The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN. This comes off the heels of a 36-46 record and finishing 11th place in the Western Conference.
This comes as a bit of a bold move since this was Budenholzer’s first year at the helm after they let go of Frank Vogel last season. The Suns will now be looking for their third head coach in as many seasons.
Let’s take a look a few reasons why Budenholzer was ousted out of Phoenix.
Phoenix Struggled On Both Ends
It is fair to say Suns basketball looked rough on both sides of the court. Despite having the league’s most expensive roster, Phoenix had the 13th-best offensive rating and a dismal 27th-best defensive rating. They also allowed the fourth-highest three-point percentage across the league. With three-pointers at an all-time high, not being able to stop them is an obvious issue.
A team that struggles this bad defensively did not deserve to make it to the playoffs, even though they were in the race for a play-in opportunity up until the final weekend of the season.
Budenholzer Clashed with Players
You would think that winning an NBA championship would have given Budenholzer some type of respect in the locker room. Time and time again there were reports of Budenholzer having conflicts with several members on the team.
Also, we cannot forget this heated exchange on the sideline between Budenholzer and Kevin Durant back on March 4 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
While both downplayed the incident, we cannot help but think this was a bit of foreshadowing for what was to come.
SEE MORE: Podcast Host Slams Suns as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker Crash Out of Playoff Race
Budenholzer Could Not Handle Talented Roster
If you looked at the Phoenix Suns roster on paper, you would think this is a championship contending team. With names like Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal the star power was everywhere. A deep rotation with the likes of Nick Richards, Grayson Allen, and Bol Bol would have anyone think back in October that this team was going to make sound in the loaded Western Conference.
Alas, we were all wrong on this. The Durant-Booker-Beal trio all took steps backwards this season offensively and just could not escape the injury bug.
Budenholzer was able to lead Giannis and lesser parts to an NBA championship just three years ago. It is a disappointment that he looked overwhelmed when coaching a team with objectively more talent.
Look, coaches are fired all the time. They are always the scapegoats before pieces of the roster begin to be traded. Owner Matt Ishbia has a tough off-season ahead of him and this Phoenix Suns team might look a whole lot different for whomever coaches them next.