The third annual Fire Your Head Coach Day has come and gone in the desert, with the Phoenix Suns relieving Mike Budenholzer of his clipboard on April 14 in the opening salvo of what is expected to be a summer of change. But this time, the Suns cannot merely fire the coach, shuffle the deck, and see what next season brings. After the worst season in franchise history relative to expectations, this summer needs to be felt on the Richter scale.
In a statement following Budenholzer’s dismissal, the Suns said, “Competing at the highest level remains our goal, and we failed to meet expectations this season.