On paper, the Bucks look dangerous — they have a top-10 (maybe top-five) player in Giannis Antetokounmpo, good role players, a lot of length and athleticism, and they have notched some quality wins.
In reality, they are 23-22 with a negative point differential, and they are the eighth seed in the East playoff race just a game out of missing the postseason entirely. The Bucks have the 25th ranked defense in the NBA and that has not taken steps forward this season as hoped. They have a gambling/pressure defensive style that can be beaten with good ball movement (even though they backed off that a little of late this team is still bottom 10 defensively in its last 10 games), and on offense they played more like a 1990s team than a 2018 team.
That has cost coach Jason Kidd his job, something first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Milwaukee has fired coach Jason Kidd, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2018
Bucks made move on Kidd based upon dropping into the 8th seed in the East, frayed relationships in organization and general non-alignment, league sources tell ESPN. Bucks job will be most sought after of offseason, largely because of @Giannis_An34.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2018
Bucks GM Jon Horst confirmed it.
“Many factors went into this decision, but ultimately we decided that a fresh approach and a change in leadership are needed to continue elevating our team to the next level and bringing us closer to our goal of winning championships,” Horst said in a statement. “We believe that making this change now is important for the organization and gives our players the best chance to reach their full potential this season and beyond.
“Jason oversaw an impressive turnaround in his first year, led the team to two playoff appearances and was instrumental in the development of our young talented players. We appreciate his tireless work and the meaningful contributions he made to the organization and the community. We wish him the best.”
This will be a highly sought-after job, but there will be no splashy short-term moves.
Bucks assistant coach Joe Prunty will be installed as interim coach, league sources tell ESPN. He will coach Bucks against Phoenix tonight.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2018
A lot of people around the league wondered if this was coming after the season, this was sooner than expected. The question was always how much leverage the future Hall of Fame player had with ownership — the two sides were close — and the answer is not enough. Especially when he would make ridiculous coaching decisions (like fouling late in a game when up four because he feared a four-point play).
This is the right move for Milwaukee, even if the players (and some veteran players around the league in the old boy’s club) don’t like it, but now there’s a lot of pressure on the next hire.
The Bucks brought in Horst as GM this summer — a compromise candidate because the feuding factions of ownership could not agree on the same guy so they went with a choice they could both stomach down the list — and now he gets the chance to put a real stamp on the future of the organization.
With Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe, Khris Middleton, and Jabari Parker once he gets healthy, the Bucks should be discussed with Philadelphia and Minnesota as the up-and-coming teams in the NBA. However, while you see the promise with the other teams, the Bucks have seemed stalled — two steps up, one step back. This season was another step back, or at least a step sideways. The team wasn’t improving.
The coaching shakeup could help change the dynamic around the team, although the fruits of it likely don’t really come until next season.
