Despite finding himself in the crosshairs of criticism after the Milwaukee Bucks suffered a defeat at the hands of the Miami Heat in round two of the playoffs this week, head coach Mike Budenholzer’s job is not in jeopardy, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Rival executives expect guard Eric Bledsoe could become available as the Bucks retool their roster, but they are reportedly not willing to move on from Budenholzer yet.
From Charania:
As for head coach Mike Budenholzer, he is safe, according to sources. This much is certain, though: Across the Bucks‘ leadership group, there’s an understanding everyone must learn from this season and be better. They need to continue building a winning mentality, stocking the roster with key decision-makers.
Much of the criticism toward Budenholzer came because of his rotations and the restrictive minutes load he placed on his star players, especially Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, and yet the final straw for Milwaukee in the series was an injury to Antetkounmpo.
It seems that rather than being reactive toward a coach who has led Milwaukee to incredible regular-season success the past two years, the Bucks will aim to put together a roster better suited to compensate for the weaknesses that the team currently has.