Damian Lillard dismayed by Bucks' firing of HC Mike Budenholzer

Damian Lillard Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Damian Lillard speaks out against Bucks' firing of HC Mike Budenholzer

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 5/4/23

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard does not like what he is seeing in the NBA right now.

The Milwaukee Bucks made the major announcement on Thursday that they have decided to part with head coach Mike Budenholzer after five seasons. Budenholzer led Milwaukee to the NBA title in 2021, but suffered an embarrassing first-round loss to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat near the end of April.

Not long after the news of Budenholzer's firing broke, Lillard spoke out through social media.

“Folks out here firing championship coaches as soon as they don’t win the chip,” wrote Lillard.

Folks out here firing championship coaches as soon as they don’t win the chip …

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 4, 2023

Lillard may have also been commenting on the state of the NBA in general. Budenholzer (just fired by the Bucks), Nick Nurse (fired last month by the Toronto Raptors) and Frank Vogel (fired last season by the Los Angeles Lakers) are all now out of a job. Those three coaches were responsible for three of the last four NBA championships won.

On top of that 2021 ring, Budenholzer led the Bucks to five straight division titles, produced a 60-win season, and won NBA Coach of the Year in 2019. That award came after he led the Atlanta Hawks -- his previous team -- to a division title and a 60-win season.

Budenholzer did make some serious gaffes during Milwaukee’s upset defeat to the Heat once the NBA playoffs were underway. But we recently found out that he was dealing with a family tragedy in the middle of the series that may have affected his performance. The Bucks have decided to make a change just over a week later.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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