3 long-term replacements for Adrian Griffin the Bucks need to hire ASAP 

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Milwaukee Bucks have dismissed head coach Adrian Griffin after 43 games and a 30-13 record. Griffin was hired this offseason to replace Mike Budenholzer, who compiled a 391-271 record and won the 2021 NBA Finals with the Bucks, but was fired after losing in the first round of the playoffs as the one seed.

The Bucks are tied for the second-best record in the league but have struggled tremendously on defense, and their net rating of plus-4.0 is a step below their recent standard. 

Bucks assistant Joe Prunty will step in as the interim head coach, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Milwaukee Bucks have one of the most talented starting fives in the NBA and championship aspirations they clearly felt Griffin could not live up to. These are three long-term head coaching replacements the Bucks need to target ASAP to make another run to the Finals. 

3. Doc Rivers 

Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported that Doc Rivers is receiving serious consideration for the Bucks’ head coaching job, and there is no surprise as to why. Rivers is ninth all-time in wins in NBA-ABA history and has a long and successful history of coaching teams filled with massive stars and even larger aspirations. 

The only knock on Rivers has been his incredible history of blowing 3-1 series leads in the playoffs, but he did lead the Boston Celtics to their only championship since the 1980s. The Bucks landing Rivers wouldn’t be the most inspired decision, but he is an excellent coach who knows how to handle the unique pressure the Bucks are under. 

Rivers is currently doing color commentary for ESPN after coaching for 24 consecutive seasons. There’s a chance he is enjoying life away from the grind, but the Bucks, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, offer him the best chance he’ll get at securing a second championship. The allure of becoming the fourth coach in history to win a championship with multiple teams could be too much for Rivers to pass up. 

2. Terry Stotts

If it wasn’t for a pre-season rift with Adrian Griffin, which could have been a factor in Griffin’s dismissal, Stotts likely would be the Bucks interim head coach. The Bucks brought him in as part of Griffin’s staff to help the first-time head coach adjust to his new role, but he left before the season started following an altercation with Griffin. 

Stotts was the long-time head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and has an excellent pre-existing relationship with Damian Lillard from their time together in the Pacific Northwest. Stotts hasn’t had the same level of success as Rivers, but he also never coached nearly as talented rosters. 

The Bucks clearly thought highly of Stotts, and he’d be a solid stop-gap solution to give this roster the best chance to make a deep playoff run. However, Stotts is known more for his offensive acumen, and the Bucks desperately need a defensive overhaul. He’s not a perfect fit, but being able to hit the ground running should be a priority in this coaching search. The Bucks are built to win today but not tomorrow and Stotts is the best bet to keep the Bucks humming. 

1. Sam Cassell

Sam Cassell, after a long and decorated playing career, has been an assistant coach in the NBA for the past 15 seasons. For nine of those seasons, he was an assistant on Doc Rivers’ coaching staff. Cassell’s lack of head coaching experience makes him a risk, but if the Bucks didn’t like risk, they wouldn’t have fired their head coach mid-season with a 30-13 record. 

Cassell has a great reputation for teaching and relating to players, and while he hasn’t coached in the biggest moments, he has played in them. Asking a first-time head coach to come in mid-season and rescue a championship team sounds like a heavy lift, and it is, but it worked out well for Tyronn Lue and Pat Riley. 

As a little bonus, Cassell is currently on the Boston Celtics staff and was an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers the prior three seasons. The Celtics and Sixers are the Bucks’ biggest obstacles to reaching the Finals, and no available coach knows those teams better than Cassell will.