SUMMARY
- The Suns have fired Frank Vogel after 11 months of coaching the team.
- Sources claim that Mike Budenholzer is expected to ink a deal with the Suns.
Frank Vogel barely had a career with the Phoenix Suns as his tenure with the team recently came to an end. The Suns didn’t have the best regular season while battling injuries and inconsistencies. They hovered around the Play-In Tournament berths for a good portion of the calendar while finishing sixth in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season.
Phoenix’s post-season run was cut short without achieving a single win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Surprisingly, this came after the Suns went undefeated against the Wolves in the regular season. “We appreciate Frank’s hard work and commitment. We are here to win a championship and last season was way below our expectations. We will continue to evaluate our operation and make the necessary changes to reach our championship-caliber goals. We all take accountability,” said James Jones, President of the Suns.
Frank Vogel just said he expects to be back for year two no matter what happens to the Suns in this series. “I have the full support of [owner] Matt Ishbia.” @Sportico @Grampskie pic.twitter.com/noIpjw6An8
— Barry M. Bloom (@Boomskie) April 28, 2024
Ironically, the Suns fired Vogel after he claimed he had the support of the Suns’ front office to return next season. There are reasons why Vogel cannot be entirely blamed and one of them has to do with injuries. The Big 3 barely got to spend time on the floor and their bench unit also lacked depth.
Fans slam the Suns for dismissing Frank Vogel
Interestingly, Frank Vogel wasn’t the only coach that lost his job this season. Earlier, the Milwaukee Bucks fired first-year coach Adrian Griffin and hired Doc Rivers as a replacement before the All-Star break. The Los Angeles Lakers fired Darvin Ham shortly after they made their first-round exit. Fans strongly believe that front offices aren’t piecing together great rosters while dumping all the weight on the coaches to look after.
Scapegoat for a terribly constructed roster
— Cole 𝕏 (@CREAMYCOLE_) May 9, 2024
They gave him a roster with three iso heavy midrange-centric scorers and a serious lack of defense. Not sure how any coach could have done much better
— Jeff Pratt (@ByJeffPratt) May 9, 2024
One x user reacted to Vogel’s firing by saying, “Scapegoat for a terribly constructed roster.” Another fan added, “They gave him a roster with three iso-heavy midrange-centric scorers and a serious lack of defense. Not sure how any coach could have done much better.” After their post-season run concluded, sources revealed that Vogel wanted a point guard on his roster since they lacked one. However, the front office refused to acquire anybody else over Bradley Beal.
The Suns are expected to ink a deal with Mike Budenholzer
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that the Suns are expected to negotiate a deal with Mike Budenholzer. The franchise will be hiring their third head coach in three seasons after firing Monty Williams shortly after the 2022-23 season concluded. Williams had a successful stint bringing the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals against Budenholzer’s former team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Phoenix lost against the Bucks that season.
ESPN Sources: The Phoenix Suns dismissed coach Frank Vogel. The Suns — who won 49 regular-season games with league’s third-highest payroll and tax — were swept in opening-round series to Timberwolves. Mike Budenholzer will be prominent part of search. pic.twitter.com/SDTRkXxkrG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 9, 2024
Vogel had four seasons left on his five-year $31 million contract that he signed last off-season. On the other hand, Coach Budenholzer is an Arizonian who has had a successful run in the NBA. He was named Coach of the Year twice while achieving a 271-120 record with the Bucks.