Budenholzer takes Bucks’ reins
MIKE BUDENHOLZER wanted Kristaps Porzingis, but he’ll have to “settle” for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Budenholzer has agreed to a four-year contract to become the Milwaukee Bucks head coach Wednesday night. The former Hawks coach and Spurs assistant reportedly beat out Spurs assistant Ettore Messina for the job. Another Spurs assistant coach, Becky Hammon, was also a candidate.
Budenholzer met early Wednesday with the Bucks two top players, Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. He was then offered the job a few hours later.
Budenholzer was one of the more accomplished head coaches on the free agent market, having served as a head coach in Atlanta for five years after spending 17 seasons under the tutelage of Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.
Budenholzer was named Coach of the Year in 2016 after leading the Hawks to a 60-win season. The Hawks also reached the Eastern Conference Finals that year. Atlanta was a playoff team in Budenholzer’s first four years but finished 24-58 this past season after the front office decided to rebuild with younger players.
Budenholzer was opposed to rebuilding/ tanking. He and the Hawks parted ways last month and Budenholzer emerged as the favorite for jobs in Milwaukee and Toronto, two playoff teams.
It is unclear if Budenholzer was ever a serious candidate for the Knicks job since the team reached out to David Fizdale weeks before they officially started a coaching search. Fizdale was considered the front runner even though the Knicks did interview a total of 11 candidates.
Budenholzer was excited about the possibility of coaching Porzingis, who is recovering from major knee surgery and may not play next season.