Mike Budenholzer had his introductory press conference as head coach of the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
“I’m excited about working with this roster and these players,” Budenholzer said. “We have great players. And with great players come great expectations. I think we embrace that.”
Budenholzer return to coaching after his dismissal in 2023 by the Milwaukee Bucks.
“This year, for me, was really healthy,” Budenholzer said. “I kind of had a list of priorities, diving into my kids and my family, super important. We’ve been through a lot. So really, the time with my kids was just amazing. My son’s a senior in high school — going to every one of his games — driving home you’re like, ‘Wow, I got a gift.”
While the Suns are limited on how they can remake their roster, Budenholzer said he’d at least like to add a point guard.
“The conversations have been great and there’s no doubt that we need to look at the whole roster and talk about point guard,” Budenholzer said. “I’m sure it’s a hot-button issue here, whether it’s with the media, players or the front office. We need to think about it.
“We need to be able to play without one. We probably need to be able to have one. We need to be versatile — play different ways.”
Budenholzer ultimately talked about coaching the Suns is his dream job.
“The biggest message I want you to hear is that I would coach this team if it was on the moon,” Budenholzer said, grinning. “I would coach this team if it was in Alaska. If these players were in Denmark. … I would go anywhere to coach this team.”