The Milwaukee Bucks were the most coveted job opening in the NBA when this offseason began, so it’s no surprise that their search focused on well-regarded, experienced candidates.
After the Raptors fired Dwane Casey, they found themselves with competition for the league’s top candidates, mainly former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, who was one of Toronto’s top targets. On Wednesday, it was announced that the Bucks had won out on the battle for Budenholzer, reaching an agreement with the former Hawks head man and Spurs assistant.
Mike Budenholzer has reached an agreement to become the Milwaukee Bucks coach, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/996897673704804355
The news came as little surprise to those that saw reports earlier in the day from ESPN’s Zach Lowe that Budenholzer was meeting with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton for breakfast this morning.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mike Budenholzer had breakfast today in Milwaukee, league sources say.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) May 16, 2018
Khris Middleton was also there, I'm told. https://t.co/yf1U3EEoDI
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) May 16, 2018
The hire seems like a good one for the Bucks, as Budenholzer maximized the talent of the Hawks roster during his tenure there, most notably with the 60-win team in 2014-15, before ultimately the organization decided to tear things down and rebuild (partially as a result of questionable roster moves made by Bud as he served as team president). In Milwaukee, Budenholzer won’t be asked to make trades and signings, but instead simply coach up a talented roster, highlighted by the two he had breakfast with, that has, to many, underachieved in recent seasons.
The Bucks’ lack of creativity on offense and disarray on defense was quite apparent during their first round series with the Celtics, which left fans frustrated and understandably so. There are questions about the roster beyond Antetokounmpo and Middleton, most notably at point guard and with a major decision set to be made this summer on restricted free agent Jabari Parker, but there is clearly some high-level talent there and they hope Bud is the right coach to tap into that and get them to play to their potential.
