Bucks fire head coach, have surprising candidate in mind for full-time job

 As reporter Chris Mannix wrote on social media, the move to fire Griffin wasn't entirely shocking to those in NBA circles.

Still, from the outside, the move is a surprise. Milwaukee is one of three teams with 30 wins and has the second-best offense in the NBA, averaging 124.6 points per game.

However, defense has been a problem, allowing 120.5 points per game. Only the Pacers, Hawks, Wizards, Pistons and Spurs have been worse on that end of the court.

Despite the team's shortcomings, most coaches should expect to be given more than 43 games if they win nearly 70% of their games like Griffin did. 

This wasn't a scenario like when the Cavaliers fired John Beilein following a 14-40 start to the 2019-20 season.

It's more similar to another Cavs mid-season firing when they dismissed David Blatt 41 games into his second season with the team in 2015-16 when Cleveland was 30-11.

The Cavaliers won the NBA title that season, something the Bucks hope to duplicate. That's where targeting Rivers is a head-scratcher.

For all of his regular-season success, Rivers hasn't reached the NBA Finals as a head coach since the 2009-10 season. In the 13 seasons since, he's best known for blowing 3-1 series leads.

If there was a disconnect between Griffin and the locker room, it's hard to fault the Bucks for cutting his tenure short. 

But if the decision was made out of a fear that he wouldn't be able to lead Milwaukee on a deep playoff run, then hiring Rivers should be off the table.