TinyChan

Woeful Suns show Budenholzer the door

BY DAVID BRANDT

The Phoenix Suns fired coach Mike Budenholzer following one dismal season that featured a fast start before a maddening slide out of postseason contention for a high-priced roster that includes Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

The Suns made the unsurprising announcement Monday, one day after they finished with a 36-46 record that put them 11th in the Western Conference. The Suns lost nine of their last 10 games and failed to qualify for the play-in tournament.

"Competing at the highest level remains our goal, and we failed to meet expectations this season," the team said in a statement. "Our fans deserve better. Change is needed."

Budenholzer, 55, was hired in May, replacing Frank Vogel, who also had a one-year tenure that ended in disappointment. Budenholzer, an Arizona native, won the NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, beating the Suns in six games in the Finals, and the hope was he could bring a title to the desert.

He didn't even come close.

The season began with optimism after the Suns started 8-1, but Durant went down with a calf strain that knocked the team into a tailspin. Even after the 15-time all-star returned a few weeks later, Phoenix was never able to recapture its early momentum. Budenholzer couldn't seem to settle on a regular rotation, with rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro playing big minutes one night before being benched the next. Center Jusuf Nurkic had an awful start to the season and complained about a lack of communication with Budenholzer - before being traded.

Booker and Durant stayed relatively healthy, but Beal had constant injury issues and missed more than 20 games in the regular season for a sixth straight year. The Suns tried to retool at the trade deadline, but Beal's no-trade clause and the team's salary cap status made major moves difficult.

Budenholzer has a 520-363 record (.589) over 11 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Bucks and Suns.

- Associated Press