Source: https://theathletic.com/4977527/2023/10/19/terry-stotts-bucks-assistant-leaving/
> Although Griffin did not mention any sort of issue between himself and Stotts on Thursday, their relationship was tenuous, league sources told The Athletic, and there was a brief incident at Tuesday’s shootaround in Oklahoma City.
> According to sources who witnessed the events, Griffin wrapped up the shootaround and called the team together for a huddle to close out the day and let the players get to post-shootaround shooting drills. During that huddle, Griffin informed the coaches that he wanted to have a separate huddle with them once they wrapped things up.
> When the players and coaches broke the huddle, Stotts went in the opposite direction of the coaches’ huddle and instead started walking toward players to discuss the offense. As Stotts attempted to start a conversation with Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Griffin called to Stotts to join the coaching huddle. When Stotts asked for some time with the players, Griffin yelled for Stotts to join the coaches’ huddle. The incident occurred in front of the entire team, those sources said.
> While brief, the interaction highlighted the underlying complexity of the relationship between Griffin and Stotts in their first year together in Milwaukee. Around the situation on Thursday, there were two perspectives surrounding Stotts’ resignation: His potential difficulty adapting to a bench role under Griffin after more than a decade as a head coach, and the other being a certain treatment and level of respect that needed to be shown to someone with Stotts’ pedigree.
> “It kind of came out of nowhere,” Lillard said. “I’ve been in this league long enough to know that these types of things happen. Everything continues, so you’ve got to kind of process things like this and other things that may come up and continue to move forward. For me, knowing Terry as long as I’ve known him – playing for him for nine years and him also making this transition for me easier just having a familiar face be such a huge part of it – was a good thing. I think now that I’m settled in, to see him go is unfortunate. It’s sad to see him go, but like I said, everything is still moving forward.”
> Ultimately, though, the partnership between Griffin and Stotts was not meant to be, and Stotts ended it with his resignation. Both Lillard and Khris Middleton told reporters that they were given a heads up of Stotts’ decision on Wednesday night with Lillard telling reporters that Stotts reached out to him personally.
> “We spoke directly,” Lillard said. “I don’t expect anything different. We spend so much time around each other in this league. Seven, eighth months a year, practice every day, flights, hotels, dinners, watching film, we share a lot of intimate spaces and like I said, being with him for nine years and him being my head coach, me being the point guard of his team, we spent a lot of time around each other. We know each other really well, even in the two years without him, we stayed in pretty consistent contact. So, I don’t expect anything different than him to call me directly and that’s how it happened.”
> Per a team source, the Bucks will take their time in considering all options in filling Stotts’ spot on the staff.
by UnbiasedNBAFan_
17 Comments
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Oof not a good look. Won’t mean anything when we hoist the trophy in June anyways
That’s a lot of words for a whole lot of nothing. The author literally states “yelled for Stotts”, all that indicates is Griffin calling to him loudly, which, considering the loudness music that’s usually playing in the facilities isn’t surprising.
Not a terribly dramatic news drop. The two weren’t clicking for whatever reason. Maybe we’ll learn more later, maybe we won’t, but all this really confirms is that there was some degree of tension. Not the end of the world unless Griff turns out to be an awful coach.
Dame’s clearly not upset, so I’m not upset.
Well there you have it. Obviously we don’t know what exactly was said, but seems like Stotts wasn’t really willing to be an assistant coach. Yeah, he should be given respect and all that but AG is still ultimately the head coach. When you start having assistants, players, etc. not accountable to the head coach and just wanting to do their own thing it inevitably causes problems at some point.
This isnt really some toxic bombshell that is going to derail the season like some of doomers on the sub are out to make it seem. Just seems like a professional relationship that wasn’t really working.
Honestly best outcome. Says nothing about clashing of actual coaching schemes. More so seems that Terry didn’t want to be ordered around after being a HC + 2 years retired
🤣🤣 dame said “glad to be here. This guy gotta go.”
Kind of what I thought. Not a big deal but also not nothing.
Not being there to see it, assuming Nehm’s story is true… AG is the head coach, he wanted a coach’s huddle so… You’re a coach, go to the huddle.
I’d assume this wasn’t the first time they butted heads. Maybe Stotts just wasn’t that interested in being an assistant? Who knows, anything from here is conjecture but this seems like an easy thing to get over.
Weird move by Griffin to yell at Stotts in front of the entire team
Definitely seems like an ego and respect clash between the two which probably drove Stotts away
In a situation that could into something toxic, I like that AG laid down the law.
The Bucks have a duo of Giannis and Dame and dudes are crying about an assistant coach who hasn’t even had a job for 2 years being off the team 😭
>level of respect that needed to be shown to someone with Stotts’ pedigree
Maybe this shit can finally die, especially when someone with “pedigree” accepts a lower job on the totem pole.
Honestly, I’m just glad that this happened in the pre-season rather than two or three months into the season. This is the type of thing that could throw off team chemistry, pit people against each other and just be a huge, unnecessary distraction later on.
This is what happens when the Bucks don’t let AG hire his own staff.
Sounds like theyre both in the wrong here, Stotts acting like he can do whatever he wants and Griff overreacting. Probably a difficult dynamic to navigate with a long time HC working under a rookie. I do wonder if Stotts was doing stuff like that with the on purpose acting like hes above an assistant coaching role 🤷♀️
Head coach is the leader, if someone doesn’t follow protocol, it undermines that leadership role.
I absolutely love Stotts… but really? Seems rather immature of him to not acknowledge these aspects of leadership and basically disrespect it in front of the entire team.