Throughout their history, the Milwaukee Bucks have had many great head coaches, some of whom are in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Out of all of these, though, just two have led the Bucks to the ultimate goal: an NBA Championship. These, of course, were Larry Costello, who led Milwaukee to the title in 1971, and Mike Budenholzer, who did it in 2021.
But while Costello is remembered fondly in Bucks history, Budenholzer saw the fanbase turn against him following Milwaukee’s last title run. His poor rotation decisions and mismanagement of games, especially in the second half, had fans calling for his firing long before it happened.
Of course, the Bucks did end up firing the Finals-winning coach following the 2022-23 NBA season and Milwaukee’s first round loss to the Miami Heat in the NBA Playoffs.
Former Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer Now Leads the Phoenix Suns
Of course, firing Budenholzer did not fix Milwaukee’s head coaching issues. To replace him, the team decided to hire former Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin. Additionally, the Bucks traded Jrue Holiday in exchange for Damian Lillard, hoping that the change in leadership on the sideline and on the court would help Milwaukee return to the NBA Finals.
But Griffin was fired midway through the 2023-24 season despite his 30-13 record. Evidently, he had already lost the locker room. To replace him, the Bucks hired Doc Rivers, who is still leading the team and has them in position to make the NBA Playoffs again despite an aged roster and multiple injuries.
Budenholzer, meanwhile, did not coach at all in 2023-24, but was hired as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns ahead of this season. The hope was that his propensity of implementing high-scoring offenses would mesh well with Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
It has not.
Former Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer May Be on the Hot Seat with the Phoenix Suns
With Budenholzer at the helm, Durant is averaging 26.7 points per game. While that is still a great average, it is also his lowest since 2018-19. Booker, too, is seeing his worst scoring season in nearly half a decade despite still averaging 26.2 points per game.
And while the dips in their stars’ scoring averages would be acceptable if Phoenix were winning, the fact is that they are not. Currently, the Suns are 28-32 and outside the playoff picture in the NBA Western Conference.
What is more, Budenholzer has recently come under fire for telling Booker, the vocal leader of the Suns players, to talk less. NBA insider Chris Haynes said in a report:
“I was told that weeks ago Mike Budenholzer called his star guard Devin Booker into his office to issue a complaint. That complaint, I’m told, was that Booker was being too vocal on the court and during timeout huddles. He implored his star guard to tone it down to let the coach’s voice be heard. This completely shocked Devin Booker.”
What is more, there now is tension between Budenholzer and Booker, with many feeling that the former Bucks coach has lost the locker room in Phoenix.
If things do not improve quickly, it could be a one-and-done year for him down in the desert.
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