Report: Larry Drew was ‘blindsided’ by Milwaukee firing
Of all the crazy storylines to occur in the NBA this past summer, none was more out of the ordinary than the Jason Kidd-Milwaukee Bucks saga. Following an attempt to seek a bigger position, usurping general manager Billy King for his position, Kidd immediately looked to his second option–the Milwaukee Bucks.
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And the Milwaukee Bucks wasted no time. Within hours of the report connecting Milwaukee to Kidd, it was reported the Nets would seek compensation for Kidd–ultimately a second-round pick.
As it did the rest of the world, then-Bucks head coach Larry Drew said the firing-and-hiring caught him off guard.
From the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:
"“From their (the owners’) standpoint, there’s no set time for these type of things,” Drew said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.“It caught me in a position when I least expected it. But I know how these things work. I don’t have any hard feelings, any grudges against anybody.“Marc (Lasry) called me and I just wished him luck. I’ve got to keep moving forward.”"
It’s not often, coaches ask out of their current jobs for another job that’s occupied. Unfortunately, Drew became victim to unusual circumstances, but he may not be too affected as he’s landed on David Blatt’s coaching staff with the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that has added LeBron James, Kevin Love, Shawn Marion, and Mike Miller to a core that already featured Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson, transforming from bottom-dweller to championship contender in the matter of months.
Drew’s not a head coach anymore, but things have played in his favor and he won’t have to deal with the actions of Larry Sanders for another season . I say his summer has been pretty good.