Giannis Antetokounmpo has spent all season issuing passive-aggressive statements about Milwaukee's situation, all the while stopping short of nipping concerns about his future in the bud. As a result, there's been much pressure on the front office to right the ship and deliver the kind of roster a two-time MVP deserves.
But here's something nobody wants to talk about: he's partly responsible for this mess, and all it takes is a cursory look back into the team's recent history to confirm that. Longtime NBA insider Jake Fischer (subscription required) dropped this detail that should've gotten way more attention.
"When it was time to replace Budenholzer following the 2022-23 season, as chronicled extensively by this newsletter, Antetokounmpo's preferences played a significant role in the ultimate hiring of Adrian Griffin."
Giannis Antetokounmpo is partly to blame for the Bucks' coaching woes
Ultimately, the reality is that Giannis is among those who strongly pushed for Adrian Griffin, the coach Milwaukee eventually fired mid-season because he wasn't working out. It was Antetokounmpo who advocated for the same guy whose tenure was so disastrous that it led to the panic hire of Doc Rivers because no less than the Greek Freak himself vouched for him.
That's a direct line from Giannis' coaching preferences to the chaos that's now making him want to leave. Yet Giannis has already (indirectly) made his preferences for the next coach to replace Rivers.
Of course, none of this excuses Milwaukee's front office for making bad decisions or ownership for forcing the Doc Rivers hire. Jon Horst and company made many mistakes, chief among them kowtowing to the ownership group even when the front office had been set on the likes of Kenny Atkinson. But Giannis himself also needs to acknowledge his role in how things got this bad instead of making things out to be as though he was an innocent victim of incompetence.
The Bucks clearly gave Giannis significant input on coaching decisions, which makes sense for your franchise player. But that input comes with responsibility when those decisions blow up spectacularly. You can't have influence and leadership without accountability. You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Giannis wanting input on coaching is totally reasonable. Every superstar gets consulted on major organizational decisions. But when those decisions fail, you own that failure alongside the front office instead of publicly distancing yourself like it had nothing to do with you.
Griffin was supposed to be the culture guy, the players' coach who could connect with the locker room in ways Budenholzer couldn't. It didn't work, and years later, suddenly Giannis is frustrated with the instability that his own preferences helped create.
But that creates the obvious question: why should Milwaukee trust Giannis' judgment on the next coaching hire? His preferred choice lasted half a season before getting fired. That's not exactly a track record that inspires confidence.
Giannis has dodged accountability for the decisions he made
None of this means Giannis is wrong to be frustrated with how things have gone. The organization made plenty of mistakes independent of his input. But as this writer wrote earlier, one reality that the Greek Freak is missing is that Jon Horst and the front office gave Giannis everything he wanted at every turn. And here he is with his foot out the door.
You wanted influence over the coaching decision. The coach you influenced them toward didn't work, which led to the panic hire that made everything worse. That's on the organization for executing poorly, but it's also on you for the initial push.
Giannis cannot escape blame from this coaching catastrophe. His preferences mattered in hiring Griffin. As a result, Griffin failed, and the domino effect led directly to Doc Rivers and the ensuing chaos this season.
Antetokounmpo is not just a victim of Milwaukee's dysfunction. He's part of the story of how it got this bad. The difference is other superstars would see that, own up to it, and try to right the ship alongside the team.
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