After 3 NBA Millionaires Lose Their Jobs, Adam Silver Counters Charles Barkley With a Very Sharp Response

The 2023 NBA season saw multiple title-winning coaches lose their jobs as their teams failed to meet the desired results. Out of all the firings, the case of Doc Rivers, Monty Williams, and Mike Budenholzer was greatly amplified. In fact, Budenholzer had led the Milwaukee Bucks to an iconic NBA title just two years ago! What brings us to the subject was a recent interview, though.

Prior to game 2 between the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets, NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and the rest.

During his conversation with the analysts, Chuck asked Silver the question that has been on everyone’s minds currently: what does the commissioner think about the current state of head coaches being fired? 

Charles Barkley Given a Stinging Response to His Question

Over the past few months, three veteran NBA coaches have been fired from their jobs. They are Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns, Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers. All three have spent a long time in the league where they have won multiple accolades and made a lot of money as well. Williams has a net worth of $9 million while Budenholzer and Rivers have net worths of $3 and $60 million respectively.  

When Silver sat along with the rest of the crew, he was empathetic to their situation. Moreover, he also asserted that firing head coaches is nothing new to the league. 

Silver said, “Well, I’m always concerned about anybody losing their job. I mean, they are friends of all of ours, I’m incredibly empathetic to anybody. It’s a terrible thing to get fired.

He added, “Having said that, three of those head coaches have already been rehired. When you look at that statistically, it is not all that aberrational to where we’ve been historically. It may be to your point, teams are quicker to pull the trigger than they used to be.”

Additionally, Silver also talked about how teams look to make changes in order to compete in the heavily contested league. Moreover, he also talked about how elite head coaches are rehired very easily. Unlike the three millionaire coaches, former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka has been rehired by the Houston Rockets. In fact, this was addressed by the NBA commissioner himself. 

Mike Budenholzer’s firing urged the NBA community to speak up. Just two years ago, he led the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo to an iconic NBA title win. However, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat knocked the Bucks out in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. Following this embarrassing loss, Budenholzer was fired. The Bucks have now hired former Toronto Raptors coach Adrian Griffin.

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The former head coach was criticized for not calling a timeout in the crucial stages of a game. In game 5 against the Heat, Budenholzer’s discrepancy caused a missed hail mary from the Greek Freak. This ultimately led to a crucial loss. 

On the other hand, Doc Rivers was fired after two consecutive second-round exits. Despite his impressive track record, the veteran coach has now lost five consecutive game 7s. Moreover, he has a 6-10 record in the decisive game. Nick Nurse has replaced the title-winning veteran coach.

In the case of the Phoenix Suns, they are looking to hire Frank Vogel as their new head coach. Interestingly, Vogel was fired from the Los Angeles Lakers not very long ago.

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What are your thoughts on the current trend of head coaches being fired? Let us know in the comments below.