After the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, reporters asked Giannis Antetokounmpo to talk about Adrian Griffin, who was fired by the Bucks.
Milwaukee fired Griffin despite having the second-best record in the East. Doc Rivers is replacing Griffin.
“I’ve got to trust the front office. I’ve got to trust the ownership group that they consider the bigger picture,” Antetokounmpo said. “My job is to be the best version of myself, to lead this team out there and help win games. Their job is to create the best team possible and the best atmosphere around the team possible that they believe gives us a better chance to win a championship. But yeah, I do think [firing coach Griffin] was a surprise.”
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported that Antetokounmpo “lost faith” in Griffin. However, Antetokounmpo pushed back on the notion that he didn’t like Griffin.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Adrian Griffin, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
“I loved the guy. I invited him to my wedding,” Antetokounmpo said. “I was coached by him and we did very, very, very well. When somebody is being hired, the GM might come and ask, ‘What do you think about that? What do you think about this?’ Or whatever and not just me — players, people that he trusts their advice. But at times, they make it seem like it’s the players that are making the decision.”
The Bucks are 31-13 on the season. They are second in the NBA in points per game but only 25th in points per game allowed.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks this season while shooting 60.5% from the field, 24.0% from 3 and 66.9% from the foul line. He has 33 double-doubles and seven triple-doubles.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Adrian Griffin, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Antetokounmpo signed a three-year, $177 million extension with the Bucks in October. The two-time MVP intends to spend his entire career in Milwaukee.
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