When the Suns hired Mike Budenholzer as their head coach last summer, they expected him to bring over the championship grit he had in Milwaukee. But the two-time Coach of the Year has not lived up to the hype so far. Under his leadership, the Phoenix franchise is stuck at the eleventh seed in the West and struggling to book a playoff spot. Moreover, a recent report by media veteran Evan Sidery claimed, “People within the Suns’ organization say Mike Budenholzer is miserable to deal with.”

Sure enough, these speculations have led to concerns about Coach Bud’s future in Phoenix. And amid the rising uncertainty, Mike’s questionable actions toward Center Nick Richards during tonight’s Nuggets clash could hurt the head coach’s reputation even more. Well, the incident occurred midway through the third quarter. With Bradley Beal dribbling the ball up the court, Richards set a screen and opened a driving lane for him. However, the shooting guard choked under pressure and hit the side of the backboard, leading to the Nuggets winning possession.

Visibly frustrated after the play, Budenholzer charged into the playing area and surprisingly began yelling at Richards instead of Beal. Even the on-air ESPN announcers noticed the absurd situation, as one said, “Mike Budenholzer coming out near mid court and seems to be barking at Nick Richards. Not sure about offense or defense but not happy with him.” Meanwhile, his colleague highlighted how confusing Mike’s actions potentially were for Richards, “I always hated that as a player. You get yelled at when your teammate just shot the ball at the side of the backboard. Not sure Nick Richards fully understands exactly why he was catching an earful right there.”

Well, it is possible that Richards forgot or messed up a set play, which is why Budenholzer acted the way he did. But publicly losing cool on one of his players mid-game is not a good look for the head coach, especially in the current circumstances while his job is in question. However, Nick might have been at fault this time because his actions even riled up Devin Booker!

Devin Booker turns aggressive like Mike Budenholzer after Nick Richards is caught “Ball Watching”

Not long after Mike Budenholzer was seen giving Nick Richards an earful, tensions flared again—this time between Devin Booker and his teammates. The Suns’ star was visibly frustrated, barking at his squad after Richards and Royce O’Neale got caught ball-watching instead of going after a loose ball.

To make matters worse, their lapse in focus led to an easy bucket for Jamal Murray on the other end, stretching Denver’s lead to 12. For a Suns team already struggling to find its rhythm, moments like these only add to their growing frustration.

So, maybe Coach Bud had a good reason for his outburst at Nick Richards. After all, the big man is still fairly new to the Suns, having joined the team just two months ago in a trade for Josh Okogie.

That said, Richards has adapted well to his new role, averaging 9.4 points and nearly ten rebounds per game. Sure, there are moments—like tonight—where he gets caught slipping, but overall, he’s been a solid addition to the roster.

Meanwhile, pressure continues to mount on Budenholzer as his team is struggling to find their rhythm and their playoff dreams are slipping away with each game. And speculations are that a failed season could lead to him losing his job this summer despite his reported five-year $50 million contract. So, Budenholzer needs to figure out a way to get out of this slump soon before it’s too late to salvage the situation. Do you think he can do it?