There aren't too many people in and around the NBA right now who have taken Grayson Allen's side amid the backlash he's received over his hard foul on Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso. One man that is standing behind Allen is none other than Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Allen has been heavily criticized for what many consider to be a dirty foul on Caruso. Coach Budenholzer, however, has defended his embattled guard. According to the 52-year-old shot-caller, he and the Bucks organization do not agree with the NBA's decision to slap Allen with a one-game suspension for his actions:
“I think we disagree with the decision but we support Grayson,” coach Mike Budenholzer said on Monday, via Drake Bentley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We look forward to having him back. I think we're all ready to just move forward.
“It's very, very, very unfortunate what happened to Alex Caruso. None of us want injury to happen to anybody at any time for any reason. Our thoughts are with Alex. Our thoughts are with the team with Coach (Billy) Donovan. You don't want that, but at the same time, Grayson and what he's meant to us has been unbelievable. We love his toughness, we love his competitiveness and we look forward to having him back on Friday.”
It isn't surprising at all that coach Bud is taking the side of Allen here. After all, he wouldn't throw his own player under the bus. Budenholzer did not exactly defend Allen's actions, but he was straightforward with their disagreement with the NBA's decision. This is quite contrary to the sentiment of many who believe that Allen's one-game suspension is nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
For his part, Caruso is expected to miss six to eight weeks of action after fracturing his right wrist due to Allen's hard foul. The Bulls guard is set to undergo surgery on Monday and his loss will be a tough blow for Chicago and their title hopes this season. Caruso should be back for the playoffs, though, so Bulls fans can take consolation in this fact.
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