The writing may be on the wall in Milwaukee: the Giannis Antetokounmpo era appears to be nearing its end. While a trade to the Utah Jazz seems unlikely, the mere possibility of Giannis being moved is enough to send shockwaves across the league.
But how did we get here? According to former Buck Jae Crowder, the unraveling started with one pivotal decision - replacing head coach Adrian Griffin with Doc Rivers.
Crowder, who spent a season and a half alongside Giannis in Milwaukee, didn’t mince words when he took to social media to share his perspective.
“WE WERE 30-13 BTW. TO BRING IN DOC. THIS IS WHAT STARTED THE AVALANCHE,” Crowder posted on X.
That 30-13 record is hard to ignore. The Bucks were rolling in the standings when the coaching change occurred. But Crowder’s frustration wasn’t just about the numbers - it was about the locker room dynamic and how the decision blindsided the team.
In another post, Crowder pushed back on a resurfaced video clip that showed Bucks players dancing after Griffin’s firing. He clarified that the team wasn’t celebrating the move - they were trying to reset the mood before playing a game without a head coach.
“WE WASNT DANCING BC HE GOT FIRED,” Crowder wrote. “WE DANCED TO TRY AND SHAKE THE VIBES IN A POSITIVE LIGHT BC WE WERE ALL BLINDSIDED AND HAD A GAME TO PLAY WITHOUT A HEADCOACH. WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSE TO DO BE SAD ON THE COURT AND GET BLOWN OUT?”
That kind of behind-the-scenes insight is rare, and it paints a picture of a team caught off guard by a major leadership change midseason. Crowder’s comments suggest a group that felt the rug was pulled out from under them - and never quite regained their footing.
Now, to be fair, there’s more to Milwaukee’s recent struggles than just a coaching switch. The Bucks ended that season 49-33 - a solid record, but not quite the powerhouse performance fans expected.
Some of that early success may have been inflated by a soft schedule, and Giannis’ injury just before the postseason certainly didn’t help. Still, Crowder’s point stands: the coaching change was a major turning point.
But the cracks in the foundation were already showing before Griffin was let go.
Let’s rewind to the previous postseason, when the Bucks were bounced by Miami in the first round - a stunning and humbling exit for a team with championship aspirations. That loss set off a chain reaction.
Milwaukee made a blockbuster move to bring in Damian Lillard, hoping his offensive firepower could be the missing piece. But the problems ran deeper than one player could solve.
The roster around Giannis began to show its age. Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton - key pieces of the 2021 title run - were no longer at their peak.
And the front office didn’t have a clear succession plan. Decisions like letting Donte DiVincenzo walk or making low-impact trades (including the one for Crowder himself) added up to a pattern of questionable asset management.
It’s a tough balance in the NBA: honoring the players who brought you a championship while also knowing when to pivot. Milwaukee leaned too heavily on sentiment, and now they’re paying the price.
Crowder, for all his own ups and downs, had a front-row seat to it all. His frustration isn’t just about a coach - it’s about a franchise that, in his eyes, lost its way after reaching the mountaintop.
No matter how you slice it, the Bucks are now in a difficult spot. Giannis, once the face of the league’s most stable franchise, could be on the move. Whether the turning point was the Griffin firing or something deeper in the roster construction, the end result is the same: a championship window that once looked wide open is now rapidly closing.
Crowder’s words might be blunt, but they echo a sentiment that’s hard to ignore - the Bucks had something special, and somewhere along the way, they let it slip.