NBA legend takes serious issue with Bucks firing Adrian Griffin

If there was a list of "most thankless jobs in the world," the job of an NBA coach must surely top it. That's precisely why very few NBA insiders reacted in shock when the Milwaukee Bucks fired first-year head coach Adrian Griffin despite him leading the team to a 30-13 record. 

While many analysts have tried to justify the firing by pointing to Milwaukee's paltry defense and palpable lack of chemistry, NBA legend Jamal Crawford isn't having any of it. 

Speaking on Tuesday’s “Inside the NBA” on TNT, Crawford explained why the Bucks should have allowed Griffin at least one postseason run before making a hasty decision. 

"I don’t like it, to be honest with you," Crawford said of Bucks firing Griffin. "He interviewed for 14 different coaching jobs, and he gets one – they have a better record right now than this point last year… and let’s be honest, the Bucks aren’t going to be judged on the regular season anyway. This is a team that’s trying to go to the finals; they’re going to be judged on their postseason success. He didn’t get a chance at that and, for me, that’s disheartening."

Crawford also pointed to the Bucks losing their identity by trading defensive stalwart Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard. In essence, Crawford insinuated that Griffin was the scapegoat for Milwaukee's shortcomings.

"What did we expect?" Crawford asked. "You traded Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard. You were going to lose defense. You said, 'Okay, we're giving up this defense for a more high-powered offense. That's what you're getting right now."

Earlier in the broadcast, while comparing Lillard to Holiday, Crawford referred to the latter as "a better connector" whom "everybody loved," implying that the Bucks sorely miss Holiday's ability to foster camaraderie. However, he conceded that Lillard was "the better scorer" than his Celtics counterpart.

At the time of Griffin’s firing, the Bucks were tied for the second-best record in the league, behind only the odds-on title favorites, the Boston Celtics. Yet, the Bucks were 21st in the league in defensive rating.