Mike Budenholzer Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Wiseman, Nwora, Hill, Crowder

February 10th, 2023 at 5:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said newly acquired center James Wiseman will get plenty of playing time, even though the team seemingly has an overload of bigs, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.

“He needs to play,” the Pistons’ top executive said. “With your talent, if you don’t use it, you lose it. We need him to get back out there to use his talent and be confident as a player.”

Weaver also indicated the Pistons needed another quality big man to combat the top teams in the Eastern Conference, who have regularly pushed them around, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. “You don’t have a chance (without size). Point blank period. We need some men and some size,” he said. “We haven’t beaten those teams yet. If you look at those games, we’ve usually struggled on the glass.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Jordan Nwora, acquired from the Bucks on Thursday, will get an expanded look with Indiana, according to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter links). “He got limited opportunities because of their veterans and guys who were in front of him just didn’t get injured that much. … This will be a great opportunity for him here,” Carlisle said. Nwora, who is expected to make his Pacers debut on Monday, is a player Indiana has coveted for a while. “Nwora is a guy we’ve had interest in the last couple of years. … We were somewhere close to acquiring him but could never quite get there,” Carlisle said.
George Hill, who was also part of the giant four-team swap that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix, doesn’t want to be waived by the Pacers, Dopirak adds in another tweet. President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard gave Hill the option of being on the 15-man roster or being waived and the veteran guard chose to stay with his hometown team.
Forward Jae Crowder wound up with the Bucks after the Suns-Nets blockbuster was expanded to include Milwaukee and Indiana. The Bucks have been trying to acquire him for months and GM Jon Horst called the trade talks challenging, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm writes. “It was something we’ve been working on for a long time,” he said. “It was one of the most incredible, kind of challenging, pursuits of a player I’ve ever been a part of, to be honest with you. Different iterations and different things that happened. The Phoenix situation, and then all of a sudden he goes to a different team, and then it’s kind of back to the market.” Next, Milwaukee will have to figure out how to incorporate Crowder into the rotation. “We feel like we made a great add,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We’ll have to figure out how it all fits together.”

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Mamukelashvili, Lee, Kerr

September 3rd, 2022 at 5:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks and the Greek Basketball Federation have a working relationship regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s presence on the Greek national team, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Greece named Bucks assistant Josh Oppenheimer to its coaching staff so he can monitor Antetokounmpo’s workouts and game preparation. Milwaukee’s sports science group is also involved, and head coach Mike Budenholzer has been attending practices and games.

“It feels like it’s reached a level of cooperation that is pretty high-level,” Budenholzer said. “I don’t think we, either side, has really ever had that before, and so it gives you more confidence that he can compete for his national team, which is very important to him, and still be taking care of himself and still be preparing and getting ready for the NBA season, which is the best of both worlds.”

The relationship between the Bucks and the Greek team wasn’t nearly this friendly before Budenholzer arrived in Milwaukee, Nehm adds. The most famous incident occurred during the last EuroBasket in 2017 when Antetokounmpo announced that he wouldn’t be available to play because of a knee injury that the Bucks’ medical staff discovered. The Greek Basketball Federation accused him of colluding with the team to skip the competition, although an NBA investigation determined that all protocols in the NBA-FIBA agreement were followed correctly.

Budenholzer believes players benefit from international competitions, saying he learned the value during his days as an assistant in San Antonio when Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were regulars on the international stage.

There’s more on the Bucks:

Sandro Mamukelashvili, who was on a two-way contract last season, is making his international debut in EuroBasket with Georgia’s national team, Nehm adds. At 6’11”, he’s out of position as the starting small forward, but he’s doing his best to fit in. “Coming here, there are guys that have been playing on the national team for 10 years plus, 15 years,” Mamukelashvili said. “So, coming in, you just gotta find your role, find how you can help the team.”
Bucks assistant Charles Lee is thrilled to be taking part in a Basketball Without Borders camp in Cairo, Egypt, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “I’ve always wanted to be part of this initiative and event because of what it does just for our game and what it’s doing for kids in Africa and giving them the resources and the experience to get some quality coaching, some quality game reps and some quality teaching in a four-day period,” Lee said. “This whole thing has just been an unbelievable experience for me to be a part of.”
Steve Kerr, who’s among five NBA head coaches participating in the Basketball Without Borders camp, told the Egyptian media outlet FilGoal that Antetokounmpo is the non-Warrior he would most like to coach (Twitter link).

Central Notes: Allen, Caruso, Turner, Markkanen

January 22nd, 2022 at 6:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is defending Grayson Allen after he committed a Flagrant 2 foul Friday night that caused Bulls guard Alex Caruso to suffer a fractured wrist, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Allen has been accused of dirty play since he was in college, and Chicago coach Billy Donovan raised those allegations after Friday’s incident, saying that Allen “has a history of this.”

Speaking to reporters before tonight’s game, Budenholzer offered condolences for the injury, but said he doesn’t believe Allen did anything to purposefully put Caruso at risk.

“Competition is tough and there are things that happen in the games that are unfortunate,” Budenholzer said. “And I know that Caruso is going to miss some time and I feel for him. I don’t want that for any of our opponents, for anybody, but there was nothing that was done intentionally.”

The league office is still reviewing the play to determine if there will be further punishment for Allen, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

There’s more from the Central Division:

Caruso didn’t think his injury was serious when he left the arena Friday night, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. He and the Bulls found out this morning that the wrist is broken, which will sideline him for at least six-to-eight weeks. Johnson points out that this was only the second game back for Caruso after weeks of dealing with hamstring and foot injuries, along with a lengthy stretch in the health and safety protocols.
Despite being one of the league’s best shot blockers and part of the Pacers‘ foundation for the last six and a half years, Myles Turner is no stranger to trade rumors. In an interview with Mark Haynes of ClutchPoints, Turner says he has gotten accustomed to hearing his name thrown around. “I would say the first time I’ve dealt with trade rumors was probably like four years ago,” Turner said. “I didn’t know what to think of it. As the summers progressed, I kept hearing more things, and that stuff was almost getting done. I kind of got used to hearing it all the time. I just took it as part of the business.”
Lauri Markkanen‘s versatility has enabled the Cavaliers to succeed while starting three big men, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “People get so caught up in his offensive game — shot-making, shot-taking — that they don’t pay attention to all the other things that he does for us,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We would not be able to play the lineup and the size that we play without him. Us being unique and different is because of him and his ability to do that. We don’t lose sight of that. We don’t let him lose sight of that.”

COVID-19 Updates: G. Hill, Budenholzer, Warren, F. Jackson, More

January 13th, 2022 at 7:08pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks received good news today, as veteran George Hill and head coach Mike Budenholzer have both cleared the health and safety protocols, Eric Nehm of The Athletic reports (Twitter links).

However, the team did place one more player in the protocols: Langston Galloway. Galloway’s 10-day contract expires on Sunday night, so it’s possible he’ll no longer be a Buck by the time he exits the protocols.

Here are more COVID-related updates from around the NBA:

Pacers forward T.J. Warren has exited the protocols, James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star tweets. Unfortunately, Warren is still sidelined as he recovers from foot surgery.
Pistons guard Frank Jackson has exited the protocols but needs to wait a couple days to recondition. He might return Sunday against the Suns, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets.
Robert Woodard has entered the protocols for the Kings, according to James Ham of ESPN 1320 (Twitter link).
Heat forward Markieff Morris has exited the protocols but needs time to recondition, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Two-way rookie Ish Wainright has exited the protocols for the Suns, but is listed as questionable for Friday’s contest against Indiana due to reconditioning, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson has entered the protocols, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Marcus Smart of the Celtics is listed as questionable for Friday’s game against Philadelphia due to the protocols, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). Based on his status, Smart may have returned an inconclusive test, so we’ll have to wait for an update to see if he’ll actually be sidelined or not.

COVID-19 Updates: Malone, Budenholzer, Hawks, Holiday, Marjanovic, Vincent, Nader

January 8th, 2022 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Two head coaches may clear health and safety protocols in time for their teams’ next games. Michael Malone traveled with the Nuggets to Oklahoma City and expects to be on the sidelines Sunday, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post. Malone missed four games while in the protocols, and acting coach Popeye Jones compiled a 2-2 record.

Darvin Ham, who is serving as acting head coach for the Bucks, is hoping Mike Budenholzer will be ready to return for Monday’s game at Charlotte, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). Nehm suggests that Budenholzer still needs to return multiple negative tests before being cleared.

Here are more updates on COVID-19 and the health and safety protocols:

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan remains in the protocols, but assistant Chris Jent has been cleared and will serve as acting head coach for Sunday’s game against the Clippers, tweets Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Bucks guard Jrue Holiday tested out of the protocols, tweets Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, Holiday sat out tonight’s game because of pain in his left ankle.
Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic has cleared the protocols, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Heat guard Gabe Vincent is out of the protocols, but isn’t with the team for tonight’s game in Phoenix, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). Marcus Garrett is the only Miami player remaining in the protocols.
Suns forward Abdel Nader has also cleared the protocols, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Nader is recovering from a knee injury and will have to go through reconditioning before he can play again.
Follow our Health And Safety Protocols Tracker for a complete list of how the virus is affecting the league.

COVID-19 Updates: Wizards, Budenholzer, Celtics, Nance, Duarte, More

January 5th, 2022 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are on the verge of replenishing their point guard depth, with Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday now out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both players will remain sidelined for at least one more game, however, as they work on their conditioning.

Here are more protocol-related updates from around the league:

Mike Budenholzer has become the latest head coach to enter the health and safety protocols, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Darvin Ham will serve as the Bucks‘ acting head coach in Budenholzer’s absence.
Aaron Nesmith has exited the health and safety protocols, but another Celtics player – Payton Pritchard – has entered them, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Trail Blazers big man Larry Nance Jr. entered the COVID-19 protocols on Tuesday, but it’s possible he’ll be able to clear them quickly. According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter links), head coach Chauncey Billups said Nance registered an inconclusive test, so if he can return two consecutive negatives at least 24 hours apart, he’ll exit the protocols.
Pacers rookie Chris Duarte has cleared the protocols, though he’s doubtful to play in Wednesday’s game vs. Brooklyn, tweets Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files.
Cory Joseph, who was the last Pistons player in the protocols, has exited them, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Joseph remains unavailable for Wednesday’s game in Charlotte due to return to competition reconditioning.
Rookies Marko Simonovic (Bulls) and Brandon Boston Jr. (Clippers) were at their respective teams’ practices today and are no longer in the protocols (Twitter links via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago and Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times).
Other players who have cleared the protocols include Spurs forward Devontae Cacok and Mavericks rookie JaQuori McLaughlin. Cacok is out vs. Boston on Wednesday due to return to competition reconditioning (Twitter link via Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News), while McLaughlin is no longer on Dallas’ injury report.

Central Notes: Wanamaker, Windler, Markkanen, Nwora

October 9th, 2021 at 12:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran point guard Brad Wanamaker signed a training camp deal with the Pacers this week and he’s out to prove he deserves a spot on the 15-man roster, David Woods of The Indianapolis Star writes.

“I didn’t come here just to come here,” Wanamaker said. “I came here to compete, show what I’m capable of and try to make the roster.”

Wanamaker has a shot to be the third point man behind Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell.

We have more from the Central Division:

Following two injury-riddled seasons, Dylan Windler is making his case for a rotation spot as the Cavaliers’ backup wing, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes. Windler had 12 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes in Cleveland’s preseason game on Friday. “To be out here at the start of the season and contributing in the ways that I’m supposed to, it feels great,” he said. “I don’t control the rotations. That’s coach’s job. I’ve just got to come in, get my work in, do what I do and continue to prove myself when I get the opportunities.”
Lauri Markkanen will spend most of his time at power forward but Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff also plans to use him at small forward in jumbo lineups, according to Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. “It’s one of those things where I believe he’s one of our best players,” Bickerstaff said. “So we have to do what we can to get him on the floor so he can help us. His versatility helps. Right now, you see the strength of our bigs and the fact that they are so versatile and they can play next to each other, you can get them out there on the floor.”
Forward Jordan Nwora only appeared in 30 regular-season games with the Bucks during his rookie campaign but he’s angling for more playing time this season, Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes. Coach Mike Budenholzer is looking for Nwora, a second-round pick in 2020, to become a more complete player. “I think, defensively, he’s making progress in practice, making progress in the games,” Budenholzer said. “He’s really got to improve on that end, and he’s making steps in the right direction.” Nwora will be a free agent next summer, either restricted if he receives a qualifying offer, or unrestricted.

Bucks Co-Owner Lasry Talks Budenholzer, Jrue, Tax, More

August 31st, 2021 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

After watching the Bucks win a championship for the first time in 50 years during the 2020/21 season, co-owner Marc Lasry is confident that the team will remain in the mix for a title again in ’21/22. Lasry told Sam Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic that he views the Bucks and Nets as the top two teams in the East entering the fall.

Asked if the Heat – who eliminated the Bucks from the playoffs in 2020 – are in that top tier alongside Milwaukee and Brooklyn, Lasry praised Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and P.J. Tucker, calling Miami a “really good” team. However, he said he believes the Bucks are better.

“Ultimately at the end of the day I’d rather have our team,” Lasry said. “… If we’re healthy, you know we should go pretty far.

“But I would say the same thing (about other teams). If the Nets are healthy, they should go pretty far. It’s who’s going to be the healthiest when you get there. And it’s been interesting trying to figure out (that part) because I bet you there’s going to be a lot of gaming of this… You want to be the No. 1 seed, but do you want to be the No. 1 seed, or do you want to make sure you’re the healthiest going into the playoffs?”

Lasry’s appearance on The Athletic’s Tampering podcast touched on several other topics of note. The discussion is worth checking out in full, but here are a few highlights from the Bucks’ co-owner, via Amick and Slater:

On head coach Mike Budenholzer getting a contract extension after being on the hot seat:

“Bud is really good. I mean, he is. He does have that quiet confidence, which is nice. So I think you go through all of this, and one of the things that I saw — and I told this to Bud — was I said, ‘Look, there was a huge amount of pressure on us, on him, on all of us, because everybody expects you to win.’ And what he showed us during that time is how well he handled the pressure, how well he prepared the team, and what a great job he did, so that after we won, we were like, ‘Look, it’s not like we want to reward you; we want to keep you.'”

On the 2020 acquisition of Jrue Holiday and how it influenced Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s decision to sign a long-term extension with the Bucks:

“(General manager) Jon Horst felt that (Holiday) was going to be the missing piece, and he was dead right. You know, I remember the first practice and Jrue is covering Giannis. And same thing — Giannis knew Jrue by reputation. After practice that day, Jon says to me, ‘Yeah, Giannis now knows how good he is. (Holiday’s) covering him. He’s good.’ It was actually great. It was. And I think 100 percent it was a huge factor in Giannis re-signing because he saw what we were willing to do.”

On the Bucks becoming a taxpayer in 2020/21 and going further into the tax in ’21/22:

“Look, (the tax) is a big part. I’m not going to tell you it’s not. I mean, it’s just — if you sign somebody for $5MM, you’re not signing him for $5MM, you’re signing him for $25MM, $20MM. You sort of look at that, and you’re trying to figure out, ‘Alright, look, if we’re going to do that, OK, there is a cost to it. Yeah, we want him, but that’s going to cost us $25MM or that’ll cost us $35MM.’ I mean, whatever the numbers are. And I think we’re very focused on that.

“Look, we’re a small-market team. It’s expensive. I mean, for us, this year we’re going to lose quite a bit of money. … But at the end of the day, the goal is that you want to keep winning a championship, so you’re going to spend the money.”

Bucks, Mike Budenholzer Agree To Three-Year Extension

August 24th, 2021 at 8:14pm CST by Eli Cohen

The reigning champion Bucks and head coach Mike Budenholzer have agreed to a three-year extension, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Budenholzer, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, helped lead the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years. After the 2020 playoffs, in which the Bucks were defeated in the second round by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Heat, there were questions about how Budenholzer’s regular-season success translated to postseason victories, which went as far back as his days with the Hawks.

But during this year’s run to the championship, Budenholzer showed more willingness to adapt and to lean on his stars for heavy minutes, playing all of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton 38+ minutes a night, a stark contrast to the 30.8 MPG he played Antetokounmpo in the 2020 playoffs.

Budenholzer had been on the final year of his deal, but this extension will keep him with the Bucks through the 2024/25 season.

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Holiday, Budenholzer

July 21st, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

As recently as last fall, there was major uncertainty about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo would remain with the Bucks for the long term, as his second contract with the team was nearing an end and he was weighing whether or not to sign a super-max extension.

Antetokounmpo, of course, eventually accepted that super-max offer last December, a decision that paid off in a major way on Tuesday, when the Bucks secured their first championship in 50 years. After the Game 6 victory, Giannis expressed satisfaction that he opted to stick with Milwaukee rather than joining forces with other stars elsewhere.

“I could go to a super-team and just do my part and win a championship,” he said on Tuesday, according to Steve Megargee of The Associated Press. “But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it. And we did it.”

As Megargee writes, Antetokounmpo spent much of his post-game press conference thanking the people who helped him get to this point, including the current and former Bucks officials who had a hand in his development. He also reiterated his love for the city of Milwaukee.

“This is my city,” Giannis said. “They trust me. They believe in me. They believe in us.”

Here’s more on the new NBA champions:

Kevin Durant, whose Nets nearly got by the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals said after Team USA practice in Tokyo on Wednesday that he wasn’t dwelling on “what-ifs,” per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Durant also referred to the Bucks as “somewhat of a dynasty,” as Joe Vardon of The Athletic relays. “I know it’s the first chip and a lot of people call you a dynasty after a few,” Durant said. “But the continuity of that team is something that’s impressive and how they continue to build and add and now they’re champions, and you can appreciate that.” Durant will be seeking a gold medal alongside Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton at the Olympics.
Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic take a deep dive into the road the Bucks took to the 2021 championship. The in-depth report includes several interesting tidbits, including that Antetokounmpo required fluid IV treatment after Game 5 due to dehydration and that Holiday was “ecstatic” last offseason to be traded to the Bucks, who were on his list of preferred destinations.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) examines what’s on tap for the Bucks this summer and how they can keep their championship roster intact. The first step the team takes this offseason may be to reward head coach Mike Budenholzer – who is entering a contract year – with an extension, Marks notes.
In case you missed it, Holiday earned a $1MM bonus as a result of the Bucks’ title. Milwaukee will now be a taxpayer this season for the first time since 2003, and it’s safe to assume team ownership is just fine with that.