Former Buck laces into Doc Rivers

Jae Crowder tends to make himself heard.

The former NBA forward, who played for nine teams in 13 seasons -- including Sacramento last season for the last nine of his 812 games -- has always tweeted in capital letters.

He did again this week, as he weighed in on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, and the belief that a split between Giannis and the Bucks is coming soon, maybe as soon as prior to the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

Crowder, who played 68 games for the Bucks over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, quote tweeted an old tweet from a former ESPN insider to make his point. The original tweet announced the firing of Adrian Griffin by the Bucks just 43 games into the 2023-24 season. The Bucks replaced Griffin with Joe Prunty on an interim basis. Then they brought in Doc Rivers, who had previously coached the Clippers, 76ers, Magic and Celtics -- and who had been mentoring Griffin behind the scenes.

WE WERE 30-13 BTW. TO BRING IN DOC. THIS IS WHAT STARTED THE AVALANCHE https://t.co/BGh2ZaulRx
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) January 28, 2026

"We were 30-13 BTW," Crowder tweeted. "TO BRING IN DOC. THIS IS WHAT STARTED THE AVALANCHE."

Crowder isn't alone in league circles in believing Griffin didn't get a fair shot. Griffin, for his part, said at the time that he appreciated the opportunity he was given, and "couldn't have asked for a better roster."

Much was written about what went wrong, after Griffin had the endorsement of the Bucks' core, including Giannis, who took part in his hiring process. The defense struggled at times, but that was due in part to the trade of Jrue Holiday -- a big Griffin supporter -- for Dame Lillard. The Bucks believed that move would take them to the next level again. It did not. Lillard and Giannis meshed well at times, but Lillard's injuries derailed everything, and he was eventually waived-and-stretched.

The current team is devoid of talent, but it's a stretch to say Rivers has been the right guy to get the most of it. He's 18-28 this season, and now just 83-81 overall with the Bucks. He has not developed many of the young players, other than Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr., which has compounded a lot of poor drafting on the Bucks' part. And, of course, the one thing he was hired to do -- keep Giannis happy -- doesn't appear to have happened.

It’s insane that there’s basically no talk from major NBA media about how bad of a job Doc Rivers is doing. Absurd.

Yes the roster is flawed but Rivers has failed to institute a cohesive offense or defense and the rotations have been nonsensical. Worst coached team every night.
— Ti Windisch (@TiWindisch) January 30, 2026

What was Crowder's beef with him?

He explained further in a story published today in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Good work from Jim Owczarski to follow up with Jae Crowder after his tweet

Doc should have been fired immediately after that opening press conference

We’ve never had a chance and will never have a chance at success with him at the helm https://t.co/odkWsW0eLF pic.twitter.com/57jr0PTS7k
— Paul Henning (@brewcitypaul) January 30, 2026

Rivers opened his first Bucks press conference by saying he wouldn't wish the task on his worst enemy.

"What the (bleep) does that mean, you know?" Crowder said. "It's like, what are you talking about? You're taking over a team that's 30-13? What do you mean you don't wish this on your worst enemy. That's like a slap in the face to us players, if you understand what I'm saying."

It's the current Bucks who have slapped around lately.

So what will happen if Rivers is shown the door?

Well, Adrian Griffin is still available.

Someone should type that in capital letters.