And then there were two.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is one of them.
With the Cavaliers firing head coach David Blatt on Friday, two of the NBA’s final four coaches from last year have been let go this season. The Rockets fired Kevin McHale earlier this season. That leaves the Warriors’ Steve Kerr and Budenholzer from the coaches who led their teams in the conference finals. Kerr joked on Friday that perhaps he and Budenholzer should be worried. For the record, Budenholzer is not concerned.
“It’s just hard in our league to see somebody who has had that much sucess, that’s done that well, that’s that well-respected, not just among coaches but the whole basketball world has great respect for David Blatt,” Budenholzer said. “That’s hard anytime you see a coach go when they make a change. Hopefully, he’ll get another opportunity. He deserves another opportunity. He’s a great coach.
“I think Steve Kerr had a line the other day that he and I need to be nervous. I don’t think he’s very nervous. … I’m not either.”
Blatt’s Cavaliers swept the Budenholzer’s Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals. They went on to lose the NBA Finals to the Warriors. The Cavaliers made the coaching change with a three-game lead in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks are third, behind the Raptors, five and a half games back.
