Mike Budenholzer was already wearing a soft cast on his right hand following surgery for a broken finger.
It got worse for the Hawks head coach.
Late in the second quarter of an exhibition against the Pelicans, Budenholzer was involved in a collision with the Pelicans’ Langston Galloway chasing a loose ball along the sideline near the Hawks’ bench. Budenholzer was knocked to the floor and was in obvious pain. Moments later, Budenholzer left for the Hawks locker room. Lead assistant Darvin Ham assumed the coaching duties.
According to a Hawks official, Budenholzer was fine but said he would not return to the bench for the second half of the game. Ham spoke to reporters following the game in place of Budenholzer. Ham said Budenholzer’s hand was not injured further but his ribs were sore after the “nasty, nasty” collision.
The Hawks were called for a delay of game warning because Budenholzer touched the ball on its way out of bounds.
“Man, Bud is having a tough week,” Kyle Korver said following the game. “I felt bad for him. He saw him coming and then he got a delay of game. Oh man, sorry Bud. It was an amazing that he was even here after surgery yesterday.”
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