3 reasons Mike Budenholzer will succeed with the Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have moved quick to replace head coach Frank Vogel, with former Milwaukee Bucks leading man Mike Budenholzer expected to be named his successor in the coming days. Suns' owner Mat Ishbia picking a leading candidate less than 24 hours after dismissing Vogel after only one season.

In going after Budenholzer, the Suns' front office will put a veteran voice in place ahead of what will be a massive 2024-25 season for the organization. Budenholzer was at the helm when the Bucks won a championship in 2021 - ironically over the Suns in the NBA Finals - and nothing less than the same again in The Valley will do.

As far as options to take this pressure cooker position go there are few better choices out there, which is why Budenholzer is going to succeed with the Suns.

An underrated part of this hire will be David Fizdale moving from the bench - where he was a top assistant to Vogel last season - and into the front office. The Suns don't have much roster flexibility because of their current cap situation, so finding a new head coach and reshuffling the front office deck is about the best Ishbia can realistically do at this point.

In terms of what Budenholzer himself can bring to a roster that currently features Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, there are three key reasons why he is going to succeed with his new employers from the jump.

3. He should never have been fired in Milwaukee

It feels like the head coaching positions in the NBA are a constant merry-go-round of the same handful of individuals. Certainly Vogel fit into that category, having been with the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic prior to landing in Phoenix, while he actually began his head coaching career having a lot of success with the Indiana Pacers.

To Budenholzer's credit he has never been part of that group, and has stuck around for at least five years in his previous two posts. With the Atlanta Hawks he oversaw the most success that organization has had this century, including a 60 win team in 2014-15 that also boasted four All-Stars.

Budenholzer and the Hawks were unable to get over the hump because LeBron James was in the midst of making the Eastern Conference his personal playground during that period, and there is no shame in that. It is also telling that the Hawks have made one conference finals since his departure, and haven't been nearly as consistent.

With the Bucks, Budenholzer got them over the line in 2021 and enjoyed great success during his tenure there as well. Since he was let go that franchise has also gone backwards, and looking further away from a championship now than at any point since they won it all. All of which is to say, Budenholzer typically sticks around long-term and brings consistent regular season success.