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Former stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce teamed up to bring the Boston Celtics a championship in 2008, one known as Banner 17. Now the two have teamed up again to publicly rip the Milwaukee Bucks for letting go of first-year head coach Adrian Griffin with his team boasting a 30-13 record.
Even though Griffin was replaced by Doc Rivers, who coached that Celtics team to their most recent championship, Garnett stressed that the dismissal of Griffin the “worst firing I’ve ever seen.”
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce Blast the Milwaukee Bucks
Most of the NBA world was stunned when the Bucks announced the firing of Griffin, who took over after the Bucks parted ways with Mike Budenholzer after a shocking first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat to end the 2022-23 season. The Bucks were seeded first in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee promoted Griffin, an assistant coach, to take over for Coach Bud and run a promising squad led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks also swung a deal to land All-Star Damian Lillard to bolster the Bucks roster and make the team a serious contender for an NBA championship.
While is wasn’t always smooth sailing for Griffin in his first 43 games as head coach, the Bucks still won 33 games. That wasn’t enough for Griffin to keep his job. Milwaukee’s defense was a big part of the problem, but that wasn’t on Griffin.
When Griffin took the job, he had Jrue Holiday, one of the best defensive guard in the league. Holiday didn’t last long with Griffin. He was part of the package that lured Lillard to Milwaukee. Griffin’s firing left many stunned, including Garnett and Pierce.
“This is the worst firing in NBA history,” Garnett said during an episode of “Ticket & The Truth.” “Like, if you’re Adrian, what can you do, dog?”
“What you gotta do in the league?” Pierce asked. “You gotta be in first place. Damn, what you gotta do?”
“That’s bogus, man,” Garnett continued. “That had to be the all-time worst firing I’ve ever seen.”
Pierce Said There Was No Time To Build Chemistry
Garnett and Pierce were on the same page when it came to ripping the Bucks for Griffin’s firing. Pierce said 43 games isn’t enough time for the team to build chemistry with a new coach and new star like Lillard.
“People don’t understand how it takes time to implement chemistry when you add a piece like Dame Lillard,” Pierce said. “Now everybody’s role fluctuates. (Khris) Middleton, who was Middleton, you can’t be that same Middleton. Brook (Lopez), who was Brook, you gotta be something different because Dame’s here. People think that s*** is gonna come together right away. You need time to put that together.
“For you to be in second place at this stage of the season, and y’all ain’t got the chemistry down at this point says a lot that y’all doing something right. You don’t really hit your peak as a team until almost the playoffs.
Garnett had to throw in one last jab to the Bucks.
“It’s just one of the dumbest firings ever, straight up,” he said. “I don’t know what the owners of the Milwaukee Bucks are expecting. I get going to get Doc, you leveled up, cool. but, man, I thought AG was doing a good job.”
“That’s one of the shortest leashes I’ve ever seen,” said Pierce.
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