The Milwaukee Bucks’ choice to fire first-year head coach Adrian Griffin on Tuesday was hardly an overnight decision.

It was borne out of months of underwhelming play, with internal concerns growing about the severe decline of their once-elite defense, the flawed use of newcomer Damian Lillard alongside franchise centerpiece Giannis Antetokounmpo...

And there was player criticism of their organization in the stretch. The underwhelming play I saw and wrote about; Dame's non-impact I saw but didn't write; the defensive decline and the player criticism I didn't know about before today. You know the one thing that stood out to me as weirdest in the "Bucks"' season so far? Antetokounmpo nearly causing a rumble going after the ball as a souvenir. I think I gave him a "Recent Asshole" for that. Still:

It was shocking.