It's no surprise to recent NBA retirees DeMarcus Cousins and Lou Williams that Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer abruptly removed Jusuf Nurkic from the starting lineup and rotation in January.

Nurkic said he and Suns coach Mike Budenholzer didn’t talk for two months. This is consistent with him saying Budenholzer didn’t inform him about a decision not to play him Jan. 9 against Atlanta.

Suns center Jusuf Nurkic was unceremoniously benched. He has not played in nine straight Suns games, all by coach Mike Budenholzer’s decision. Prior to that, Budenholzer had moved Nurkic to a reserve ...

Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer expects veteran center Jusuf Nurkić to answer the call in the event he's inserted back into the team's lineup. Nurkić didn't see the floor in the Suns ...

Furthermore, Nurkić revealed a somber truth about his relationship with head coach Mike Budenholzer. "We don't have a relationship," Nurkic said after Phoenix's victory over Washington on ...