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Giannis Antetokounmpo is still without a coach since the Milwaukee Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer after they were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the playoffs. Nick Nurse, Kenny Atkinson, Frank Vogel and Adrian Griffin are reportedly the leaders to fill the vacant slot.
While the veteran coaches are reportedly the favorites, Marc Stein reported that Griffin could be the man of the hour due to Antetokounmpo’s preference:
“The Bucks appear to be the closest of the five teams with current coaching openings to filling the position. Nurse, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and Adrian Griffin, an assistant on Nurse's staff in Toronto, are the three reported finalists to replace the ousted Mike Budenholzer.
"As I reported here Monday, dialogue with Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be a feature of this stage ... with Giannis said to be intrigued by the Griffin option.”
Stein, however, wasn’t the first to bring the Adrian Griffin angle into the situation.
Here’s what John Gambodoro had to say about the situation in the 'Burns and Gambo' podcast:
“I think that Griffin is gonna get the Milwaukee job because Giannis wants him. There’s like a butting of the heads in Milwaukee, from what I’m being told, because you’ve got the owner, you’ve got the GM, you’ve got Giannis.
They wanna keep Giannis and they wanna keep Giannis happy. Adrian Griffin is his choice. That’s who he wants.”
If the rumors about Giannis Antetokounmpo asking for Adrian Griffin are true, then it’s nothing that fans would be surprised about. Teams asking franchise players who their preferred coaches are is nothing new. The NBA’s coaching carousel has often been dictated by the league's superstars.
Coaching the Milwaukee Bucks will be a prime job opportunity for any coach. The “Greek Freak,” who just had another MVP-caliber season, will be in peak form for at least several more years. Milwaukee’s roster, however, needs to be retooled but the team will remain a legit title contender if the core is intact.
Giannis Antetokounmpo refused last season’s early playoffs exit as a failure
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks entered the playoffs with the best record in the NBA. They had home-court advantage to the Finals if they reached that point.
Unfortunately, they were embarrassed in five games by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat that was led by Jimmy Butler. “Jimmy Buckets” closed them out with 56 and 42 points, respectively.
When asked by a reporter about how the Bucks’ collapse led to their failure, the Greek basketball superstar passionately answered:
"You work towards a goal – it's not a failure. It's steps to success. There's always steps to it.
"Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years was a failure? That's what you're telling me?"
"There's good days, bad days, some days you're able to be successful, some days you're not. Some days it's your turn, some days it's not your turn. And that's what sports (are) about: you don't always win.
The potential hiring of Adrian Griffin may be Giannis Antetokounmpo’s next step toward bringing another championship to the Milwaukee Bucks.
