Interesting insight on Giannis & Middleton
However, Khris Middleton was considered the "Giannis whisperer," a player who had the star's utmost respect and could deliver hard criticism or honest thoughts about his game.
And while Middleton (and the coaching staff) struggled to create cohesion alongside Antetokounmpo and Lillard, Middleton had inherently understood the on-court hierarchy.
He may not have liked it, but he long ago decided he would not be the problem.
The article itself is about the breakup of Giannis & MIL
https://eu.jsonline.com/story/sports/nba/bucks/2026/06/24/how-the-giannis-antetokounmpo-era-in-milwaukee-came-to-a-bitter-end/90478839007/On the heels of the first losing season in a decade, how did the organization and the face of it get here?
There was no singular moment, no flashpoint.
The separation was the result of slowly bleeding out over the past three seasons. The symptoms of so many small self-inflicted wounds were tangible, but no one with the power to staunch them applied any pressure.
Story Summary
* The relationship between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks deteriorated over three seasons due to coaching changes and roster moves.
* Key decisions, such as firing coach Mike Budenholzer and trading Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard, fractured the team's winning culture.
* A series of coaching hires, including Adrian Griffin and Doc Rivers, failed to establish trust and a clear identity for the team.
* Communication breakdowns and conflicting actions from both Antetokounmpo and team leadership led to a mutual loss of faith.
* The culmination of these issues resulted in Antetokounmpo being traded from the franchise he led to a championship.
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That it was Holiday who had to be moved out for Lillard, not another high-priced player. That starting guard Grayson Allen would also have to be traded.
That the team's defense-first identity would be flipped entirely on its head.
I had forgotten Grayson Allen was on the Bucks. He has been excellent for Phoenix. Last season and 3 years ago. The middle season wasn't great but he saw his minutes and role reduced by Bradley Beal. I feel that was more circumstance than his play.
Grayson Allen would have been great on MIL this year. Him and Ryan Rollins in the backcourt. If they had of kept Jrue, Jrue as well. A 3 guard backcourt.
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Interesting info on the coach Adrian Griffin.
Apparently he had a few issues. He was insecure about the team bringing in Terry Stotts - Lillard's old head coach -- as his assistant. Griffin gave him a dressing down in the locker room in front of the whole team. Stotts resigned.
Another issue. Giannis felt that he and Lillard were on their own. That Griffin had no ideas and was of no help to improve their on court partnership. That Giannis & Lillard would have to figure out everything for themselves.
Griffin refused to replace Stotts with an experienced assistant. The team felt he needed an experienced coach given his own inexperience. The team didn't think much of his analytical video presentation team. They felt they were worse prepared than under Budenholzer.
And some felt Griffin was only hired because of Giannis so some others in the locker room had no confidence in him. Yikes.
Giannis ended up drawing plays with Portis because he lost trust in Griffin. Then the team lost trust in his defensive schemes. They were arguing so loud with Griffin that the whole media could hear it from outside the locker room. Then they staged a coup to get rid of Griffin. Jeez ... the players started calling their own plays, their own defensive schemes, their own substitutions / rotations. This is all within the first few days of the season. Griffin was allowing player input but allowed too much of it and they took over.
Topic: NBA 2026-27 offseason trades, signings & rumors (Read 23900 times)