The Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday fired coach Mike Budenholzer, creating the best job opening in the NBA.
The Bucks, who will take their time with a coaching search, finished with the best record in the league at 58-24 and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the Miami Heat defeated Milwaukee in a five-game series in the first round of the playoffs, a disappointing finish to a season that had championship expectations.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a lower back contusion early in Miami’s Game 1 victory, and he missed Game 2 and Game 3. He returned for the final two games of the series, but it was clear he was still not 100%.
Even without Antetokounmpo at full strength, it was believed the Bucks could still beat Miami, which had to win a play-in game just to make the playoffs.
“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a news release. “Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee.
“This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”
The Bucks lost double-digit leads twice in the series, including down the stretch. Budenholzer can be stubborn in his approach, showing an unwillingness to change because his system has yielded so many wins. However, his innovative approach to defense, offensive ingenuity, ability to get production from key and role players and track record will make him candidate for jobs.
But after Game 5, Antetokounmpo lamented the team’s strategy against Miami’s Jimmy Butler, who scored 56 and 42 points in the last two games of the series.
“Double-team him more, try to make him pass the ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “Maybe switch the matchup for a little bit, give Jrue (Holiday) a break. I don’t think as a team we made the right (adjustments) or we didn’t make as many adjustments as we could have against him.”
With Budenholzer out, the Milwaukee job is the premier coaching vacancy in the league. Antetokounmpo, a finalist for MVP this season, is in the prime of his career, and the franchise’s goal is to win another title with him. Finding a replacement who is better than Budenholzer leaves Horst with a difficult job. But it’s also clear, the Bucks want a new voice coaching the team.
Budenholzer coached the Bucks to a title in 2021, the franchise’s first championship since 1971. They lost in the second round last season.
Budenholzer was the 2014-15 Coach of the Year with Atlanta, where he spent five seasons. Milwaukee hired him in 2018 and he took the Bucks to the playoffs each season. He was 271-120 in his five seasons with the Bucks.
One of Budenholzer’s brothers died in a car accident prior to Game 4 of the Miami series.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Milwaukee Bucks fire coach Mike Budenholzer after early playoff exit