Milwaukee Bucks Fire Head Coach Mike Budenholzer After First-Round Upset

The Milwaukee Bucks parted slipway with caput private instructor Mike Budenholzer after the top-seeded Bucks were overturn in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs past the #8 Miami Heat. Former Toronto Raptors chief coach Nick Nurse is the favourite to get the new top dog four-in-hand of the Bucks, and Las Vegas Aces caput manager Becky Hammon from the WNBA is also on the shortsighted listing of potentiality candidates.

The Bucks entered the playoffs as the consensus favorite to win the 2022-23 NBA championship at +265 odds.

During the lowest 4 weeks of the fixture season, the Bucks had overtaken the Hub of the Universe Celtics as the betting favourite to win the title. The Bucks held away the Celtics to untroubled the #1 seed inward the east. They were also the betting favourite to win the Eastern Conference and issue to the NBA Finals for a endorsement clip in the finally tierce seasons.

The Bucks caught an luckless break out when MVP prospect Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo sustained a rearward accidental injury in the opening gamey of the playoffs, which finally led to their cave in against the Heat.

Two-Time Coach of the Year from the Pops Tree

Budenholzer spent 17 seasons as an helper train with the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich. He won quaternion NBA championships as an supporter coach with the Spurs, before he eventually earned his number one head-coaching task with the battle of Atlanta Hawks inward 2013.

Budenholzer won the NBA Coach of the Year with II different teams. He initially won the prestigious reward with the Hawks rearwards in 2014-15 when he won 60 games with a squad that didn’t make a legitimate All-Star.

In v seasons with the Hawks, Budenholzer went 213-197 and led them to quatern playoff appearances. They fired him after a unsatisfying 2017-18 harden in which they missed the playoffs.

Budenholzer was non unemployed for real long before the Bucks snatched him up in the summertime of 2018. He won the NBA Coach of the Year in his first of all flavour with the Bucks in 2018-19.

Budenholzer led the Bucks to a Central Division diadem inward quintet consecutive seasons. He posted a 271-120 record, and won over 69% of his regular-season games during his five-year stint inwards Milwaukee.

Budenholzer almost missed his chore at one time before inward 2021 until he guided the Bucks to their first off NBA title inwards 50 seasons. Winning the form of address helped save his job, but it did not supply him with a great deal chore protection because was fired ii years later with two years remaining on his electric current contract.

Scapegoat After the Bucks Collapse

Budenholzer only if became the quaternary manager inwards NBA story to not take back to a team after securing the best tape in the league. He joins Pat Riley with the Los Angeles Lakers inward 1990, Phil Jesse Jackson with the Chicago Bulls inward 1998, and Mike Robert Brown with the President Cleveland Cavs inwards 2010.

Firing Budenholzer was a immense surprisal despite the unsettling first-round untune past the Heat. The Bucks entered the serial publication as the biggest favorite on the room at -1200 betting odds to belt out the Heat.

The Heat team ruined the habitue season inwards seventh place, but requisite to live on the Play-In Tournament to untroubled a playoff seed. The Heat missed a chance to ringlet upwardly the #7 seed when they missed to the battle of Atlanta Hawks inwards the number one play-in game. They secured the #8 seed with a triumph inwards a back spirited against the Windy City Bulls.

The Bucks won only if ace game against the Heat, which was Game 2 inwards which Antetokounmpo did not fit up. The Heat edged out the Bucks 128-126 inwards extra time to win Game 5 and clench the series.

The Bucks were the topper team inwards the east, but they definitely had their deal of flaws. The team had a weakness at shot guard, but full general manager Jon Horst decided to place upright rap with Grayson Allen Stewart Konigsberg instead of trying to bolster their bench with a more experienced and more reliable shooter.

Antetokounmpo missed II games against the Heat due to a back up contusion, but was not 100% when he returned. He scored 38 points and hauled shoot down 20 rebounds inward Game 5, but he also missed 13 liberate throws including several in the 4th quarter.

Will Nick Nurse Coach the Bucks?

Renown NBA bettor Haralabos Voulgaris shared his thoughts on Budenholzer’s sharp dismissal.

Best of hazard finding a more innovational and successful coach-and-four than Bud,” tweeted Voulgaris. “He’s pioneered so many different strategic adjustments to the gritty that every successful team up has copied.”

“The determination to work this change was rattling difficult,” said Bucks full general manager Jon Horst said inwards an prescribed statement.

The Toronto Raptors fired Nick Nurse at the finish of the flavour after they went 41-41 and missed the playoffs for a endorsement time inward the lastly trine seasons.

Nurse is the most-coveted caput handler who is currently available. The Bucks might’ve dismissed Budenholzer so apace to catch a spring on hiring Nurse before other teams extend him a job.

“If they can catch Nurse, that would follow a pretty nice combo of a new sound + great coach,” added Voulgaris on Twitter.

Nurse won a title with the Raptors as a rookie head word private instructor in 2018-19.The Raptors struggled after Kawhi Dutch Leonard left hand the next year when he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in liberate agency.

In cinque seasons with the Raptors, Nurse posted a 227-163 tape and won 58.2% of his games.

“This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we carry on building toward our next title season,” said Horst.

Other potency candidates to replace Budenholzer include stream Bucks supporter coach Charles the Bald Lee, Becky Hammon, Frank Vogel, Kenny Atkinson, Mike D’Antoni, and James I Borrego. Tsung Dao Lee of late interviewed with the Detroit Pistons for their head up coaching vacancy.

Best of chance finding a to a greater extent groundbreaking and successful four-in-hand than Bud. All this speak well-nigh him weakness to puddle adjustments inwards the playoffs overlooks the fact that he's pioneered so many different strategical adjustments to the gamy that every successful squad has copied.

— Haralabos Voulgaris (@haralabob) May 4, 2023

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