The Milwaukee Bucks made the tough decision to part ways with coach Mike Budenholzer after another disappointing end to the season.
Coach Bud was there during their championship run a couple of seasons ago, but it seemed like the players were no longer satisfied with his lack of timely adjustments in the postseason.
As questionable as the decision may have seemed at the time, there’s no shortage of more than capable replacements waiting on deck, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: The Bucks are narrowing group of top candidates in franchise’s head coaching search: Nick Nurse, Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson and Toronto assistant Adrian Griffin. These coaches will be part of final conversations with Milwaukee leadership this week.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 22, 2023
Woj recently reported that the Bucks are narrowing their list of candidates to former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse, Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin, and Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.
The Bucks still have a championship-caliber core and need to think this through before making any decisions.
They also need to figure out the contract situations of Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, especially considering they’re set to pay steep penalties for going over the luxury tax threshold for the third consecutive season.
Failing to keep the band together could eventually mean losing Giannis Antetokounmpo as well, as there have been plenty of rumors about his future and whether he’ll stay or leave for a bigger market once his contract runs out.
Whatever the case, the Bucks should still be considered one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference for as long as Giannis is there.
That’s why they cannot afford to make a mistake and drop the ball with this crucial hire, and why we won’t likely hear any updates for the time being.
NEXT: Giannis Antetokounmpo Sends Out A Special Thank You
