After replacing Mike Budenholzer on the sidelines for the Milwaukee Bucks this past offseason, the Bucks have dismissed head coach Adrian Griffin prior to the All-Star break, as first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Bucks currently find themselves 30-13 on the season, just 3.5 games behind the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA. In a shocking turn of events, the Bucks are now making a significant organizational change in the middle of what they hope to be a championship season.

Assistant coach Joe Prunty is expected to take over the interim head coach role, according to Wojnarowski, but long-time head coach Doc Rivers has emerged as a serious candidate to replace Griffin based on multiple reports. The Athletic says “Rivers is the serious leader for the now-vacant position and the preferred choice of key stakeholders” while also noting the two sides are “working toward a deal.” Woj refuted that the two sides had already started discussing a deal but noted Rivers' strong candidacy.

Doc Rivers' coaching background

Rivers was most recently replaced by Nick Nurse on the Philadelphia 76ers' sidelines. With the Sixers for three seasons, Rivers posted a 154-82 record, leading the team to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in three straight seasons. Prior to his time in Philadelphia, Rivers spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, nine seasons with the Celtics, and five seasons with the Orlando Magic when he first became a head coach in 1999. He is most notably known for his 2007-08 championship with the Celtics.

In a total of 24 NBA seasons, Rivers has posted a 1,097-763 career record. His 1,097 total wins as a head coach rank ninth on the all-time list. Rivers was the 1999-00 NBA Coach of the Year and has earned NBA's Coach of the Month honors 14 different times. During the 2021-22 season, Rivers was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history as part of the league's 75th anniversary celebration.

Adrian Griffin's short-lived tenure

Griffin, who has been fired by the Bucks after just 43 games, is now tied with Rudy Tomjanovich for the third-shortest head coaching tenure in NBA history. Tomjanovich was fired after 43 games with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2004-05 season. The two shortest tenures by a head coach in league history are Bob Weiss at 30 games with the Seattle SuperSonics during the 2005-06 season and Jerry Tarkanian at only 20 games with the San Antonio Spurs during the 1992-93 season.

The Bucks, who have won five of their last six games, are set to play Wednesday night in Milwaukee against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that just defeated the Bucks by 40 points last Wednesday. While Milwaukee is 30-13 on the season, defensive issues and other problems resulted in Griffin's firing.