Suns Made Right Call Not Hiring Mike Budenholzer

Despite being linked to the Phoenix Suns, Mike Budenholzer is not expected to land the Phoenix Suns head coaching position

With the report from the Athletic’s Shams Charania stating the Phoenix Suns have narrowed their list of potential head coaches to just five candidates, one notable name is now being left on the outs: Mike Budenholzer.

Despite being linked to the Suns’ head coaching position upon getting fired by the Milwaukee Bucks, he is reportedly no longer being considered for the job according to Yahoo’s Jake Fischer.

“Former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, meanwhile, is not seen as a likely candidate for the Suns, sources said, while he’s among the six names Philadelphia is considering for its position,” Fischer wrote.

The five candidates Phoenix will be considering to be their next head coach are Doc Rivers, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel, Jordi Fernandez and Kevin Young.

Budenholzer is one of the few head coaches available who has won an NBA championship, winning one back in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks. Through five seasons coaching in Milwaukee, Budenholzer had a 263-119 record. With all of Budenholzer’s success over the last few seasons, was it the right move for the Suns to eliminate him from their coaching search?

While Budenholzer has had some playoff success, he has also had a lot of failures and shortcomings. This includes this season where the Bucks finished the regular season with a league leading 58-24 record but were eliminated by the Miami Heat in just five games.

A major reason Milwaukee lost was because of Budenholzer’s lack of adjustments. The team seemed to be shaky and unsure of themselves at times, which are attributes the Suns had under previous head coach Monty Williams. 

Phoenix needs a coach that is capable of making the right in-game adjustments and someone that will not fold under the pressure of the bright lights. Despite being a championship winning coach, the Suns made the right decision not to consider Budenholzer for this position.