The Milwaukee Bucks made the unfortunate decision to fire head coach Mike Budenholzer. This was an unfortunate decision because it meant that, once again, the team failed to live up to expectations. The irony is that it was Coach Budenholzer himself who created those expectations. Under Jason Kidd, the Bucks won less than half of the regular season games. Coach Budenholzer won nearly 70% of his regular season games as Milwaukee’s head coach and won a NBA Championship.
Related: Former Bucks’ Coach Jason Kidd’s Horrible Treatment of Players Revealed in New Book
Unfortunately, the Bucks disappointed in the playoffs far more than they reached their potential. As such, it was time to move on from the coach who brought winning basketball back to the city. It’s a cruel irony that former Green Bay Packers full back John Kuhn and former Wisconsin Badgers basketball star Brian Butch discusses so eloquently on their show “Nine 2 Noon” on 97.3 The Game.
Brian Butch and John Kuhn Get Real about the Milwaukee Bucks Firing of Mike Budenholzer
The decision to fire Coach Budenholzer has a lot of people talking about the Bucks and their future. It also has people wondering if the Bucks could or would have won another title if Budenholzer had been retained. Butch and Kuhn discussed all that and more on their show. Kuhn began:
“I wonder, how much did Giannis’ comments after the first round loss come into play here? ‘I wish I had covered Jimmy Butler more, but you gotta do what the coach tells you to do.’ I do wonder had Bud taken a leave of absence after his brother passed, if that would have changed the scenario.
“See, I hate this fellas. I hate this because this is a a hard reality of sports. It doesn’t feel right because Bud was a highly successful coach for the Bucks. He was. And I liked him as a coach, and I liked his demeanor, but this was one that had to be done.”
Kuhn then went over the last five seasons playoff finishes that saw the Bucks lose time after time and blow lead after lead in the playoffs except for 2021 when they won the championship. He then asked Butch two questions: does he think the Bucks could have won another championship with Bud and does he think they would have? Butch responded:
“Like you said, two things can be true: this is a sad day in Milwaukee sports. It is. The guy brought a championship to Milwaukee. Like, let’s just be real about that. He brought a championship to Milwaukee. I also believe it is the right move. And I think that those two things fit.
“Could they have won another championship with Bud? Yes, they could have. Realistically, they could have. They had the best record in the NBA, okay? Bud has always struggled in the playoffs, we know what his playoff record is, we know what has happened. But to say he couldn’t win a championship just isn’t right because he’s already done it.”
Kuhn then asked him again if he thinks the Bucks would have have another championship with Budenholzer as the head coach. Butch said:
“Yes, I think he would have because I’m going off of track record. Would they have won another championship? I believe they would have, but it would have taken a dramatic change by the front office to go a make a shake up on the roster. I think it is harder make a roster shake up than it is a coaching change. That to me is why this happened.”
For more of their reaction to the Bucks’ firing of Mike Budenholzer, plus who they would like to see hired to replace him, listen to the whole show at the link above.
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