Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst has made it clear that the team is going to be extensive in its search for a new head coach to replace the recently fired Mike Budenholzer.
Despite this, candidate names had not popped up until a recent report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski concluding three potential hires will interview with the Bucks brass.
That list includes former Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego and current Bucks assistant Charles Lee, the latter of whom has been a top-end candidate for several openings in the past.
However, the most intriguing name here is current Golden State Warriors top assistant Kenny Atkinson. According to Woj, the Bucks have been granted permission by the defending NBA champs to interview Atkinson.
A Warriors assistant under Steve Kerr for the past two seasons, Atkinson was actually hired to become the Charlotte Hornets head coach last year. He opted to turn down that gig and return to the Warriors for another season.
Atkinson served as the Brooklyn Nets head coach from 2016-17 until the 2019-20 season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shockingly, the Nets opted to move on from him and insert Jacque Vaughn as the interim head coach when the season resumed in the Orlando bubble.
Kenny Atkinson as a candidate for the Milwaukee Bucks opening
Atkinson’s coaching career began back in 2008-09 as an assistant under then-New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni. He spent four seasons with the Knicks before coincidentally joining Budenholzer’s staff with the Atlanta Hawks.
Atkinson is widely respected around the league. Generally, he’s viewed as someone who can help young players take that next step. It would be somewhat of an odd fit with the Milwaukee Bucks given that they are a veteran-laden squad.
Milwaukee is coming off a regular season in which it posted an NBA-best 58-24 record, only to lose to the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Ultimately, that led to Budenholzer’s departure less than two years after leading the team to the NBA title.
In terms of what the Bucks are looking for in a new head coach, the net has been cast wide right now with very few specifics coming from the organization. Milwaukee Bucks GM Jon Horst said, via The Athletic's Eric Nehm:
“I believe we will have a very attractive position. We have the best player in the world. We have a championship culture and organization. We have great facilities. I think we have great respect around the league.
"So, I think we’ll have a lot options. I’m just excited to jump into that process and evaluate all of them. And I think as we go through that, then it’ll become clear what we think we need, what’s available, on and on. Right now, it’s a little too early.”
What we do know is that there’s going to be a nice amount of roster turnover behind two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The interview process will certainly take into account offseason plans and what candidates envision as the Bucks’ roster make up moving forward.
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