Breaking: Milwaukee Bucks fire coach Adrian Griffin, as Mike Budenholzer is Vindicated.

The Milwaukee Bucks have sacked Adrian Griffin just months into his debut season as the NBA franchise’s head coach, in a surprising decision revealed on Tuesday afternoon. Last year’s coach is now vindicated.

The Milwaukee Bucks fired Adrian Griffin on Tuesday, less than a year after signing him to replace Mike Budenholzer, according to ESPN. In his absence, assistant Joe Prunty will take over as acting head coach. Griffin’s poor, quick tenure implies that Budenholzer was not the team’s problem following its early exit from the NBA Playoffs last season.

While the Bucks hold a 30-13 record that places them second in the Eastern Conference, they’ve slipped defensively after acquiring Damian Lillard in the offseason. And, more generally, the vibes have at times seemed off for a group with NBA Finals aspirations.

According to ESPN, the Bucks will now pursue a veteran head coach and aim to set up an appointment as soon as possible in order to avoid prolonging the situation. Doc Rivers, who won a championship with the Boston Celtics, is considered a front-runner. Griffin was a first-time head coach who had previously worked as an assistant in the NBA for over ten years. He had replaced Budenholzer, a veteran of the bench, in the hopes of instilling new vitality into a club that the front office feared was on the verge of stagnation. The gamble did not pay off.

Budenholzer had helped a defense led by Jrue Holiday on the perimeter and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez on the inside prosper with a drop system. And his renowned ball movement-oriented approach proved effective when the Bucks won the NBA championship in 2020-21.