Milwaukee Bucks dismiss head coach Mike Budenholzer

Milwaukee Bucks dismiss head coach Mike Budenholzer

The Milwaukee Bucks have dismissed head coach Mike Budenholzer, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Thursday. He spent five seasons with the organization, winning one NBA Title in 2020-21.

BREAKING: The Milwaukee Bucks dismissed coach Mike Budenholzer, sources tell ESPN. Budenholzer is out after the East’s top-seed suffered a first-round loss to the Miami Heat. pic.twitter.com/wQp0Zk3lxi

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 4, 2023

In five years with the Bucks, Budenholzer went 391-271 as head coach, winning at least 62 percent of the team’s games each season. His Bucks squads posted four 50-win seasons, including three with 55 and one with 60 in 2018-19. Budenholzer is 484-317 (.604) as head coach for his career in 10 seasons.

Though where most of his shortcomings came in the postseason; the Bucks got bounced by a lower seed in three of the four non-championship years under Budenholzer, the worst coming in 2022-23. The top-seeded Bucks — who possessed the league’s best record at 58-24 — lost to the No. 8-seeded Miami Heat in five games, becoming the sixth No. 1 seed in NBA History to lose to a No. 8 seed in the first round and the first to ever lose in five games or less.

The Heat was without their second-leading scorer in Tyler Herro and one of their best guard defenders in Victor Oladipo for most of the series, yet they still possessed the league’s second-best offense with the highest 3-point percentage (45.0 percent) in the first round of the playoffs. But Budenholzer was reluctant to call necessary timeouts, double Jimmy Butler (who went nuclear) and adjust the screen coverages on Miami’s shooters, among other things.

“We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee,” general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “This was a very difficult decision. Bud helped lead our team for five incredible season, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success.

“This is an opportunity for us to refocus and re-energize our effort as we continue building our next championship season.”

A letter from Bucks General Manager Jon Horst and Team President Peter Feigin. pic.twitter.com/8Y8t8V918x

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) May 4, 2023

You have to feel for Budenholzer, who lost his brother before Game 4 of the series against Miami. His tenure in Milwaukee was nothing short of a success — helping empower arguably the league’s best player in Giannis Antetokounmpo while cultivating a top-flight defensive culture that helped earn the Bucks their first championship in a half-century.

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But change was necessary. Aside from Budenholzer, the franchise is entering a fascinating stage. While the roster was the oldest in the NBA, it could be undergoing a seismic personnel shift. Brook Lopez, Joe Ingles and Wesley Matthews are free agents; Khris Middleton ($40.4 million) and Jevon Carter ($2.2M) both have player options this upcoming offseason while Jrue Holiday ($39.4M) has a player option in 2024-25, per Spotrac.

The top targets to replace Budenholzer have not been disclosed yet, though one could assume Nick Nurse (my personal favorite among open candidates), Frank Vogel, James Borrego and Bucks assistant Charles Lee would receive consideration, among others.

Budenholzer will have no shortage of suitors for openings the next several seasons either, whether it’s as an assistant or as head coach. He’s one of the better coaches leaguewide, even though he — like most coaches — tends to be stubborn with rotations, coverages, in-game adjustments, etc. Regardless, sooner rather than later, should he want to keep coaching in the NBA or elsewhere, all it takes is one person to grant that opportunity.

This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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