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3 teams that could upgrade from hiring Mike Budenholzer

By Nicholas Chiarito

Mar 25, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Budenholzer before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 25, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Budenholzer before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 9, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after a three point basket in the second half during game five of the 2023 NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

Mike Budenholzer was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks but he’s a championship-winning coach with a great track record. These three teams should snap him up.

Mike Budenholzer has been one of the best coaches in the NBA for the last decade. He has spent all 10 of his years coaching in the Eastern Conference and has been the coach of the top seed in four different seasons and has had the best record in the NBA in three times. Bud has also been the NBA Coach of the Year twice and won an NBA championship in 2021.

In Bud’s career, he turned good talent into great talent in Atlanta and then turned great talent into even greater talent and NBA champions in Milwaukee. Being one of Greg Popovich’s prodigies, Bud has the potential to take over another NBA franchise and drastically improve the team going into the next season.

Teams that need Mike Budenholzer: 3. Philadelphia 76ers

For the last six seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers have failed to get past the second round — losing to the Celtics in five games in 2018, Raptors in seven games in 2019, swept by the Celtics in 2020,  Hawks in seven games in 2021, Heat in six games in 2022, and lost again to the Celtics in seven games again this year.

The lack of the 76ers’ success has been in part of the health and performance of 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid. With Bud being a leg off of Pop’s chair, he is a firm believer in load managing and managing a player’s health. Looking at how Bud coached two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, he only played him an average of 32 minutes per game in the regular season and ramped up his minutes for the postseason. As the coach for the 76ers, we could see this same pattern with Joel Embiid. Playing him fewer minutes in the regular season where he is less likely to be tired or hurt throughout the playoffs.

Another area where Bud could heavily impact the 76ers would be with their up-and-coming star guard, Tyrese Maxey. With the uncertainty of James Harden’s future, Maxey is going to be taking on a bigger role and coach Bud has had a lot of success coaching guards. He turned Jeff Teague into an All-Star, turned Eric Bledsoe into an All-NBA defender, and helped Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday become stars in this league too. Bud could have the same effect on Maxey, enhancing his combo guard abilities, and turning him into one of the best guards in the Eastern Conference.

Adding coach Bud would also give the 76ers a competitive advantage over one of their biggest rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks, because Bud would know their weakness. The 76ers should strongly consider Mike Budenholzer if they want to increase their title odds.

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