In an earth-shattering move that has sent shockwaves through the NBA, the Phoenix Suns have pounced to hire Mike Budenholzer as their new head coach. This high-profile coaching change comes just a day after Phoenix pulled the plug on Frank Vogel following a bitterly disappointing playoff flameout.
According to reports, Budenholzer’s lucrative new deal will pay out a staggering eight-figure sum annually to bring his championship pedigree to the desert. The 54-year-old is no stranger to the Arizona landscape, having grown up in the small town of Holbrook where his father Vince carved out a legendary high school coaching career.
For a Suns franchise desperate to recapture their championship DNA, Budenholzer represents a potential home run hire. His innovative offensive schemes in Milwaukee and Atlanta maximized player movement and spacing to generate a tsunamic of high-percentage scoring chances. Just imagine the Level 7 damage he could orchestrate with offensive weapons like Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton at his disposal.
Budenholzer’s stint in Milwaukee was nothing short of a masterclass. In just his second season at the helm in 2018-19, he piloted the Bucks to a spectacular 60-win campaign and secured Coach of the Year honors. More critically, he was the catalyst for unlocking Giannis Antetokounmpo’s behemoth potential, as the Greek Freak captured his first MVP award that season.
While a shocking playoff meltdown in the 2020 Orlando bubble brought initial whispers of doubt, Budenholzer and the Bucks emphatically silence the critics the following year. They acquired the perfect complementary piece in lockdown defender Jrue Holiday, then embarked on an all-time classic 7-game series triumph over Kevin Durant’s stacked Nets team in the second round. Milwaukee then dethroned the Suns 4 games to 2 in the Finals to seize the franchise’s first championship in a half-century.
The subsequent two seasons delivered more of Budenholzer’s regular season wizardry, with the Bucks amassing 51 and 58 wins respectively. But disappointing playoff exits, first to Boston then shockingly to Miami in the opening round, only amplified an undercurrent of fan unrest aimed at the head coach. There were even rumblings of a fractured relationship between Budenholzer and his superstar Antetokounmpo, making his dismissal this offseason a mild surprise despite his impressive body of work.
For Suns faithful still reeling from this season’s catastrophic face-plant, Budenholzer’s arrival represents a renewed spark of hope for reigniting their championship ambitions. His track record of regular season dominance and playoff success, save for the 2020 hiccup, is undeniable. While concerns linger about his ability to forge deep connections with superstars, there are few coaches better equipped to resurrect the Suns’ stagnant, disconnected offensive identity that plagued them all season.
Seamlessly integrating the celestial talents of Booker and Durant while keeping Ayton actively engaged will be priority one for Budenholzer’s system in Phoenix. The surrounding supporting cast is brimming with complementary offensive talents like Chris Paul that flourished in past stops under his tutelage as well. If the new sage can harness the Suns’ abundant firepower into his masterful brand of ball and player movement, the results could be cataclysmic for the rest of the Western Conference.
For a franchise that tasted the Finals’ nectar just two short years ago, the plunge into purgatory was unacceptable this past season. Budenholzer represents a colossal double-or-nothing wager by Phoenix’s leadership to resurrect their championship contender status. Only time will tell if this high-stakes calculated coaching gambit pays the ultimate dividend of delivering the Larry O’Brien trophy to the Valley of the Sun. But one thing is certain – the Suns’ road back to the Finals just got much tougher to navigate.
