Over the last several days, Milwaukee Bucks past and present have been taking shots at one another. It started with Jae Crowder, a one-time Bucks X-factor, essentially saying that the Adrian Griffin firing, which led to Doc Rivers becoming coach, was the beginning of the end for Milwaukee. Rivers has now fired back, saying, "Usually there’s a reason behind it, usually it’s called playing time."
Even if Crowder was frustrated that he wasn't playing starter-level minutes in Milwaukee, that doesn't change the fact that the Bucks have indeed been in a downward spiral from the moment Rivers took the reins from Griffin. Things have gotten so bad that Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has preached about loyalty for a decade-plus now, is potentially on his way out the door.
The Doc Rivers era in Milwaukee has been an unmistakable disaster
Upon Rivers taking over, Crowder averaged 23.1 minutes per game during the 2023-24 NBA season. It's not like Rivers benched him entirely, so the playing time argument doesn't hold much weight. Sure, he wasn't playing minutes like he was in Phoenix, where he was a vital cog, but he was still averaging the eighth-most minutes on the Milwaukee Bucks in that timeframe.
Even if Crowder was just being petty, the numbers say he wasn't wrong in calling out Rivers. After a 30-13 start under Adrian Griffin, the Bucks went an ugly 17-19 under Rivers the rest of the season. They were better the following season at 48-34, but they were still a fifth seed and first-round exit. This season, they are 10 games below .500 for the first time in a decade. They are simply a mess.
Gone are the days when the Milwaukee Bucks could waltz into being a top-three seed in the East with Mike Budenholzer at the helm. Firing Budenholzer was a justifiable move at the time, given his handful of shortcomings following the title, but Milwaukee's operating process to fill the void in his absence has been nothing short of a disaster.
Crowder isn't totally innocent in Milwaukee's woes as well, as the Bucks expected far more out of him after the haul they gave up to acquire him. He was definitely one of the most disappointing pickups they've had in quite some time. However, he hasn't been with the team for the last season and a half. You can't blame him for the team being 12th in the East right now.
Crowder wins this round.
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