The Milwaukee Bucks fired Adrian Griffin as coach on Tuesday after 43 games, despite having one of the league's best records midway through his first season.
Sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the Bucks will immediately pursue a few experienced senior head coaches, including Doc Rivers.
"Making this decision during the season was a challenging one," stated Bucks general manager Jon Horst in a statement.
"Efforts are being made to hire our next head coach without delay." We appreciate Coach Griffin's contributions and hard labor on behalf of the team.
Interim coach Joe Prunty is a veteran assistant. Horst will hold a news conference Wednesday before the Bucks' next home game against the Cavaliers.
The Milwaukee Bucks fired Adrian Griffin as coach on Tuesday after 43 games, despite having one of the league's best records midway through his first season.
After Milwaukee's first-round exit last postseason, Mike Budenholzer was dismissed and replaced by Griffin over the summer.
Bucks made a stunning trade for Damian Lillard months after the hire, adding expectation on the team to win big this season.
Since David Blatt's Cavaliers in 2015-16, the Bucks have the best winning percentage for a team that fired its head coach. They entered Tuesday's games No. 2 in the Eastern Conference.
Despite the strong record, the Bucks have struggled, especially on defense. In two games against the Detroit Pistons, they allowed 135 and 113 points, falling from fourth to 22nd on defense.
Griffin, 49, had been an NBA assistant for sixteen seasons, with the Toronto Raptors having employed him for the previous five. That was subsequent to a nine-year NBA career.