Head coach Mike Budenholzer has led the Bucks to a 271-120 regular season record in his five seasons at the helm, which is the best mark in the NBA over that span.
Under Budenholzer, the Bucks won their first championship in 50 years in 2020/21. Milwaukee once again had the best record in the league this season at 58-24.
However, Budenholzer’s late-game decision-making in the team’s first-round loss to the Heat has been called into question. He didn’t use a timeout in the middle of a 13-0 run by the Heat at the end of Game 4.
He also didn’t use his final timeout to advance the ball with the game tied with 0.5 seconds left at the end of regulation in Game 5, or use one at the end of overtime with 11 seconds left down two points — both possessions culminated in the Bucks failing to get a shot off.
As Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes, Budenholzer also continued to use Jrue Holiday to defend Jimmy Butler in the final two games with Giannis Antetokounmpo back in the lineup, even though putting the two-time MVP on Butler is partly how the Bucks swept the Heat in the playoffs two years ago. Butler was great all series, but particularly in Games 4 and 5, when he averaged 49.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block on .590/.333/.741 shooting in 43.4 minutes.
“Out of respect, you gotta let the coach make that adjustment,” Antetokounmpo said of guarding Butler. “We have our best defender on him. There are conversations with Jrue. Whenever he gets tired, I can take him, but he’s so competitive. He plays so hard. He wants to take the challenge. But at the end of the day, I wish I could guard him more, for sure.”
When Nehm asked Budenholzer if he viewed the season as a failure, he framed it in slightly different terms.
“This team has incredibly high expectations,” Budenholzer said. “(General manager) Jon Horst has put together an amazing roster. The ownership has done what they’re supposed to do. We made a push, we were the No. 1 seed, but all that matters is the playoffs.
“And so, I think we’re just disappointed. I would not use that word (failure). We’re disappointed, we’re frustrated. It hurts. But I said it all year, we love this team, we love these guys, I believe in ’em, we believe in ’em, we didn’t get it done tonight. So, to me, disappointed, hurt, frustrated, I think is more characteristic of how we feel about tonight.”
People around the league think Budenholzer will eventually be fired following the five-game series, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, who said on his podcast that he believes that’s the most likely outcome.
“There’s some losses for which there’s just no going back,” Lowe said (hat tip to RealGM). “You cannot come back the same team. And the Bucks cannot come back the same team from this. I don’t know how it will go…
“League insiders, you don’t really have to be an insider, but league insiders are extremely skeptical that Mike Budenholzer can return as head coach of the Bucks after this. He has, according to [Adrian Wojnarowski], his last extension which happened after they won the title runs through the ’24/25 season, so he has two years left. I just don’t see any coming back from it. It’s just logic.
“I think the league insiders are going to be right. I just don’t see any other way.”
I wouldn’t overreact to this.
Fire Bud bucks aren’t winning until he’s gone.
Didn’t he have a similar situation in Atlanta (other than winning the championship in MKE)?
Bucks need a man like this
Same last night, Andrew Wiggins has the biggest shot of the game (final minute).
They… already did win with him. Are you saying they aren’t winning again until he’s gone? What’s the logic behind that?
We will take him in Detroit!
I was thinking that. But then again he may be a but of a Casey style retread. Think they are right going with someone younger with maybe fresher ideas.
I would love it if maybe they Hired Lee and he joined on as an Ast. HC for a year or 2. That would be great!
I would love it if maybe they Hired Lee and he joined on as an Ast. HC for a year or 2. That would be great!
If you can’t manage timeouts you are not fit to coach in the nba.
Um, yeah
Mike Budenholzer and Doc Rivers are always top tier regular season coaches but they are bottom tier 90% of the time in playoffs (playoffs underachieved)
Reminds me of George Karl. Top-notch coach for 82 games but imploded in post-season.
I’m sensing that the Bucks are looking at the possibility because they don’t want to lose Charles Lee to Detroit..
Bud’s assistant, Charles Lee, has been up for a lot of jobs in recent years. I’d use him as the interim coach and see how he goes. Like what happened in Boston
This feels like a classic overreaction, but I admittedly haven’t seen a ton of Bucks games this season. Wouldn’t it make more sense to see if the coach is able to learn and grow from his mistakes though since he’s proven he can be successful?
If I’m management, I’m giving him the opportunity create a convincing strategy on how the team can go into next season at a new level, on how he can evolve the team from where it is. Depending on how that discussion goes, would determine his future. But I do think he deserves to have that conversation
Deep thoughts.
Should have been gone long ago. They panicked the gm away …….. that’s coaching.
“Should have been long ago” It wasn’t that long ago that he led them to a championship.
They literally won the championship the year before last. What are you talking about? “gone long ago”? Total overreaction.
The GM hasn’t changed in Milwaukee since 2017. Horst hired Bud.
Did this reporter ask the same dopey question about failure to everyone?
I’m not sure why the Bucks head coach has to be fired for losing to the Heat and Spoelstra.
The Heat will always give it their all. The worst thing that can happen for a team is to have the best record in the NBA and get “rewarded” with facing the Heat in the first round.
Many coaches get outdone by Eric Spoelstra. There’s a reason why Spo is easily making it to the Basketball Hall of Fame when he’s done coaching.
And note to Giannis. Learn to make your free throws, or just leave Milwaukee and join the Heat once and for all so they stop sending you the message to join them.
Exactly. Spo is one of the best coaches in the league and Jimmy Butler was on fire. Tough loss but the Bucks will be back near the top of the Eastern Conference next year.
They should bring in Jim Boylan.
Heat shot 34% for 82 games and torched the Bucks shooting around 45% and Robinson shot 73% from 3. That’s why the Heat won the series.
Go ahead and fire the coach. Giannis got hurt and they lost. Simple enough to explain. And their supporting cast was too inconsistent. They may need to shake the roster up or at the very least change the role players.
And they couldn’t stop Butler.
He was post to be fired years ago the championship year saved him he always been a bad worse at adjusting and playoffs period and Gianni’s post to take it up as best player on team to guard jimmy …Lebron Kobe kawhi all did this jimmy even told spo I’m taking the last play once you got a championship and had success you don’t have to do everything the coach says on the court if you see you need to guard jimmy then do it lebron guarded Murray and curry when nobody else on the team could because he knew giannis need to use his basketball iq to the fullest nick nurse or a rookie coach because they see how modern basketball is are better fits ….giannis really should be playing center brook lopez had a good comeback season but he won’t last long and should just come off bench or put Giannis at point guard use him like magic then get a mobile stretch big like myles turner then wing 3-d players I wouldn’t bring Middleton back he not worth 40 mil
Coach Bud and Coach Kerr – two completely useless NBA coaches who strictly owe their success to having an all-time great player on his team from day 1. Fling them both into the sun.
I’d trade Bud for Kerr in a heartbeat.
MIL seemed determined to collapse in the 4th Qtr of both games 4 and 5 against all odds. I’m sure Bud could have done a bunch of different things that might have prevented it, but that’s only a might. What he did do was also likely to have prevented it. It just didn’t.
MIL’s issues in these 4th Qtr’s aren’t new. But they’re not a function of the HC, they’re basic, a direct function of their roster, and their superstar’s unusual skill set, good and bad. Maybe there’s a HC out there that can deal with them better. Maybe not. Looking at his record, it’s pretty certain that there are many other there that won’t deal with them nearly as well. In any event, calling timeouts won’t make them go away.
nick nurse bout to be coaching the bucks next year
Raps will snatch him in no time. He already had an offer before but picked the Bucks
I would keep him and make tweaks to the team roster