Gregg Popovich had must-read advice for Mike Budenholzer in NBA Finals
Gregg Popovich had some must-read advice for one of his former assistant coaches.
Mike Budenholzer worked for the San Antonio Spurs from 1996-2013, mostly as an assistant under Popovich. He left to become the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, and then he became the head coach of Milwaukee in 2018. Now he has his Bucks in the NBA Finals and was seeking advice from Pop, who has won five NBA championships.
But Pop wasn’t too helpful. Budenholzer joked Monday that Pop told him he would have to figure things out on his own.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who was a Spurs assistant, joked Gregg Popovich has simply told him "you have to figure it out on your own" than relying on him for any Finals advice.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 5, 2021
Yep, thanks for the advice, Pop.
Pop’s message probably wasn’t communicated to Budenholzer in a spiteful manner. Maybe Pop was suggesting that adjustments need to be made on the fly and on a case-by-case basis.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be played on Tuesday in Phoenix.