Blazers Star Damian Lillard Sounds Off on Mike Budenholzer Firing
The Milwaukee Bucks are searching for a new coach after firing Mike Budenholzer on Thursday.
Budenholzer coached five years with the Bucks, compiling a 271-120 regular season record, winning 69.3 percent of his games. He won the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 2019. The Bucks held a 39-26 record in the playoffs during Budenholzer’s tenure, a 60.0 percent postseason winning percentage. Budenholzer led Milwaukee to the 2021 NBA Championship.
However, after failing to reach the NBA Finals in 2022 and losing in the first round to the Miami Heat last week in five games, the Bucks parted ways with Budenholzer.
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the move.
“Folks out here firing championship coaches as soon as they don’t win the chip,” Lillard tweeted.
The decision to fire Budenholzer appears sudden, especially given the Bucks’ success over the years. Days after the series ended, it was revealed that Budenholzer’s brother died in a car accident as the playoffs were underway, making the decision to fire the coach that much more bizarre.
Budenholzer could look to fill a coaching vacancy with the Detroit Pistons or Toronto Raptors, who parted ways with Dwane Casey and Nick Nurse, respectively.
Source: Blazer's Edge
