After yet another disappointing playoff finish for the Milwaukee Bucks, having faith in head coach Mike Budenholzer has become incredibly complicated.
The Milwaukee Bucks have entered one of the most important offseasons in the organization’s history. There is no hyperbole in that statement, only fact.
The roster decisions made by Bucks general manager Jon Horst, the money decisions made by ownership, and the biggest decision of Giannis Antetokounmpo will reverberate for years to come. One decision has already been made by the organization, that being to retain head coach Mike Budenholzer. However, it’s one that doesn’t inspire confidence across this Bucks fanbase.
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After all, when reviewing where everything went wrong for the Bucks in each of their last two playoff runs, Budenholzer has been at the center of their failures, along with the performances of their top players.
Now, I will say moving on from Budenholzer after this latest playoff disappointment would have been a very bold move by Bucks’ management and it was clearly one that were not willing to make.
Budenholzer has obviously been extremely successful in the regular season and has changed the trajectory of the franchise as well the progress of the reigning back-to-back MVP.
Even in the last two unsuccessful playoff runs, the two teams the Bucks lost to, the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat, both went to NBA Finals, with the Raptors winning the title last year. Obviously, the Heat were an underrated team this year as they have proven in dismissing Indiana Pacers, Bucks, and Boston Celtics with ease.
Yet the Milwaukee Bucks still underachieved as Bud was outclassed by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and was inflexible to veering away from his preferred style of play.
Just as was the case against the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
So much of the offseason talk surrounding the talk has been about Eric Bledsoe or potentially trading for Chris Paul or a player of sizeable stature. The roster needs to be upgraded. Players will need to be traded.
In reality, however, the players the Bucks have did not fail this team. They are who we thought they were, Bledsoe included. As I wrote in a previous article, Giannis’ playoff struggles are a significant reason they lost to the Heat. But all along the way, Bud’s decisions and overall conservatism in his game management was there for all to see.
Like so many Bucks fans in the face of this latest playoff defeat, I feel compelled to want a new voice and philosophy. The key word being new.
With all the aforementioned positives of the Budenholzer era in Milwaukee, his well-established inability to adjust and coach in the postseason is simply inescapable at this point. The Bucks’ offense in the half court is stale. When the playoffs come along, the offense gets bogged down, something that dates back to his time with the Atlanta Hawks.
The need to make adjustments in the playoffs simply shouldn’t be off the table for the two-time NBA Coach of the Year. Not only does he struggle with in-game adjustments, Budenholzer has struggled with managing his personnel. Whether that’s Bucks stars not playing enough minutes, going too deep into his bench and not using the right players at the right times (See Wesley Matthews in the fourth quarters of Game 1 and 3).
For all those reasons, it’s no wonder why many Bucks fans are disillusioned with Budenholzer, even when taking into his and the team’s success in the regular season.
Whenever next season begins, we know the Bucks will roll through the regular season, earn the top or second seed in the East and it won’t matter. Nothing will matter until a Budenholzer-coached team led by Giannis performs as expected in the playoffs. Bucks fans will have to wait months again to see if anything has changed for this team when it comes to the postseason.
For any Bucks fan feeling the same way I do, contemplating a major shakeup with Budenholzer would rest of Antetokounmpo’s shoulders. With his future in Milwaukee firmly in the balance at this point, any major decision is done with his input and certainly him in mind, whether it’s with the roster or the coaching staff.
There’s no question the need to make a huge splash this offseason in order to keep up in the ever-shifting Eastern Conference. As the Bucks explore any and all upgrades to their roster, the decision to retain Budenholzer will ultimately prove to make or break their fate in the playoffs next year.