Add yet another name to the New York Knicks’ search for a new head coach.
The latest name to crop up: Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer. He has two years left on his current contract, but the Hawks initially granted him permission to speak with the Phoenix Suns about their vacant position. Though he has since pulled himself out of the running for that job, he’s been linked to the Knicks’ gig, an opening for which he has authentic interest, according to the New York Post‘s Marc Berman:
Mike Budenholzer is genuinely interested in the Knicks’ job, according to an NBA source who has spoken to the Hawks coach.
“New York’s his top choice,’’ the NBA source said. “If they offered him the job, he’d say yes. He wants to live in New York.’’
Moreover, Budenholzer appears so disillusioned with the current Hawks’ philosophy, it’s difficult to imagine him returning. Atlanta is adopting the blueprint set by the “Trust The Process’’ Sixers. Budenholzer was the top decision-maker on personnel until last summer, when Travis Schlenk was named general manager. Now the 48-year-old, the 2015 Coach of the Year, has no power regarding personnel.
Coach Bud’s disinterest in remaining with Atlanta is hardly surprising. Neither him nor they would be endorsing so many outside interviews if both parties were on the same page.
Budenholzer would, likewise, be interesting in New York. He comes with a concrete offensive system and the path toward a tactical identity. The Knicks have lacked that for quite some time.
The issue for them is Atlanta’s compensatory demands. The Knicks are in no position to give up draft picks of any kind. If it’s a matter of money, it’s no big deal. Anything else is probably too steep of a cost for a team in the early stages of a rebuild.
