“This Feels Like Tampering”: Kevin Garnett Believes Doc Rivers’ Immediate Hiring Following Adrian Griffin’s Firing Is A Bit Fishy

Abhishek Dhariwal | 27/01/2024
"This Feels Like Tampering": Kevin Garnett Believes Doc Rivers' Immediate Hiring Following Adrian Griffin's Firing Is A Bit Fishy

The Milwaukee Bucks underwent some changes at the head coaching position midway through the season. The Bucks recently fired Adrian Griffin and chose to hire Doc Rivers in his place. While the Bucks front office has all the right to make a head coaching change, what has the majority of the league and fans in a state of confusion is the fact that Milwaukee was one of the top teams in the East before the change.

The Bucks signing a deal with Doc Rivers for the head coaching position was a hot topic of debate among Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on Showtime’s KG Certified. And while he has a great relationship with Rivers, this move does not sit right with Garnett.

As the episode went on, Pierce and Garnett talked about the suspicious circumstances but moreover, how quickly the Bucks found a replacement for Griffin. While on the show, Garnett went on to say, “Listen, this feels like tampering, low key. This feels like tampering, I’m just saying. So, what? I had Doc on speed dial?”

This prompted a reply from Paul Pierce that went on to shed some more light on the situation. Pierce stated, “They said he was consulting during the whole process. No, this is what I read. I don’t know what’s true. So they saying, all year he been acting as a consultant for the staff of Milwaukee. So, that’s why when Griffin got fired, the turnaround was so quick. It was like either the assistant or you got Doc in the rearview mirror.”

 

 

Both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were on the Boston Celtics championship squad led by Doc Rivers. So, naturally, their relationship with Doc is closer than what it is with the rest of the players he coached.

But in the end, Garnett pointed out how Rivers was the consultant for the Bucks, and Milwaukee firing Adrian Griffin did seem suspicious under these circumstances. Especially, given how Doc Rivers was second in line for the job. 

So, it may very well have been possible that Rivers got the ball rolling and let it crash into the Bucks front office, causing them to fire their head coach and sign the best viable replacement in an instant.

Kevin Garnett’s growing suspicions

Kevin Garnett did not hesitate and revealed the basis of his initial suspicion over the signing of Doc Rivers. He felt as if Rivers may have been the one who acted as the antagonist in this situation, getting Adrian Griffin fired to get the best deal possible for him with the Bucks.

But there was something that baffled Paul Pierce even more. It was the fact that Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had vouched for Adrian Griffin. Moreover, he was clearly not happy over Griffin being released nor was he consulted on it.

“This is the thing that I don’t like about the NBA. It’s a crazy business. Yesterday, Coach Griff was our head coach. Today, he’s not. And we walk in there and it’s like he was never here. I don’t like that about the NBA and I speak openly about it.” He also went on to add, “False. I loved the guy. I invited him to my wedding, you know? I talked with him. I was coached by him and we did very, very, very well.”

 

Antetokounmpo was clearly affected by the Bucks front office decision to part ways with Adrian Griffin. However, he has done a great job in staying focused and giving it his all for his team this year.

Let’s see if the Bucks’ decision to switch coaches midseason does work out for them or not.

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
Adrian Griffin Doc Rivers Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks

About the author

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Abhishek Dhariwal

A fan of Basketball since the late 2000s, Abhishek Dhaiwal has been covering the game for over five years. Having done his masters in Journalism and Mass Communication, Abhishek is an NBA sports journalist at The SportsRush. A fan of the San Antonio Spurs since the Tim Duncan era, Abhishek has an extensive knowledge of the sport and has covered more than 1500 articles. Having a firsthand experience of the sport, Abhishek has represented his city and state at a District and National level. And it is the same level of expertise he aims to bring while covering extensive topics both on and off the court of your favorite basketball stars.

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