Bucks: Ranking 6 replacements for Budenholzer after playoff meltdown (Updated)

Bucks coach replacement No. 2: Frank Vogel

Speaking of winning a championship, the last two candidates on the list have both done so in the past five seasons. It’s rare that a title-winning coach would be unemployed this quickly after doing so, but if Budenholzer is fired three of the last four championship coaches would be without a job.

Frank Vogel has the longest NBA coaching resume of any of the candidates on this list, coaching 11 seasons as a head coach at three different stops. He was very successful with the Indiana Pacers, had a terrible two-year run with the Orlando Magic, and then led the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA Championship in the Orlando Bubble.

Vogel lost his job in Los Angeles more from circumstances than poor performance. He proved that he could coach a team to success in both the regular season and the playoffs, and the Lakers had an elite defense when they had something approximating a healthy roster. What he wasn’t able to do was keep Anthony Davis and LeBron James healthy, nor prevent the front office from making bone-headed move after bone-headed move after taking Vogel’s title-winning roster and stripping it down for parts.

Vogel would represent the veteran replacement for Budenholzer, a longtime coach who has proven it in the league but doesn’t have Budenholzer’s recent playoff disappointments to his ledger. He knows how to manage stars, he would continue the Bucks’ elite defensive ways, and he would be a steadying hand at the helm. That makes him an attractive candidate for the Bucks to consider.