Milwaukee Bucks: Coaching search headed in right direction

The Milwaukee Bucks’ coaching search is underway, and the names that have leaked indicate the franchise is headed in the right direction.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ seven-game playoff run was merely a detour from the inevitable destination the franchise set itself toward in January. After dismissing head coach Jason Kidd midseason, the 2017-18 campaign was, unavoidably, lost for Milwaukee.

Systemically, too much was wrong to patch with duct tape, so Milwaukee saw itself fall to Brad Stevens and his depleted band of leprechauns in round one.

In a sense, Stevens and co. exercised some degree of mercy. Milwaukee was never going anywhere this season. Now, the franchise can acknowledge that and begin to move forward, to progress toward being a legitimate contender.

To do so, the Bucks must maximize superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, and to do that, they must hire the right head coach. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, that process is underway:

Altogether, the names are…encouraging (though David Fizdale is now out of the running, having accepted the New York Knicks’ head coaching position). The Bucks seem interested in substance rather than flash, evidenced by the lack of big yet tired names, like Jeff Van Gundy or Mark Jackson.

Instead, the Bucks seem to be targeting coaches renowned for all the right reasons. These are men lauded for their player development abilities, known for captaining elite defenses, reliant on motion-heavy offenses (music Bucks’ fans’ ears, no doubt).

Among the eminently qualified candidates, David Blatt and Mike Budenholzer stand out.

Blatt had a rough go off things in his first stint as an NBA head coach, but he was in an impossible situation during his year and a half at the helm of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Blatt joined Cleveland as a developmental coach, one who would install an egalitarian, motion-based Princeton offense.

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Then LeBron James fell into Blatt’s lap, choosing to rejoin his old squad in the summer of 2014. Certainly, no coach would ever object to being gifted James, but Blatt and James weren’t exactly a match made in heaven. The two butted heads, and, as tends to happen when butting heads with one of the two greatest basketball players to ever walk the earth, he found himself out of a job.

Blatt was far from blameless for his flameout in Cleveland, but Milwaukee could present the perfect opportunity for redemption. The Bucks possess a young roster in need of shaping, an offense in desperate need of motion. Blatt would fit in quite nicely.

Budenholzer, meanwhile, would be my pick for head coach, should Milwaukee’s brass, in a moment of temporary insanity, entrust the decision-making process to yours truly.

Budenholzer’s track record as a developmental coach is impressive. Notably, he excels at developing one of the NBA’s most valuable archetypes, the 3-and-D wing. Budenholzer molds the very players the Bucks need.

Of course, the 2015 NBA Coach of the Year excels elsewhere, as well. From 2014-17, his Atlanta Hawks finished fifth, second, and fourth in defensive rating. That fourth-place finish in 2016-17 came after defensive stalwart Al Horford had already departed Atlanta. Budenholzer knows how to build a defense.

On the topic of Horford, Budenholzer has experience running offense through playmaking big men, as his Hawks teams, including his 60-win bunch in 2014-15, were built around the All-Star duo of Horford and Paul Millsap.

Developmentally, defensively, offensively, Budenholzer seems like a perfect fit in Milwaukee.

Even if Budenholzer is not the next coach, Bucks fans needn’t worry. As far as I can discern, Milwaukee is headed in the right direction with this search.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

Finally, the name “Jason Kidd” can be consigned to the history books where it belongs. No more detours, the Bucks are ready to move on to the next stage of team-building.