UPDATE 4:15 pm: Well, that didn’t take long.
Spurs lead assistant Mike Budenholzer has been hired as the new head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, something first reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Chris Vivlamore and since confirmed by the team.
Budenholzer to work with the Spurs through the NBA finals then commit to Atlanta full time.
“We are thrilled to have Mike as the next coach of the Atlanta Hawks. He has an incredible basketball acumen and has a keen awareness of the league and what it takes to be successful,” Hawks GM Danny Ferry said. “His experience and four championships over the last 17 years provide a tremendous foundation for his leadership of our team.”
“I have been extremely fortunate to be a part of the San Antonio Spurs organization for the last 19 years. I knew it would have to be a tremendous situation for me to leave and clearly coming to Atlanta as the head coach of the Hawks is perfect for me,” Budenholzer said in a released statement. “Ownership’s commitment to taking this organization to the next level and creating a unique and special culture, partnering with a general manager like Danny Ferry who I have great respect for, and building a roster that has terrific potential because of the existing core and the ensuing flexibility presents a rare and uniquely positive opportunity.”
Budenholzer had interviewed for head coaching jobs in the past (although not as many as you’d think, in part because the Spurs were often deep in the playoffs). In part it was assumed that Budenholzer was the coach in waiting for when Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich retires.
But this seems a good fit and it’s a good hire for the Hawks. As mentioned in the original post below, Budenholzer will team up with former Spurs assistant GM Danny Ferry in trying to reshape the culture of the Hawks. They need to build a new culture there
“I couldn’t be happier for Mike for many reasons. As anyone who’s been part of this program knows, he has been more of a co-head coach than an assistant for a long time. His knowledge of the game as well as his ability to teach and develop relationships with players are all special,” said Popovich in a statement.
The Hawks are a team about to see some major roster changes (adios Josh Smith), but if you begin with Al Horford in the Tim Duncan role you’re off to a pretty good start. Still, it’s going to be a process in Atlanta.
4:05 pm: What else has he got to do? It’s not like the NBA schedule makers are keeping the Spurs busy.
Highly sought after Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer has been granted permission to talk to and negotiate with the Atlanta Hawks about their coaching opening during the nine-day break between the end of the Spurs sweep and the start of the Finals. So reports both David Aldridge at NBA.com and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
This is pretty far along, with Wojnarowski calling it “serious stages of negotiating an agreement.”
Budenholzer is part of the Spurs family, having been with the team 18 years, the last five as the lead assistant to Gregg Popovich. They actually met when Div. III coach Popovich at Pomona-Pitzer recruited Budenholzer to play at the school, which he did but Popovich had soon left for bigger and better things.
But the Spurs family is branching out, including in Atlanta where former Spurs assistant GM Danny Ferry runs the show. If you’re trying to create the Spurs kind of operation and long-term success hiring two key cogs of that franchise makes sense.
Of course, the whole getting lucky to draft Tim Duncan (in one down year when David Robinson was injured) then finding Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili buried in the draft is not so simple.
But they built a culture and organization that could to that. If they can build anything close to that in Atlanta it would be a good thing.