Like Adrian Griffin, these coaches were fired mid-season with a winning record

Firing the top coach midway through a season with a winning record doesn't happen often in pro sports, although the NBA does have a track record longer than Major League Baseball or the National Football League.

When the Bucks fired Adrian Griffin on Tuesday, they took an unconventional approach in parting ways with a first-year coach who had a gaudy 30-13 mark.

In the NFL, it's exceedingly rare for a midseason firing on a team with a winning record, which makes sense given the fewer games on a season schedule. Nearly all instances feature extenuating circumstances, often with the coach leaving on his own. Most recently, Jon Gruden had a 3-2 record with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, when old emails surfaced of him expressing misogynic and homophobic sentiments.

Here's a sampling of other head coaches/managers who experienced a similar fate to Griffin since the turn of the century, and there are some familiar names.

Charlie Montoyo (Toronto Blue Jays, 2022)

Toronto had a 46-42 record but ranked fourth in the American League East in July 2022 when it fired Montoyo and replaced him with John Schneider. The Blue Jays finished 92-70 and lost a wild-card series to Seattle, 2-0.

Jason Kidd (Milwaukee Bucks, 2017-18)

Kidd was on the other side of this type of situation during his playing days (more on that later), but he was fired with a 23-22 record, almost six years to the day before the Bucks fired Griffin. And just like in 2024, Joe Prunty stepped in as interim coach.

The Bucks expected better than to be hovering just above .500 with Giannis Antetokounmpo blossoming into a superstar. Milwaukee had made playoff appearances in two of Kidd's first three seasons, but the Bucks hadn't been able to take a step forward. Mike Budenholzer was hired the following year and immediately led the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals and their first playoff series win since 2001.

Mike Matheny (St. Louis Cardinals, 2018)

The former Brewers catcher had a 47-46 record in 2018 when St. Louis elected to move on from its skipper and two hitting coaches. The Cardinals had fallen to more than seven games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central and replaced Matheny with Mike Shildt, who guided the team to a 41-28 record the rest of the way … but the Cardinals still missed the playoffs. Shildt, however, would lead the team back to the postseason each of the next three seasons.

David Blatt (Cleveland Cavaliers, 2015-16)

By far the closest analog to Griffin is this instance, when Blatt was fired midway through his second season with the Cavaliers (30-11 at the time) after coaching the team to the Eastern Conference championship the year before. Blatt was replaced by top assistant Tyronn Lue. Citing a disconnected locker room, Cavs GM David Griffin made the move and didn't put an interim tag on Lue, who had been a finalist for the job in 2014. The Cavs at the time were fronted by LeBron James, who had returned to the franchise in Blatt's first season. James had a good relationship with Lue but was supposedly not involved in the decision to fire Blatt. Cleveland went on to win the NBA championship that season with an unforgettable 4-3 series win over powerhouse Golden State.

Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz, 2011)

Sloan's departure was a resignation, but it came abruptly with the Jazz owning a 31-23 record and seemingly arose from a clash with guard Deron Williams, though Sloan also said his energy for the job had simply run out after 23 years leading the franchise. The Jazz replaced Sloan with interim coach Tyrone Corbin (and also moved on quickly from Williams).

Sloan, who led the Jazz to two NBA Finals, returned as a consultant in 2013. Corbin coached the next three seasons with Utah before Quin Snyder took over in 2014-15.

Terry Porter (Phoenix Suns, 2008-09)

The Wisconsin-Stevens Point alumnus and former Bucks coach was in his first season with Phoenix and had a 28-23 record, but he was replaced by assistant Alvin Gentry, who immediately vowed to return Phoenix to the high-octane style that had thrived under Porter's predecessor, Mike D'Antoni. The Suns had lost five of eight heading into the All-Star Game and had fallen outside of the playoff picture before the firing, then went 18-13 under Gentry but did, in fact, miss the playoffs. Phoenix went to the Western Conference Finals under Gentry the following year but missed the playoffs in his next two-plus seasons in charge.

Ned Yost (Milwaukee Brewers, 2008)

Who could forget when the Brewers shockingly moved on from Yost with 12 games to go, after the longtime skipper had posted an 83-67 record and put the Brewers in position for their first playoff berth in 26 years? A September free-fall made the Brewers anxious for a season-saving fix, and he was replaced by bench coach Dale Sveum. The Brewers went 7-5 the rest of the way and won the National League Wild Card.

Yost, of course, would go on to lead the Kansas City Royals to two World Series appearances and one championship.

Don Nelson (Dallas Mavericks, 2004-05)

The former Bucks maestro resurrected the Mavericks, but he didn't make it all the way through his seventh season, even with Dallas sporting a 42-22 record at the time. Owner Mark Cuban and Nelson had grown at odds, and Nelson was replaced by Avery Johnson for the final 18 games. The Mavericks won 16 of those but lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the Phoenix Suns.

The thing is, it wasn't the first time this had happened to Nelson in his career. In 1995-96 with the Knicks, Nelson proved to be an uncomfortable fit in his first season, even with New York's 34-25 record. His free-and-easy was too big a contrast from Pat Riley's tight ship, and Nelson clashed with stars Patrick Ewing and John Starks. The Knicks hired Jeff Van Gundy instead, and the Knicks wound up losing in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Bulls.

Paul Silas (Cleveland Cavaliers, 2004-05)

With a young LeBron James in his second season and the Cavaliers fighting for a playoff spot at 34-30, Silas was let go with 18 games left in the season, shortly after James had scored a franchise-record 56 points in a game in a loss. The Cavs had lost nine of 12 road games and hadn't seen consistency develop despite the winning record. Silas was replaced by interim coach Brendan Malone, the father of current Nuggets coach Michael Malone. Cleveland lost 10 of its final 18 and missed the postseason, though the franchise hired Mike Brown the following year and went to the Eastern Conference semifinals, then the NBA Finals the next year.

Rudy Tomjanovich (Los Angeles Lakers, 2004-05)

This was also a resignation, but it requires some context. Tomjanovich signed a five-year deal to replace Lakers coaching legend Phil Jackson but was out after 43 games with the Lakers at 24-19, citing health issues related to a recent cancer bout. He stayed with the Lakers as a consultant, but there was speculation it was Los Angeles that wanted out, given that the team ultimately gave Tomjanovich a $10 million settlement.

The Lakers went downhill with interim coach Frank Hamblen, going 10-29 the rest of the way and missing the playoffs. Jackson was back the next year and led the Lakers back to the playoffs. Jackson stayed for the next six years and never missed the playoffs, winning two NBA Finals.

Byron Scott (New Jersey Nets, 2003-04)

The Nets went from a last-place team to back-to-back trips in the NBA Finals in Scott's second and third year at the helm, but he wouldn't make it a fourth, even after a 22-20 start. With point guard Jason Kidd seemingly in favor of a change, Scott was replaced midseason in 2003-04 by Lawrence Frank, who subsequently guided the Nets to the Eastern Conference semifinals and stayed at the helm for the next five-plus seasons.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Like Adrian Griffin, coaches fired midseason with a winning record