Former Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer clearly did himself no favors when it came to communicating to his stars this past regular season.
Monday’s report was just the latest example.
Hours after the Suns gave Budenholzer the boot, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported the head coach asked guard Bradley Beal to “be the Jrue Holiday of the Suns” earlier in the year.
Obviously, that wasn’t well received as confirmed by Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.
“Beal told Bud, ‘Don’t ever disrespect me like that. Don’t ever tell me to play like another player,'” Gambadoro posted on X.
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It was a tough second season in Phoenix for Beal, who went through a benching and was hit with injuries.
In 53 games played (38 starts), he averaged 17 points on 49.7% shooting and 38.6% from long range. He added 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals across 32.1 minutes per game.
That’s far from the stat line many envisioned Beal putting up when the Suns swung a blockbuster trade for the guard in June 2023.
They also likely didn’t see Phoenix on the outside looking in on the postseason and heading toward even more massive offseason changes after Budenholzer’s firing.
Not the first time Mike Budenholzer’s communication with star players questioned
The news is the latest example of Budenholzer and his stars not meeting eye to eye.
Earlier in the year, Haynes reported that the ex-Suns head coach told guard Devin Booker “to tone it down” vocally “to allow the coach’s voice to be heard.”
Haynes added that Booker was shocked by Budenholzer’s complaint.
That report came after the guard spoke publicly about how more communication was needed.
“I’d say it could be fixed with just a little more talking, I would say,” Booker told reporters after a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. “Things get tough, we get quiet as a team. And from my experience and from what I’ve seen, that’s not a way to get through it.
“I’d say just skipping over the details and always taking the ‘get-em-next-game’ mentality. At some point, you got to draw a line. Should have been drawn a long time ago.”
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