Damian Lillard condemns Bucks’ firing of Mike Budenholzer

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard criticized Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to terminate their head coach Mike Budenholzer. His comments gained support from NBA fans.

The Bucks fired Budenholzer after their surprising first-round elimination from the playoffs. The team suffered a loss to the Miami Heat, leading to the management’s decision to terminate Budenholzer’s contract as head coach.

Budenholzer had a successful track record with the Bucks. He led them to five consecutive division titles, a 60-win season and earned himself the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2019.

Before joining the Bucks, Budenholzer also had similar successes with the Atlanta Hawks. He led the team to a division title and a 60-win season.

Lillard’s stance against hasty firing of coaches

Lillard tweeted on Thursday, one hour after the Bucks announced the departure of Budenholzer. “Folks out here firing championship coaches as soon as they don’t win the chip,” he wrote.

According to sports publication Larry Brown Sports, Lillard’s comments may also have referred to the recent firing of NBA championship-winning coaches.

Last month, the Toronto Raptors fired Nick Nurse. The Los Angeles Lakers also let go of their coach Frank Vogel last season. These three coaches were responsible for three of the last four NBA championship wins.

As all three coaches are now out of jobs, Lillard pointed out the ongoing trend of teams giving up on successful coaches too hastily. He emphasized that this phenomenon is becoming all too common in the league.

Lillard’s stance on dismissing championship coaches received support from numerous NBA fans. One fan replied to Lillard’s recent tweet, “Yeah that’s wild.”

Another fan expressed a similar sentiment, saying the recent incident is akin to winning lotteries.

“Winning an NBA championship one year and getting fired the next – that’s like winning the lottery and then losing your winning ticket,” the fan’s tweet read.

Others noted that despite Budenholzer experiencing a personal family tragedy and having to navigate his team’s best player’s injury, he was still dismissed from his position as head coach.

“And don’t have Giannis (Antetokounmpo) for two games and lost a brother in the middle of the series … crazy,” the tweet read.

Bucks’ explanation on contract termination

Milwaukee’s general manager Jon Horst and team president Peter Feigin released a statement on Thursday explaining their decision to dismiss Budenholzer.

Milwaukee Bucks

2023-05-04 22:08

A letter from Bucks General Manager Jon Horst and Team President Peter Feigin. https://t.co/8Y8t8V918x

5764 435

“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Horst and Feigin said.

In their statement, Horst and Feigin expressed their appreciation for Budenholzer’s contribution to the team’s success over the past five seasons.

They acknowledged his leadership and how he led the Bucks to their first championship victory in half a century, stating that they are grateful for the culture of winning that he instilled in the organization.

The management also viewed the recent change as an opportunity to renew their efforts and concentrate on securing another championship title.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Budenholzer was dismissed as head coach despite having around $16 million and two years left on his contract.

With a regular season record of 271-120, the best in the league during his five-year tenure, and a 39-26 playoff record, Budenholzer has established a commendable legacy with the Bucks.

The Bucks are in a championship run with a talented player in his prime. However, their plan to refocus and revitalize the team will not be a simple task due to the successes Budenholzer achieved during his five-year term with them.