Suns' Mike Budenholzer gives stern reaction to coaching against Bucks
03/24/2025 09:15 PM
Mike Budenholzer was a man of few words before Monday’s game. The Phoenix Suns head coach is taking on the Milwaukee Bucks in all former territory.
When asked about coaching against his former team, he had few words.
"It was a great five years."
Mike Budenholzer had few words for @Amanda_Pflugrad when asking him about playing the Bucks tonight.
This marks the first game he's coached against Milwaukee since he was fired after the 2023 season.#SunsUppic.twitter.com/0dtvx3FMuf
— Hayden Cilley (@HaydenCilley) March 25, 2025
“I mean, it was a great five years,” Budenholzer said. “But I think right now, before the game, I’d rather just focus on Phoenix, focus on us. Get ready to do our job tonight, and our players don’t care, and I probably shouldn’t either.”
However, his time in Milwaukee came to a screeching halt. After a first-round exit against the Miami Heat, the Bucks fired Budenholzer. It was one that players didn’t agree with, especially Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Either way, the franchise made the decision it felt was best. Fast forward two seasons and Budenholzer became the Suns head coach. While the success hasn’t replicated, there have been flashes of potential inside the 34-37 record.
The Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker have looked exceptional at points. Simultaneously, they’ve looked incompetent at times as well.
Some of the rotations and lineup changes have been mind-boggling. Despite that though, Budenholzer proved that his offensive system still works.
Mike Budenholzer wants to focus on the Suns, not the Bucks
Coaching somewhere for five years is a good chunk of time in today’s NBA. However, the Bucks won the 2021 NBA title, against the Suns coincidentally.
Booker was a part of that team, and that was a running joke between the current Phoenix head coach and the shooting guard. Still, there are some familiar faces on the other side.
For example, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and Antetokounmpo were the main core on Budenholzer’s Milwaukee roster. The defensive versatility, scoring, and dominance inside the paint were too much to handle for other teams.
Although that was the 2021 team, many things can change within four seasons. For starters, Jrue Holiday is no longer on the team, and instead, Damian Lillard is in his place.
Furthermore, the Bucks have gone through two coaching changes. They hired Adrian Griffin, and then was fired midseason and replaced by Doc Rivers.
Despite Budenholzer talking about not caring or his players not caring, don’t tell that to Durant. He explained after Friday’s game that there might be a hidden fire with his head coach.
Kevin Durant on Mike Budenholzer facing Milwaukee the 1st time since the Bucks fired him after the 2022-23 season: "Knowing Bud, I know he'll have a little bit more juice to play against his former team. We got to match his energy. Usually great teams match the coach's energy. So… pic.twitter.com/ehFY26rvGk
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 22, 2025
“Knowing Bud, I know he’ll have a little bit more juice to play against his former team,” Durant said. “We got to match his energy. Usually great teams match the coach’s energy. So we’re looking forward to playing that game.”
For the Suns, they went through Frank Vogel last season, and were set on Budenholzer. If things don’t turn around, it might be another tumultuous ending for the Holbrook, Arizona native in his first season.
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