“If You Trade Jrue Holiday and Replace Him with Damian Lillard”: Skip Bayless Recalls His Prediction to Explain Bucks Head Coach’s Firing

Skip Bayless had his ‘I told you so’ moment after the Milwaukee Bucks fired rookie head coach Adrian Griffin on Tuesday. Bayless had predicted a similar outcome because of the team’s egregious flaws on the defensive end of the floor. During the latest episode of UNDISPUTED, the FS1 host reminded viewers of his take while highlighting once again why Griffin got fired.

The Milwaukee Bucks currently have the second-best record in the league, along with the Western Conference table-toppers Minnesota Timberwolves. They are only 3.5 games behind the Boston Celtics, standing second in the East with an impressive record of 30-13. Firing a head coach under these circumstances with just 43 games into the season might seem an insane move. But the Bucks surely had their reasons.

“It wasn’t working for them [the Bucks] because it was already flawed from the start. I first guessed this, I said you’re going to lose,” Bayless said on UNDISPUTED. “You’re going to lose a whole lot on defense if you trade Jrue Holiday and replace him with [Damian Lillard].”

The veteran NBA analyst then brought up the fact that Lillard is 81st in the league in defensive win shares and is pretty much a liability on that end of the floor. Bayless also noted that Lillard’s offensive output has also suffered after his favored mentor, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach, Terry Stotts resigned following a disagreement with Griffin in training camp before the start of the season. As a result, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo teamed up to have their HC fired, according to Bayless.

 

The Bucks’ decision to fire Griffin might seem a bit dramatic but a closer look reveals a different picture. While the departure of an elite defensive guard like Holiday was bound to hurt Milwaukee’s defensive capabilities, there’s no excuse for the state of their current defense. They are ranked 21st in the league with an abysmal defensive rating of 116.8. There’s no way they can begin a playoff campaign with these numbers and expect to come out on top.

The Bucks know better than to predict postseason performance based on their regular season record. Last year, they got knocked out in the first round by the eight-seeded Miami Heat after registering the best record in the league in the regular season. However, it’s debatable whether the hiring of Doc Rivers is really that much of an upgrade, considering his history in the playoffs in the last few years.

The problem with Adrian Griffin

There’s no doubt that the Bucks are a Championship or bust team this season after the Damian Lillard trade. Therefore, the firing of Griffin was inevitable. The plays designed by the first year HC often prompted rumblings within the locker room.

After the Bucks’ disappointing loss against the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament semifinals in December, Bobby Portis reportedly called out Griffin’s coaching in the fourth quarter in front of everyone in the locker room. They were also rumors about both Dame and Giannis having a point of contention with the plays structured by the 49-year-old.

In fact, Giannis was seen drawing up a play by himself  just a day before Griffin’s sacking. Interestingly, the two-time MVP was the one who had favored the hiring of Griffin ahead of current Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse, to have more freedom in his decisions on the court. But his actions have made it clear that the recently fired HC failed to rally the troops with his ideas.

This job is probably Doc Rivers’ last chance to redeem himself. However, at the end of the day, Dame and Giannis will have to stay prepared in the postseason to take it beyond a battle of strategies with their immense offensive firepower.