Former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts won’t be part of the Milwaukee Bucks organization moving forward. Stotts joined the Bucks’ coaching staff in June to serve as an assistant under first-time head coach Adrian Griffin.
Griffin confirmed Stotts’ departure during a press conference on Thursday.
“It caught all of us off guard, of course, but again, you just support him,” Griffin told the reporters. “He was a terrific guy. I learned a lot from him in a very short time. He was really good at what he does. He made a decision – a personal decision – and we just have to respect that.”
Griffin didn’t want to go into details about why Stotts left the Bucks after only four months. However, according to Shams Charania and Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the likely reason was the “tenuous” relationship between the two.
In a story published shortly after news about Stotts’ departure was made official, The Athletic reported that Griffin and Stotts had a run-in during a practice. Griffin reportedly wanted to have a huddle with all the coaches, but Stotts wanted to discuss the offense with a group of players. This prompted Griffin to raise his voice, which sources believe contributed to Stotts’ decision to hand in his resignation.
Terry Stotts has deep ties with the Bucks’ organization. He served as an assistant with the franchise between 1998 and 2002 and was hired as Milwaukee’s head coach in 2005–06. He made the playoffs in his first season at the helm before being fired after 64 games in the 2006-07 season.
