NBA Daily: Milwaukee Bucks face unique situation | Basketball initiates
NBA Daily: Milwaukee Bucks face unique situation | Basketball initiates
–
Despite having beaten the dominant Brooklyn Nets in seven games, the Milwaukee Bucks face more uncertainty about their future than any other team in the playoffs. Last season, the Bucks racked up a 56-17 record which was good for the best in the league. However, the team disappointed and saw a second-round exit at the hands of Miami HEAT.
After this disappointing end to a season that many believe would lead to an NBA championship, the Bucks have faced a lot of criticism. In response, Milwaukee rushed to address many of these issues. Eric Bledsoe and a cargo of first-round picks were traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for defensive stalwart Jrue Holiday. The team then traded their bench rotation, supplementing it with players like PJ Tucker, Bobby Portis and Bryn Forbes. The Bucks even asked older rookies Sam Merrill and Mamadi Diakite to play quick minutes.
But Milwaukee’s biggest criticism was the one that remained unsolved: the coaching situation. Head Coach Mike Budenholzer is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year winner. Budenholzer won the award for the first time after notching more than 60 victories for the Atlanta Hawks in 2014-15. Then, he started again with the Bucks two years ago. Despite his metal, Budenholzer’s rotation decisions were criticized and confused in the heart-wrenching loss to Miami in 2020. Many fans in the league noted that many stars played well over 40 minutes in big games and didn’t. never played less than 36. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s big names have sat for long periods of time.
For reference, Anthony Davis and LeBron James for the Los Angeles Lakers played over 36 minutes per game in the playoffs last season. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo did the same for the HEAT. These two teams qualified for the final. On the other hand, Khris Middleton led the team with 35.5 minutes per game in the playoffs while Giannis Antetokounmpo only played 30.8 minutes per night.
Despite this, Milwaukee’s brain confidence kept Budenholzer going into the 2020-21 season. And so far, it seems like the right decision. The Bucks came back strong in the playoffs, being the only team to sweep another team, Miami, in the first round. Then the Bucks fought the Nets again in the series, tonight the series twice after falling the same number of times before finally defeating the title favorites. The team are now paired with the Searing Hawks and lost 1-0 in the series.
Everything seems to be going relatively well for the Bucks despite the current streak. Budenholzer seems to have learned the lesson, his stars all play more than 37 minutes per game. In fact, the whole rotation seems to click.
Middleton in particular had the best playoff performance of his career in Game 6 against the Nets. The former All-Star finished that game with 38 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, missing just five of his 16 shots. This is nothing new for Middleton, who is the face of consistency in the league. Outside of an injury-plagued 2016-17 season, Middleton has averaged around 20 points per game for nearly six consecutive years.
In each of the past two seasons, Middleton has come within inches of a 50/40/90 season. Both seasons have seen a respectable number of deep and charity strip attempts. Middleton has even become the go-to attacking guy for the Bucks. Just watch his and his teammates’ confidence in him as he buried a four-point game to freeze Game 6 against Brooklyn:
It’s not just Middleton. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing more aggressively lately, scoring 30 points on 20 field goal attempts in Game 6 against the Nets. “The Greek Freak” followed that performance with a 40-point performance to win this series, officially taking revenge last year. In Milwaukee’s defeat in Game 1 to Atlanta, Antetokounmpo registered 34 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists in 41 minutes.
Holiday didn’t have the best playoff stint of his career, but there’s no denying how absurdly better the team’s perimeter defense is with Holiday replacing Bledsoe and George Hill. The team’s confidence in Holiday paid off with a performance of 33 points and 10 assists that saw Holiday’s middle brother connect on five 3-pointers.
Some of the most notable changes have come from the Milwaukee Bench. Forbes and Portis in particular have taken the next step as players this year. Both players have taken one-year bets on themselves during the offseason which will certainly translate into wins this summer. Portis and Forbes were third and fourth in the regular season, respectively, in a three-point percentage. Forbes in particular became notorious for how he torched the HEAT in the first round from the depths.
And yet, despite the bright spots, the Bucks still face one of the biggest crossroads of any team in the playoffs. And it all depends on how deep this team can go.
Despite beating the Nets, Budenholzer is still in the hot seat. While ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the series victory over Brooklyn will go a long way in determining Budenholzer’s future, the two-time coach of the year has yet to reach the final as head coach. . If Budenholzer and the Bucks lose to the Hawks, which they are much better than on paper, it could have a ripple effect on the franchise. In fact, multiple reports indicate the team are already considering potential replacements if things go wrong.
Rick Carlisle Logged In To Head Coach Jobs With Dollars, Pacers https://t.co/RKk6TKOO49
– RealGM (@RealGM) June 18, 2021
It’s a strange turnaround for a team that knows the top to eliminate the favorites to the title. Middleton had a bad Game 1, and the team probably won’t lose that Game if he clicks. But Budenholzer’s questionable rotation decisions still plagued the team, with rarely-used Jeff Teague seeing six critical minutes against Trae Young.
Firing a head coach – especially one as successful as Budenholzer in the regular season – is no small task. The move would likely be accompanied by several other personnel and roster changes.
Despite the quality of Portis and Forbes for the team, Milwaukee is unlikely to be able to afford to move forward. Portis and Forbes both have player options for next season, Portis at $ 3.8 million and Forbes at $ 2.4 million. There’s also no way to stay on the Bucks at this price point with a low free agent class on the horizon. And unfortunately, the Bucks also don’t have the money to re-sign with a large number.
This path would lead the team to be extremely aggressive with the money and assets they have. The team have reportedly agreed to trade Donte DiVincenzo – who is now out with an injury – for Bogdan Bogdanovic in a signing deal before Bogdanovic refused to be traded there. Other players like Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton have tradable salaries and could help recruit another impact player.
If the Bucks went the distance, Budenholzer would most likely stay and the franchise would avoid a culture reset. Forbes and Portis are probably still leaving, but other free agents like Tucker would likely be more inclined to re-sign for a smaller salary.
In this case, the team would be more inclined to sit down and watch organic growth. Players like Jordan Nwora, Merrill or Diakite could fill the gaps left by the potential departures of Forbes or Portis. That’s not to say the team wouldn’t be aggressive, but there’s no longer a playoff team that would see such a change if they were eliminated.
Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns was finalist for Coach of the Year. The Suns have the assets for internal and external growth if they are eliminated. The Hawks have improved considerably from last season and have a direct path to improve thanks to guys like De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu. And the Los Angeles Clippers will likely hold onto Tyronn Lue and Kawhi Leonard this offseason, even if things turn sour.
Unfortunately for Budenholzer, this is a unique situation. There haven’t been many do-or-die cases involving jobs this deep in the playoffs involving contenders. For Budenholzer, winning the title secures his job. If he doesn’t, it could spell the end of his tenure in Milwaukee.
.