The Milwaukee Bucks made a no-brainer decision on Tuesday: extending head coach Mike Budenholzer.
It's not a long time ago when Budenholzer's future in Milwaukee was in doubt. After all, the team has repeatedly failed in the postseason even with Giannis Antetokounmpo playing at an elite level. In 2020-21, however, the stars aligned for the Bucks as they survived the grueling campaign and playoffs to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Now, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported, the Bucks have agreed to a three-year extension with Budenholzer. This means that Coach Bud will be leading the franchise until the 2024-25 season at the least.
Budenholzer – a two-time NBA coach of the year who had been entering the final year of his deal — now ties himself to the Bucks through the 2024-2025 season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 25, 2021
Mike Budenholzer certainly deserves the extension. While no specific amount was mentioned, it is definitely safe to assume that he got a significant bump in his salary after a renewed confidence that he is the right man to coach Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co.
Since taking over the team in 2018-19, Budenholzer has always led the Bucks to a deep run in the playoffs. The reached the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year as head coach of the Cream City franchise before suffering a second-round exit in 2019-20.
However, amid doubts that he can lead the team, Budenholzer showed what he is capable of by guiding the Bucks to the NBA Finals and to the championship over the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals.
Of course there are higher expectations on Coach Bud as he tries to help Milwaukee defend its title. Nonetheless, if there is one thing everyone has learned over the past year, it's to never count out the two-time Coach of the Year.
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