Milwaukee Bucks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bucks Notes: Coaching Search, Giannis, Middleton, Lopez

May 5th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the Bucks‘ regular season success in recent years, their playoff runs – with the exception of their 2021 championship – haven’t ended the way they wanted or expected, general manager Jon Horst told reporters on Friday in explaining why the team felt the need to move on from Mike Budenholzer.

As Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays, Horst said on Friday that the Bucks’ next head coach won’t necessarily need to have championship experience – or even NBA head coaching experience – since he doesn’t yet want to “put any boxes around” what sort of candidate the team is looking for.

“That could change. This is obviously very early in what will be a thorough process. Very early in terms of time after the decision’s been made,” Horst said. “… As we dive into the process and it evolves, obviously it becomes more narrow, but at this point, everything is and should be on the table. We’re very much in a phase of gathering and collecting and who’s interested and what that very large candidate pool can be and then we’ll work from there.

Horst, who said he’ll be seeking someone with many of the same traits as Budenholzer who can unlock more of the roster’s potential, added that he likes the idea of getting feedback from Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks’ other core players before officially hiring a new head coach.

“When it comes to our guys, I really hope and expect them to have a role and a voice in the process,” he said, per Owczarski. “Their opinion matters to me. I know it matters to our ownership group. It’s something that I trust and value. So as we go through the process, I think at the right time we’ll make sure that a group of our players weigh in and partake in this in the right way and the right time.”

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Faced with a new CBA that will introduce more restrictive measures for teams well above the tax line, the Bucks are in a difficult position as they weigh what to do with Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, two important players who are in their 30s and are up for new contracts, Brian Windhorst said during a TV appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (Twitter video link). Windhorst suggests that Marc Lasry‘s decision to sell his stake in the team this year was likely related to the cap-related “quagmire” Milwaukee will face in the coming years.
In a subscriber-only story for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jim Owczarski examines whether the new CBA will shorten the Bucks’ championship window and digs into what the market will look like for Middleton and Lopez this offseason, assuming Middleton opts out. While rival teams will covet both players and neither will come cheap, sources tell Owczarski that Middleton won’t command a maximum-salary deal and Lopez’s age and 2021 back surgery will work against him.
Elsewhere at The Journal Sentinel, Owczarski identifies some head coaching candidates the Bucks could consider and breaks down contract details for every player on the roster.

Trajan Langdon, Milt Newton Among Wizards’ GM Candidates

May 5th, 2023 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards are taking their time as they seek out a replacement for former president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard, who was let go last month. However, they have identified at least a couple initial candidates, per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post.

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and a “small group of decision-makers” have spoken to Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon and Bucks assistant GM Milt Newton, according to Wallace, who adds that the team is still believed to be in the “information-gathering” stage of its search.

Langdon has been with the Pelicans since 2019, when he left his role as an assistant GM with the Nets to work under David Griffin in New Orleans. He received consideration from the Timberwolves when they sought a new head of basketball operations in 2019 and from the Kings when they did the same in 2020.

Newton, hired by the Bucks in the summer of 2017, was the Timberwolves’ general manager from 2013 to 2016 and has also previously worked for the Sixers and the NBA’s league office. Perhaps most notably, he was employed by the Wizards as their VP of player personnel from 2003-13, so he’s no stranger to Washington. Newton was a candidate for the Bulls’ top front office job in 2020 before they hired Arturas Karnisovas.

Wizards VP of player programs John Thompson III and assistant GM Brett Greenberg are running the team’s basketball operations department while the search for a new head of basketball operations continues.

Charles Lee Interviews With Raptors

May 5th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors interviewed Bucks assistant Charles Lee for their head coaching position on Thursday, league sources tell Stein (Twitter link). ESPN previously reported that Toronto met with Lee, who is also in the mix for the head coaching opening in Detroit and could emerge as a candidate in Milwaukee if the Bucks are willing to consider an in-house replacement for Mike Budenholzer.

Mike Budenholzer Fired By Bucks

May 4th, 2023 at 5:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

5:06pm: The Bucks have made the news official in a press release.

“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Bucks GM Jon Horst said in the statement. “Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success… This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”

4:57pm: Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has been let go by the team, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Budenholzer had two years left on his contract with Milwaukee.

The 58-24 Bucks, owners of the top record in the league this season, were defeated in five games by the eighth-seeded Heat in a massive first round upset.

A perfect storm of circumstances led to the Bucks’ early ouster after they had been widely considered the team to beat in the East this season. All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had to depart the first game of the series with a back injury and missed the subsequent two bouts. He played well in the fourth and fifth contests, both losses.

All-NBA Miami swingman Jimmy Butler, meanwhile, enjoyed the series of his life, averaging 37.6 PPG on .597/.444/.708 shooting. He also chipped in 6.0 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.8 SPG. The Heat were without their second-leading scorer, guard Tyler Herro, following the first half of Game 1 in the series.

Budenholzer’s decision-making during the series came under scrutiny in its immediate aftermath, particularly his decision to not leave Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Brook Lopez in to wall off the paint from Butler during the closing seconds of regulation in Game 5. Instead, against smaller Bucks guards, Butler pulled off a miracle shot thanks to a perfect Gabe Vincent inbound pass, which propelled the Heat to an eventual overtime victory. Budenholzer was also criticized for not employing all his timeouts during the closing minutes of that must-win contest.

Following Milwaukee’s elimination, former Bucks assistant Darvin Ham disclosed that one of Budenholzer’s brothers passed away before Game 4 of the series.

After serving as an assistant for the Spurs under head coach Gregg Popovich from 1996-2013, Budenholzer took his first head coaching assignment with the Hawks for the 2013/14 season. Budenholzer led the club as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in ’14/15 and won his first Coach of the Year award for his efforts. He also served as the team president from 2015-18.

Budenholzer joined the Bucks in the summer of 2018, immediately leading the club to the Eastern Conference Finals and earning Coach of the Year honors in his first year. Under his stewardship, Antetokounmpo won two MVP awards, and Milwaukee won its first title since 1971, beating the Suns in six games in 2021.

Budenholzer owns a lifetime regular season coaching record of 484-317, having led the Bucks to a 271-120 (.693) record over the last five seasons. His career postseason record is 56-48, with a 39-26 mark for Milwaukee.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link), replacing Budenholzer will be among many items on a busy summer agenda for the Bucks. Lopez will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, three-time All-Star swingman Khris Middleton could join him on the open market if he declines his 2023/24 player option, and Antetkounmpo is eligible for what promises to be a pricey extension.

Kings’ Monte McNair Named Executive Of The Year

May 3rd, 2023 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

Having constructed the roster that snapped a record-setting 16-year playoff drought, Kings general manager Monte McNair has been named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for the 2022/23 season, the league announced today.

McNair, who controversially sent ascendant guard Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana in a blockbuster deal for Domantas Sabonis at last season’s trade deadline, supplemented the star duo of Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox this past offseason by drafting Keegan Murray, signing Malik Monk, and trading for Kevin Huerter.

Perhaps most importantly, McNair hired Mike Brown as the Kings’ new head coach after parting ways with Alvin Gentry. Brown won Coach of the Year honors after leading Sacramento to a 48-34 record and its first postseason berth since 2006.

Unlike most of the NBA’s other major postseason awards, the Executive of the Year is voted on by the league’s 30 general managers instead of 100 media members.

McNair received 16 first-place votes and showed up on 24 ballots, earning 98 total points. He beat out runner-up Koby Altman of the Cavaliers, who got seven first-place votes and was included on 21 ballots, finishing with 63 total points.

No other executive received more than two first-place votes or 20 total points. Jazz GM Justin Zanik, Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, and Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens rounded out the top five vote-getters, while sixth-place finisher Bucks general manager Jon Horst joined Stevens as the other executives who received two first-place votes. Nine additional execs received at least one vote.

Sixers Center Joel Embiid Wins First MVP Award

May 2nd, 2023 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Joel Embiid has been named the league’s Most Valuable Player, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

The Sixers center surged during the second half of the season and topped Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who won the award the past two seasons, and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who captured the league’s most prestigious individual award in 2019 and 2020.

Embiid, the third overall pick of the 2014 draft, led Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference’s third-best record while topping the league in scoring at 33.1 points per game. He also averaged 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 66 regular-season games.

Jokic, who was considered the frontrunner a majority of the season, averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and a career-best 9.8 assists in 69 games while leading Denver to the Western Conference’s top seed. Jokic’s assist average ranked fourth in the league, an unusual feat for a center.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the league’s best record by averaging 31.1 points (fifth in the league), 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 63 games. Milwaukee’s superstar tied for third in the league in rebounding with Jokic.

The votes were based only on the regular season, so Milwaukee’s first-round playoff exit had no bearing on the voting.

Considering the MVP debate raged throughout the season, it was a little surprising that Embiid won by such a wide margin. He picked up 73 of the 100 first-place votes, while Jokic received 15 and Antetokounmpo got the other 12.

Overall, Embiid had 915 points with Jokic in second place (674 points) and the Bucks star in third (606). The Celtics‘ Jayson Tatum received most of the fourth-place votes and the Thunder‘s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished fifth.

Donovan Mitchell, Domantas Sabonis, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, De’Aaron Fox, Jalen Brunson, and Ja Morant also received at least one vote apiece.

Embiid is the first Sixers player to win the award since Allen Iverson (2000-01).

Draft Notes: Sanogo, Jackson, Tshiebwe, Bates, Droppers

April 30th, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Adama Sanogo and Andre Jackson Jr. were two key contributors to UConn’s national championship season. Both players have been invited to the NBA Combine in Chicago in May. Adam Zagoria tweets.

Jackson, a combo guard, is a potential first-rounder. He’s currently ranked No. 30 on ESPN’s Best Available list. Despite a stellar college career, Sanogo may have to open some eyes during the pre-draft process in order to get drafted. He’s currently ranked No. 87.

We have more draft-related items:

Kentucky’s star big man Oscar Tshiebwe hasn’t ruled out returning to college but he’s got a number of workouts lined up, Zagoria adds in another tweet. Tshiebwe has already scheduled workouts with the Celtics, Bucks, Rockets and Kings. He averaged 16.5 PPG and 13.7 RPG this past season and is currently ranked No. 66 on ESPN’s list.
Will guard Emoni Bates get drafted? The Athletic’s Shams Charania, John Hollinger and Brendan Quinn explore that question. Bates averaged 19.2 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 30 games with Eastern Michigan after a tumultuous freshman campaign with Memphis. Bates catches scouts’ attention with his high-level shot-making but doesn’t offer much else, according to The Athletic trio. He’s ranked No. 56 by ESPN and No. 78 by The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.
What do Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins, Houston’s Marcus Sasser and Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis have in common? They are some of the players who have seen their draft stock decline heading into the combine, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

NBA To Announce MVP Winner On May 2

April 29th, 2023 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The winner of this season’s MVP award will be revealed on “NBA on TNT” at 7:00 pm Eastern time on May 2, the league announced (via Twitter).

The race has the potential to be very close, with Sixers center Joel Embiid, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo all having submitted strong arguments for the award. They were announced as the finalists on April 14.

Embiid is considered the favorite to win the honor after capturing his second consecutive scoring title at 33.1 PPG. He also averaged 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks in 66 games.

Jokic won the last two MVP trophies, and for most of the season it seemed like he was in a good position to claim three in a row. At 24.5 PPG, his scoring average was down from the last two seasons, but he averaged 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists in 69 games while leading Denver to the top seed in the Western Conference.

Antetokounmpo, also a two-time winner, put together another strong campaign with a career-high 31.1 PPG, along with 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 63 games as Milwaukee posted the league’s best record. The votes were cast before the playoffs began, so the Bucks’ first-round exit won’t affect his chances.

Mike Budenholzer’s Brother Passed Away Before Game 4

April 29th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Rory Maher

Rightly or wrongly, head coaches often come under the microscope after disappointing ends to seasons. That has been the case with Mike Budenholzer after the top-seeded Bucks lost their first-round series to the Heat in five games.

Unfortunately, Budenholzer and his family were going through a terrible personal tragedy in the series — one of his three brothers died just before Game 4, the coach confirmed via a spokesperson to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Team sources tell Vardon that Budenholzer’s brother passed away due to injuries from a car accident.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham, a longtime former assistant under Budenholzer, was the first to publicly disclose the death at his press conference ahead of Game 6 on Friday night. Through the team spokesperson, Budenholzer informed Vardon that he “loves and respects” Ham and was comfortable confirming the news.

We send our condolences to the Budenholzer family and their friends.

Central Notes: Budenholzer, Pistons, Duren, P. Williams

April 28th, 2023 at 9:40pm CST by Rory Maher

Mike Budenholzer‘s job status appears to be tenuous, but the Bucks are expected to take their time before determining what to do with their head coach, who still has two years left on his contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (YouTube link).

According to Wojnarowski, the Bucks are in “shock” over their first-round loss to the Heat and have been known to be patient under general manager Jon Horst. He also points out that there’s a new ownership group in place, which may complicate matters — Jimmy and Dee Haslam recently bought Marc Lasry‘s stake in the Bucks, which was thought to be about 25 percent.

“I think this is a Milwaukee organization that is going to take their time,” Wojnarowski said. “Because here’s the thing… you’ve gotta know who you’re going to bring in. Who is out there at a championship level that you can bring in that’s better than what you know you have? That’s a very short list. … I don’t think there will be a quick resolution in terms of making a decision on Mike Budenholzer’s future.”

Here’s more from the Central:

The Pistons finished with the worst record in the NBA in 2022/23 and will have roughly $30MM in cap space this summer. Which of their possible free agents will be retained, and which will be headed out of town? James L. Edwards III tackles that subject for The Athletic, writing that only Isaiah Livers‘ spot with the team is secure — Detroit holds a $1.8MM option for the young forward next season. Of the remaining players who either have team options or are set to hit unrestricted free agency, Edwards places the lowest odds (0-10 percent) on Cory Joseph coming back.
Many thought Jalen Duren would spend a good chunk of ’22/23 in the G League — he was the youngest player in the league and was considered a fairly raw prospect. Instead, the 19-year-old center had an excellent rookie season for the Pistons and appears firmly entrenched as a foundational piece, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “That’s one guy I won’t ever put a ceiling on,” GM Troy Weaver said after the season. “As you keep watching him, you just see different things. … He’s a very smart young man. Got tremendous gifts. He’s got a chance to be a big-time player.” As Langlois notes, Duren led all rookies with 3.4 offensive rebounds and 8.9 total rebounds per game. He also averaged 9.1 points while shooting 64.8% from the floor in 67 games (24.9 minutes).
There were peaks and valleys during Patrick Williams‘ third season with the Bulls, but the former lottery pick hopes to have a long NBA career and is focused on improving for next season, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “I felt a lot more comfortable, a lot more aggressive but (still) not who I want to be,” Williams said. “That’s pretty much what it comes down to. You’ve got to put the work in to be who you want to be in this league. Obviously, at 21 you’re not going to be the person you’re going to be obviously when you’re 31. … I learned a lot about (myself) personally, about us as a team, about the game, learning how to read the game, how to really dissect the game. When I say I didn’t live up to what I wanted the season to be for me, it wasn’t like it was a terrible season. It’s just there’s more work to be done.”