With the New York Knicks announcing the firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, the franchise must now find a viable replacement for the respected former Chicago Bulls leader.
Sports Illustrated’s Liam McKeone suggested the Knicks should consider hiring a recently fired NBA champion head coach.
“The other former championship-winning head coach who enters the offseason looking for a new gig, (Mike) Budenholzer, is coming off a tough campaign with the Phoenix Suns,”McKeone wrote.
“He was hired this time last year to maximize the Kevin Durant-Devin Booker-Bradley Beal core in Arizona and failed, with the Suns going 36-46 this season. Budenholzer was fired almost immediately after the end of the regular season.”
“Putting that aside, Budenholzer's candidacy is strong. He's earned a reputation for installing a successful offensive and defensive system at a variety of stops that consistently leads to regular-season success.
“Budenholzer has accumulated a 520-363 record in 11 seasons as head coach. His playoff runs haven't always been smooth— but he did reach the mountaintop, winning the NBA Finals with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.”
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Budenholzer was on top of the world after guiding the Bucks to a championship four years ago.
Although the Phoenix Suns were a worthy opponent in the NBA Finals, they were outmatched by the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led franchise in the six-game series.
Sadly, Budenholzer and the Bucks experienced a rough patch after their victorious 2020-21 campaign, compelling Milwaukee to part with Budenholzer in 2023.
The Suns brought the 55-year-old on board for the 2024-25 season, but his failure to win with three stars on his roster made it a no-brainer for Phoenix to give him the boot this past May.
That said, the Knicks made it clear that anything less than an NBA title victory is unacceptable in New York, opening a door for a proven coach like Budenholzer to lead the organization to the promised land.
Coaches like Mike Malone and Taylor Jenkins will always be in the running for the open vacancy, but it’s fair to state that Budenholzer should feel good about his chances of landing the highly sought-after job.
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