Everyone was skeptical when the Milwaukee Bucks hired Doc Rivers after the shocking dismissal of Adrian Griffin, even the players. Jae Crowder, who was with the Bucks when Griffin, despite a 30-13 record, was let go and Rivers was hired mid-season, took his feelings to X (formerly Twitter) and let it be known that the decision marked a turning point.
"WE WERE 30-13 [By the way]. TO BRING IN DOC. THIS IS WHAT STARTED THE AVALANCHE"
Crowder puts Bucks' coaching move on blast
The avalanche Crowder is referring to is the trade buzz that the Milwaukee Bucks are now officially willing to listen to offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo. With Milwaukee's season going nowhere fast, things are bleak, and a divorce may be on the horizon. Truth be told, as Crowder highlighted, this has been brewing from the moment Rivers took over.
In a different tweet, Crowder explained how the team was blindsided by the move. A viral clip of the team dancing on the court shortly after the firing has resurfaced, and Crowder explained that it was because everyone was trying to get the vibes back up. Things were not great, and the Bucks thought that bringing in Doc Rivers would be the Band-Aid solution. He only made the cut deeper.
WE WASNT DANCING BC HE GOT FIRED WE DANCED TO TRY AND SHAKE THE VIBES IN A POSITIVE LIGHT BC WE WERE ALL BLINDSIDED AND HAD A GAME TO PLAY WITHOUT A HEADCOACH. WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSE TO DO BE SAD ON THE COURT AND GET BLOWN OUT?
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) January 28, 2026
Were things perfect under Adrian Griffin? No. The Bucks were winning games, but they weren't very convincing. The vibes were off. Despite a 30-13 record, the Bucks figured they would be better off with a new coach, which was Doc Rivers in this case. The result? An 87-89 record between the regular season and playoffs since his takeover. They've been a mess.
Bringing in Rivers was truly the beginning of the end. Injuries have played a part in Milwaukee's many shortcomings over the years, but so has poor coaching.
Would the Bucks have been better off under Griffin? That's debatable. However, it's not like the Bucks were forced to bring in Rivers. Kenny Atkinson was still out there just months after Milwaukee already passed on him once to hire Griffin. What has he done since then? Well, he only went on to win Coach of the Year with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Since letting Mike Budenholzer go, the Milwaukee Bucks have completely botched finding their ideal replacement. Griffin didn't even get a full season to prove himself, while Rivers has had an incredibly long leash despite very little success. Milwaukee's decisions over the last couple of years have led them to where things currently stand, and it's bleak.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.