NBA rumors: Frank Vogel a possible Mike Budenholzer replacement in Milwaukee
The Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer, just two years after he helped lead them to a title. Now, they may turn to Frank Vogel, another recent title winner.
According to Marc Stein, the Bucks could be replacing Mike Budenholzer with a former Lakers coach — Frank Vogel is their top choice for the position. Vogel won a championship with the Lakers and was able to overcome the loss of a starter in the playoffs by making smart adjustments. He went on and off with Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee in the playoffs pending the matchup.
He was really able to have a good sense of the matchups during the Lakers’ championship run, getting the most out of his players. Additionally, he was not afraid to adjust throughout the series as the Lakers lost multiple Game 1s in that run and Vogel correctly adjusted his rotation and schemes.
In his next two years with L.A., he was unable to adjust his rotations which became his downfall with the Lakers. He ended up being fired and has taken a year off from coaching in the last year. Vogel may not end up being the coach of the Bucks but he could be the right fit.
NBA rumors: Why does Frank Vogel make sense for the Bucks?
In reality, this wouldn’t be this much of a change for the Bucks. He’s a veteran coach with a solid idea of how he’d like his teams to play. This move may also signal that the Bucks are fully intending to offer a max contract to Khris Middleton this summer.
The Bucks are faced with re-upping their aging core to contract extensions or starting a rebuild. The Greek Freak has a pending player option coming up in recent years and the clock is ticking if the Bucks want to continue their title contention window with Giannis Antetokoumpo.
Still, choosing to add a veteran coach instead of prompting an assistant on staff or a young coaching prospect would show that this team is committed to winning in the current timeline, and takes the pressure of rebuilding or even retooling this roster.
The best NBA Draft pick of all time at every slot. dark. Next
Check out The Step Back for more news, analysis, opinion and unique basketball coverage. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our daily email newsletter, The Whiteboard.