Milwaukee Bucks: What we learned from Mike Budenholzer on The Woj Pod

Blowing it up is the last resort

Woj asked Bud about how he felt about the mindset of “championship or bust” in the league today and about his experience having to rebuild in Atlanta at the end of his tenure there:

"“If it’s championship or bust, if that’s an organization, and certainly a fan base wants to know and believe that you’re pushing for a championship, and that’s your ultimate goal… Nobody is just handing over a series or handing over championships, and we all feel like we’re in the mix. So, I think that there’s an argument when you have really good teams, to keep them to together and keep pushing the envelope and keep seeing if you can knock that door down… I think to have teams that are having a lot of success in the regular season, a lot of wins, advancing in the playoffs, teams with great character that I think the fan base and city can be proud of, that’s what made it even harder (to tear it down in Atlanta)… I do have something of that idealistic, you know, there’s something to be said for a team that plays well all year, that competes well, that plays together night after night and giving you everything they’ve got and maximizing what they have and trying to make progress.”"

It’s quite common in today’s NBA for fan bases to call for franchises to tear it all down if they feel that their core can’t win a championship. Toronto is a perfect example.

The Raptors had the best record in the Eastern Conference last year, much like Budenholzer’s Hawks team in 2014-15, but were swept by LeBron James’ Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs.

As a result, many think the Raptors should break up their core of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka despite them making major strides last year.

Budenholzer believes in a more patient approach. He believes in continuing to push a group of players forward and maximizing their talents.

Rebuilding can be a long process, and you may not find another star player for years. Drafting is not an exact science, and sometimes teams can get stuck in that rebuilding process for a very long time.

The Orlando Magic have never regained their footing since the departure of Dwight Howard. The Sacramento Kings have missed on lottery pick after lottery pick since drafting DeMarcus Cousins.

This is not to say Bud doesn’t care about championships, but he thinks there are ways to get to that level through steady development and patience. All it takes is for things to break right for you one year.

Fortunately, as long as the Bucks have a player like Giannis, they shouldn’t feel the need to blow it up anytime soon.