Milwaukee Bucks: The Mike Budenholzer era is on life support

There’s little doubt that we may be seeing the last games Mike Budenholzer coaches the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks’ 2020-21 season is on the brink as they trail the Brooklyn Nets 2-0 in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series and as it shifts back to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4. It’s not a matter of stopping the bleeding for the Bucks rather turning back time in order to reset the start of the series, but alas, that seems to go against the laws of physics.

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For Budenholzer, the ground rules for his future in Milwaukee were set on the eve of the Bucks’ playoff run. The Bucks’ playoff performance and the length of their playoff run this year was going to heavily determine Bud’s future as first reported by The Athletic.

The Bucks’ first round sweep of the Miami Heat had everyone inside and outside of Milwaukee thinking this time around would be different. That was in part due to the Bucks’ many additions and the overarching evolution they have gone through over the course of the season.

Milwaukee’s series with Brooklyn, though, has obviously been a different story. After the incredibly poor performances in Games 1 and 2, the Bucks have shown that both sides are worlds apart from one another. More concerning from a Bucks perspective is the fact that they have reverted to old habits that have set the stage for their playoff downfalls under the two-time Coach of the Year.

The more things and players have changed for the Bucks, the more things have stayed the same under Budenholzer when it has mattered most.

Mike Budenholzer’s days with the Milwaukee Bucks are likely numbered

At this point, whatever the Bucks can salvage from this series may only be window dressing for Budenholzer being able to retain his job beyond this season. And assuming the Bucks can salvage anything in this series certainly sounds like wishful thinking at this point from what we’ve seen so far.

The Bucks’ actions throughout last offseason and regular season have reinforced the roster and given them more tools and skills to work with than what they had at their disposal last year. With that said, their top three players, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, are certainly not above blame for their poor performances so far this series.

Their poor performances aside, the Bucks have committed to and locked down their core of Antetokounmpo, Holiday and Middleton are under contract for the foreseeable future. While changes may come further down the roster and maybe within their starting lineup, it’s hard to envision some kind of significant shakeup within their foundation (though certainly anything may be on the table).

That, of course, leaves Budenholzer’s time in Milwaukee in jeopardy and it may not be the only thing if this series continues down the path it’s on at the moment.

Another playoff walloping may cause the Bucks organization to further examine their philosophies in team building that stretches beyond assessing their coaching staff as well as their roster construction. And with little draft assets coming their way anytime soon, the Bucks are threading an incredibly tight needle to maintain this window to contend. These are the kinds of questions that have to be asked in light of what has been a disastrous series for the Bucks so far.

Make no mistake, Milwaukee can certainly flip the script if they so choose and regain some dignity if they can reclaim resiliency after going down an an early hole in this series. Following their Game 2 drubbing, that’s the very least that Bucks fans are looking for.

Whether that happens remains to be seen, but anything less than that is accelerating the inevitable in regards to Budenholzer’s future in Milwaukee. At this point, it absolutely feels like a foregone conclusion.