced coach who could aid Griffin through some of the challenges he would face with a high-level team in his first season, the Bucks set up a meeting between Rivers and their head coach prior to their trip to Las Vegas for the NBA In-Season Tournament.
From there, things didn't go well for the Bucks. The Indiana Pacers defeated Milwaukee by nine points in the semifinals of this tournament, leading to Portis and others becoming frustrated in the locker room. Based on reports, Portis challenged Griffin and his teammates to be better following this embarrassing loss. Looking back on this matter just 22 games into the season, it is clear that Griffin never gained full control and the respect of his team.
The idea to replace him with Rivers was a decision that came from the very top of the organization. Now, all eyes across the NBA are on the Bucks, a team that only has one goal: to win another championship this year.
Bucks pursuing immediate title with Doc Rivers
Right now, it is championship-or-bust for the Bucks. Just having Giannis is enough to play with this mindset, but Milwaukee went out and spent a lot of capital in order to land Lillard. With these two on the court together, the Bucks brass envisioned a team that would still be playing at a ridiculous level defensively, while now also having another star to makes themselves a top-five offensive team in the league.
The Bucks have been great on offense, ranking second in the league in scoring and offensive rating this season. However, the Bucks have been one of the worst teams on the defensive side of the court, ranking 21st in defensive rating and 25th in points allowed per game. Antetokounmpo and Lopez are two Defensive Player of the Year-caliber players, yet the holes that Jrue Holiday always covered up have emerged with Lillard's arrival. This was a problem that Griffin was unable to fix due to the first-year coach not gaining the respect of his locker room.
Rivers, a proven champion and well-respected basketball mind, takes over a team that was wanting change. Portis obviously didn't like Griffin, and the Bucks would not have made this move unless Antetokounmpo signed off on it as well. Although schemes and game plans will be changing under new leadership, the vision of competing for another championship is a lot clearer with a head coach who has 24 years of experience and has been to the NBA Finals two different times. Winning a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008 also holds a lot of weight regarding the decision to hire Rivers.
Being ousted from the playoffs in embarrassing fashion after owning the best record in the league last season has really impacted everyone associated with the Bucks. This is especially true for Giannis. When the Bucks won it all in 2021, they looked to be the league's next-best dynasty, especially since Antetokounmpo was just reaching the pinnacle of what he could achieve. The last two seasons have led to questions about whether Milwaukee's recent title was simply a fluke.
During the 2015-16 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were 30-11 with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving leading the way. As a result of LeBron losing faith in David Blatt, the Cavs made a coaching change and hired Tyronn Lue, someone the locker room could trust and buy into. Everyone knows how this season played out.
At 30-13, the Bucks fired Griffin due to Antetokounmpo, Lillard, and others losing faith in him. Out of all the teams the Bucks could play in the aftermath of firing Griffin and hiring Rivers, the first team they will play on Wednesday night is the Cavaliers.
Is this just a coincidence, or have the strings of fate linked the 2015-16 Cavaliers to this season's Bucks?
Mediocre play and inconsistencies existing within the locker room are not traits of a championship team. Under Griffin, this is simply who the Bucks were. Whether or not they continue to be this type of team will shed light on whether or not the Bucks had a coaching problem or if they actually have a personnel problem. Another early exit from the postseason with Rivers now at the helm will undoubtedly lead to more changes come time for the offseason and planning for the 2024-25 season.
Even before then, the Bucks are on the clock with the trade deadline being two weeks away. Milwaukee needs to decide if this roster is good enough to contend for a title, or if moves need to be made.
Bucks' trade deadline options
Compared to other playoff-contending teams around the league, the Bucks do not have the liberty of approaching the trade deadline with an open mind and endless possibilities. Antetokounmpo and Lillard are marking a combined $91.2 million this season, and when you factor in Middleton's contract, the Bucks are already at a point financially where making moves is near impossible. It is also worth mentioning that the team has virtually no draft picks due to the Holiday and Lillard trades they've made over the years.
Over the tax and wanting to maximize their potential to win a championship this season, the Bucks' plans heading into the trade deadline must start outside of Antetokounmpo and Lillard. Quite honestly, nobody should be ruled “untouchable” in trade discussions other than these two. Middleton has not looked like the same high-level All-Star he once was due to knee injuries, and Lopez has not been the difference-making force on offense like he was a season ago.
The 35-year-old center averaged 15.9 points per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from three-point range last season. So far this season, Lopez has averaged just 12.9 points per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the floor and 33.2 percent from long range. A two-year, $48 million contract stands out in not the best way with these kinds of numbers.
Still, it seems unlikely that the Bucks would look to move either Middleton or Lopez, given their impact on the organization as a whole. The idea that this is a weaker trade deadline focused on role players and secondary talents also factors into the decision to keep both players around. The focus for Milwaukee is on Portis, Pat Connaughton, MarJon Beauchamp, and Cameron Payne, as these are the four players who could be moved to potentially upgrade the potential around Dame and Giannis.
Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported Wednesday the possibility of packaging Connaughton and Payne for an upgrade. Those two combine for about $12.5 million in salary this season, and Fischer bandied about names such as Matisse Thybulle and P.J. Tucker as targets. The problem with Thybulle is that he and Rivers did not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things during the head coach's time in Philadelphia. It is hard to imagine Thybulle, who has the right to veto any trade this season, would want to join the Bucks. Alex Caruso was also brought up as a “dream” option, but he truly does seem like a pipe dream.
If the Bucks want to aim higher, Portis is making $11.7 million and Connaughton is making $9.4 million. They are both under contract for the next few seasons, but that's about $21 million in salary to play around with to pursue one of the bigger names available, say a player like Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. Financially speaking, pursuing Murray is possible for the Bucks. From a front office and common sense standpoint, nothing the Bucks have would really be of value to Atlanta, a team looking to cut long-term costs and acquire future assets in the form of draft picks.
What about a player like Bruce Brown, who was just traded from the Pacers to the Toronto Raptors for Pascal Siakam? Brown can be dealt again in a trade by himself and presents upside given his unique style of play. Brown is the definition of what it means to be a glue guy in the league. Just looking back on last season, one can see how instrumental he was to the success of the Denver Nuggets during their championship run. The Bucks need a player like Brown, who can wear multiple hats on the floor and bridge the gaps between Lillard, Middleton, and Antetokounmpo.
Again, the problem that presents itself is that Milwaukee has no real assets to give up to a team like the Raptors.
The Bucks essentially pushed all of their chips in at the poker table when they brought in Griffin as their head coach this offseason, followed by trading for Lillard. Now, by firing Griffin and replacing him with Rivers, Milwaukee is trying to get everyone sitting at this imaginary poker table to believe they have pocket aces when all they really have is a pair of eights. Sure, pocket eights is a decent hand to have and you can win with said hand. However, the flop has shown an Ace, a King, and a Queen in the form of the Celtics, the 76ers, and the top contenders in the Western Conference, respectively.
While a good team, the Bucks have yet to really put their foot down and cement themselves as the team to beat this season. A team led by Giannis and Lillard should be 30-13, or better, at this point in the season. But the deficiencies shown on defense and the lack of togetherness have been very clear. Whether or not the Bucks decide to make a real change at the trade deadline is dependent on their mindset surrounding the impacts of Middleton, Lopez, and Portis on their championship efforts.
No championship means big changes?
Did the Bucks need to fire Griffin in order to save their season? It seems like the answer to this question is a little open-ended because it depends on your definition of “save the season.”
A 30-13 record is where virtually every team hopes to be halfway through the season, especially since the Bucks are on pace for almost 60 wins right now. Milwaukee is just a few games behind Boston for the best record in the league, they have two of the best offensive weapons in the league, and the majority of this core group has already won a championship together.
Now, pertaining to the playoffs and possibly having a chance to compete for a title, moving on from Griffin at this point had to be done. The Bucks were on a collision course with another early exit from the playoffs given their defensive struggles and internal frustrations relating to their head coach. Whether or not Rivers can solve some of these problems and redirect everyone's attention on the task at large seems to be the million-dollar question.
There are no guarantees that Rivers is the right coach to take the Bucks back to the NBA Finals and win another title, simply because he has not been able to accomplish this with plenty of talented players through the years. The inability to make adjustments and seal the deal against the Celtics last season cost the 76ers a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The same thing can be said about Rivers' 2021-22 Sixers team that lost in six games to the Miami Heat during the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Rivers also never made it to the Western Conference Finals with talented Los Angeles Clippers teams.
No team in the league can simply buy their way or take the easy road to a championship, yet it seems like this is exactly what the Bucks are attempting to do. Should they come up short of their ultimate goal once again and Rivers is unable to take this team to the promised land after taking over for Griffin on the sidelines, changes will occur.
There are certainly questions regarding Middleton's future at this point, and it may be fair to start pondering Giannis' future in Milwaukee as well. Whereas it seemed like the organization wanted to hire former Raptors and current Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to take over for Budenholzer this past offseason, Antetokounmpo was the one who changed the organization's thinking. Antetokounmpo is the one who did not want to play for Nurse, instead greenlighting the Bucks' hiring of Griffin. Several months later, Giannis was now the one giving the green light to fire Griffin in favor of Rivers.
Even with a $177.1 million contract extension that goes into effect during the 2025-26 season, Antetokounmpo's future is going to be a key talking point of the NBA offseason should the Bucks fail in the postseason with Rivers.
The Bucks are currently at a crossroads. Down one road is a path to the NBA Finals and various chances to compete for a title over the next few seasons. The other path is more of the same for the Bucks: constant finger-pointing and rumors to come about the potential end of an era.
Adrian Griffin is gone, and Doc Rivers is in. Whether or not this actually has a positive impact on the Bucks' chances of winning a title is yet to be seen.
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