Giannis taken aback Griffin fired, trusts Bucks’ brass

MILWAUKEE — Bucks two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about the firing of first-year coach Adrian Griffin caught him without warning, but that he trusts Milwaukee’s resolution-makers to present the team the most realistic attainable likelihood to gain a championship.

“I’ve bought to belief the entrance put of job, I’ve bought to belief the ownership team that they offer concept to the bigger image,” Antetokounmpo talked about following the Bucks’ 126-116 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. “My job is to be the most realistic version of myself, to book this team accessible and motivate gain games.

“Their job is to manufacture the most realistic team attainable and the most realistic ambiance all over the team attainable that they sing gives us the next likelihood to gain a championship. Nevertheless yeah, I style mediate [firing coach Griffin] became once a surprise.”

Griffin became once brushed off on Tuesday no subject a 30-13 fable via his first 43 games, 2d in the Japanese Conference. He is the first coach since David Blatt became once fired by the Cavs in 2015-16 to be brushed off with this kind of high successful proportion.

Sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Doc Rivers reached an settlement in belief Wednesday to turn into the Bucks’ next coach. Overall supervisor Jon Horst talked about he would no longer observation till a deal grew to turn into legitimate.

Earlier than Wednesday’s sport, Horst detailed his resolution to fire Griffin, saying he wished to toughen the team at a teaching degree in narrate to maximise the team’s championship window this season. He additionally emphasised that this became once a resolution made by the team’s entrance put of job and ownership team, no longer one pushed by player enter.

Antetokounmpo has been vocal all season in his criticism of the Bucks’ performance no subject their fable. Even on Wednesday, he acknowledged the techniques Milwaukee may perchance perchance toughen when requested about Horst’s overview that that they had no longer played to their rotund likely.

“From our chemistry, to the design we apply, our degree of level of interest after we exit there, there may be heaps of issues that lets style greater,” he talked about. “Two-man sport with me and[[[[Damian Lillard]more. Me and Chris[Middleton[Middleton[Middleton[Middleton]to additionally join more. To posting up Brook[Lopez[Lopez[Lopez[Lopez]. There’s so many issues … so I will doubtlessly sing that he is regarding these issues.”

Quiet, Antetokounmpo refuted the postulate that he did no longer maintain a factual relationship with Griffin or that he became once fervent with the resolution.

“I beloved the fellow. I invited him to my marriage ceremony,” Antetokounmpo talked about. “I became once coached by him and we did very, very, very effectively. When any individual is being hired, the GM may perchance perchance attain and inquire of, ‘What style you mediate about that? What style you mediate about this?’ or whatever and no longer suitable me — players, of us that he trusts their recommendation. Nevertheless at events, they manufacture it seem esteem it be the players that are making the resolution.”

In their first sport since Griffin became once fired, the Bucks never trailed in opposition to the Cavs, avenging a 40-level loss in Cleveland final week when Antetokounmpo did no longer play. On Wednesday, he posted 35 parts, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, his third triple-double in the previous four games and seventh on the season, matching a season high (2020-21).

Lillard talked about he became once additionally caught off guard by Griffin’s dismissal, but additionally agreed Milwaukee has no longer played to its rotund likely.

“There’s been heaps of expectations on our team,” Lillard talked about after Wednesday’s sport. “Issues were anticipated to learn a undeniable design. We now maintain had a bumpy avenue to our success, which is in most cases a fraction of the process. I became once taken aback. Nevertheless it absolutely’s fraction of the game. Folk score traded, of us score waived, of us score fired, and that’s never one thing that you must learn.”