Mike Budenholzer frustrated after missed call - Photo by Yardbarker
MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – Mike Budenholzer may be on the hot seat after the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in five games by the Miami Heat.
Per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the first-round exit “has suddenly thrust Budenholzer’s status back under consideration, league sources told Yahoo Sports, as Milwaukee faces several key roster decisions, and assistant coach Charles Lee garners interest from various rival head coaching posts.”
Shams Charania of The Athletic is also reporting that Budenholzer’s status is “very much shaky.”
Budenholzer made numerous poor in-game decisions against the Heat. Jae Crowder, a critical midseason acquisition for whom the Bucks traded five draft picks, appeared in just four games and averaged slightly more than 10 minutes per game off the bench.
And his choice not to call a timeout after Jimmy Butler’s game-tying basket with 0.5 seconds remaining in Game 5 was puzzling, to say the least. Calling a timeout would have advanced the ball and given the Bucks a much better chance of winning the game in the end.
Budenholzer's answer to not using timeouts at the end of regulation and overtime pic.twitter.com/KvuTFPYcKV
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 27, 2023
In a recent interview with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Crowder questioned why the Bucks traded for him, saying: “I’ve never been in a situation like that. Eleven years. Check my résumé. I’ve been playing. I’ve always been playing. I’m very confused as to why I was brought here. I don’t know my purpose here and why I was brought here.”
In five seasons with the Bucks, Budenholzer is 271-120 and has led them to the playoffs each season.
Comments