Larry Drew takes the high road after firing by Milwaukee Bucks

Larry Drew took the high road Thursday following his unceremonious replacement two days earlier as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

When Jason Kidd’s apparent power play in Brooklyn failed, the Bucks swapped two second-round draft picks to acquire the future Hall of Famer as their coach. That happened to be the position Drew held with the team.

But Drew, a former star at Missouri and a 10-year NBA veteran, has been down this NBA coaching road before. He had three winning seasons in his first stint as a head coach with the Atlanta Hawks from the 2010-11 season through 2012-13, but a 10-14 record in the playoffs eventually led to his dismissal.

Then the Bucks went an NBA-worst 15-67 last season, with injuries and an eye toward a top-heavy draft class leading some to suspect the club could have cared less about its record.

In a statement titled, “Thank you Milwaukee,” Drew expressed surprise at his release but said he was thankful for the opportunity.

“I would like to thank Senator Herb Kohl and John Hammond for giving me the opportunity to coach the Milwaukee Bucks this past season. Although my tenure was brief, it will forever be memorable.

“Thank you to all of the great Bucks fans for your love and support, you truly are some of the best fans in the NBA.

“My swift termination did come as a surprise to me, but I accept new owners Wesley Edens’ and Marc Lasry’s decision that they’ve made. I wish the entire Bucks organization and the great city of Milwaukee nothing but the best in the future.”