Biggest Hawks’ question: Is Budenholzer coming back?

[tbhawksfan1]

Back on topic... TS has done nothing to impress me so far. Collins and Dorsey look like quality picks, but TS had only been here a few weeks. Who knows who played in the decision process. The DH trade and FA signings were bad. The only thing we got out of the FAs is bad wins and PLumlee and a trade down was a joke.

Not jumping the ship on the ROOK GM, but this off-season will probably give me a good view of what we have. Big coaching and off-season moves that TS has to make.

[macd-gm]

My point is that Travis has done nothing since he was acquired to retain Bud. Jamaal, you and I have both been pointing that out from the beginning. Everything TS has said from day one has been hinting that he wasn't sold on Bud long term. That's what I think is a huge mistake. I don't think he came with an open mind or he just knew enough not to like Bud as a coach. That's his prerogative but I think it's a huge mistake. And I do think Bud is one of the best coaches the Hawks have ever had. He's certainly the best since Lenny Wilkens and I'm not seeing how that can be debated. His results are impressive, way more impressive than Snyder and Atkinson who you want to give all the credit to.

[jayu70]

Back on topic... TS has done nothing to impress me so far. Collins and Dorsey look like quality picks, but TS had only been here a few weeks. Who knows who played in the decision process. The DH trade and FA signings were bad. The only thing we got out of the FAs is bad wins and PLumlee and a trade down was a joke.

Not jumping the ship on the ROOK GM, but this off-season will probably give me a good view of what we have. Big coaching and off-season moves that TS has to make.

I've posted about this previously:
 I'll give BudCox some credit for both Collins and Dorsey. As Schlenk noted he was scouting later picks with GSW and he relied on the existing Hawks scouting department and BudCox for the work they did on the #19 pick research. Additionally, Collins was on the radar before Schlenk was hired thru Hawks minority Owner Mit Shah who is a Wake Forest alum and had BudCox go to a few of his college games (I previously posted the article) to scout him.

Excerpt:

"Mit Shah is a Wake Forest alum and a major benefactor to the school. He recently donated $5 million to the school to build a basketball practice facility. Shah also happens to be a co-owner of the Hawks as he joined the investment team led by principal owner Tony Ressler that purchased the team two years ago.

“He was always nudging me and saying, ‘If you are around at 19, we are going to take you,’” the 19-year-old Collins said. “He came through on his word. I’m happy to be a Hawk. I’m happy to be in Atlanta.”

Shah did more than suggest Collins could be a Hawk. He brought assistant general manager Jeff Peterson to a Wake Forest-Duke game. He spoke to coach Mike Budenholzer about Collins several times before an interview at the NBA Scouting Combine in May.

“We really thought there was no chance he would be there when we picked and there was absolutely no chance he was going to get by us at 19,” Shah said.

Shah was in the Hawks’ war room on draft night Thursday. Manning was at the draft in Brooklyn to support Collins. They began a rapid text exchange when it became clear the Hawks were going to select Collins. Shah described the Hawks’ room as “ecstatic” with the selection."

[Jamaaliver]

Jamaal, you and I have both been pointing that out from the beginning. Everything TS has said from day one has been hinting that he wasn't sold on Bud long term.

And I do think Bud is one of the best coaches the Hawks have ever had. He's certainly the best since Lenny Wilkens and I'm not seeing how that can be debated. His results are impressive, way more impressive than Snyder and Atkinson who you want to give all the credit to.

I would also agree that Budenholzer was one of the best Hawks coaches. I simply acknowledge that it hasn't made us a true contender.

NOTE: I equate Snyder, Atkinson and Bud when it comes to player development. Mentioning them is simply to state that there are plenty of young coaches who excel at that aspect in addition to Budenholzer.

[jayu70]

^What is the consensus regarding what is needed to be a true contender? Stars - Hawks never had one. We can't even get a guy voted to the Allstar game.

[MaceCase]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771039-nba-owner-reportedly-berated-tanking-teams-coach-for-winning-on-road

Wojnarowski said: "I know of an instance of an owner berating, really berating his coach here in the last several weeks of the season for going in and beating a pretty good team on the road, going, 'What are you doing?'"

Watch on YouTube

30 min mark.

Hmm, Hawks had wins against the Wiz and Celts on the road over the past week of the season. Think there's a possibility that Ressler is the culprit for tearing into Bud prompting him wanting out?

[jayu70]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771039-nba-owner-reportedly-berated-tanking-teams-coach-for-winning-on-road

Wojnarowski said: "I know of an instance of an owner berating, really berating his coach here in the last several weeks of the season for going in and beating a pretty good team on the road, going, 'What are you doing?'"

Watch on YouTube

30 min mark.

Hmm, Hawks had wins against the Wiz and Celts on the road over the past week of the season. Think there's a possibility that Ressler is the culprit for tearing into Bud prompting him wanting out?

Was just about to post it.
Probably told Bud - I'm paying you $7 mil to tank not win these meaningless games.

[MaceCase]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771039-nba-owner-reportedly-berated-tanking-teams-coach-for-winning-on-road

Wojnarowski said: "I know of an instance of an owner berating, really berating his coach here in the last several weeks of the season for going in and beating a pretty good team on the road, going, 'What are you doing?'"

Watch on YouTube

30 min mark.

Hmm, Hawks had wins against the Wiz and Celts on the road over the past week of the season. Think there's a possibility that Ressler is the culprit for tearing into Bud prompting him wanting out?

Was just about to post it.
Probably told Bud - I'm paying you $7 mil to tank not win these meaningless games.

Possible we've been eyeing the wrong two people. I imagine Schlenk has a bit more gravitas having worked in the NBA for a while that if and when he had to address Bud on losing he did it with a bit of tact. We've seen Ressler on the other hand shoot his mouth off the cuff so it's entirely possible he could have gotten at Bud with a string of not so nice words.

[Robo_Claw]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771039-nba-owner-reportedly-berated-tanking-teams-coach-for-winning-on-road

Wojnarowski said: "I know of an instance of an owner berating, really berating his coach here in the last several weeks of the season for going in and beating a pretty good team on the road, going, 'What are you doing?'"

Watch on YouTube

30 min mark.

Hmm, Hawks had wins against the Wiz and Celts on the road over the past week of the season. Think there's a possibility that Ressler is the culprit for tearing into Bud prompting him wanting out?

Was just about to post it.
Probably told Bud - I'm paying you $7 mil to tank not win these meaningless games.

that could only be us. i felt the same way at the time, but didn't know it was something that could push bud out. but dang man you are really gonna win us the only games of the season no one wants to win!?!?

[jayu70]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771039-nba-owner-reportedly-berated-tanking-teams-coach-for-winning-on-road

Watch on YouTube

30 min mark.

Hmm, Hawks had wins against the Wiz and Celts on the road over the past week of the season. Think there's a possibility that Ressler is the culprit for tearing into Bud prompting him wanting out?

Was just about to post it.
Probably told Bud - I'm paying you $7 mil to tank not win these meaningless games.

Possible we've been eyeing the wrong two people. I imagine Schlenk has a bit more gravitas having worked in the NBA for a while that if and when he had to address Bud on losing he did it with a bit of tact. We've seen Ressler on the other hand shoot his mouth off the cuff so it's entirely possible he could have gotten at Bud with a string of not so nice words.

Yeah Ressler does shoot his mouth off a bit. Remember with whole Millsap trade or not trade thing, he said it never reached his desk and if it had he would have said no to trade. He also said they were resigning Millsap.

Hawks just can't get right - it's ALWAYS something.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

Mike Budenholzer met with the Phoenix Suns on Monday and Tuesday as they explore the possibility of him becoming their next head coach.

Budenholzer met with Suns general manager Ryan McDonough and owner Robert Sarver over the two days.

The Atlanta Hawks granted permission for the Suns to meet with Budenholzer.

The Hawks and Budenholzer are both open to ending their partnership. The Hawks may require compensation from the Suns.

Budenholzer has two years and more than $13 million left on his contract with the Hawks.

The Suns are still considering several other candidates but have been focused on Budenholzer.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

The Hawks and Budenholzer are both open to ending their partnership, but there are several hurdles that would need to be cleared before that could happen, including the Suns making an offer and agreeing to a contract and possible compensation to Atlanta.

The Suns are considering several head-coaching candidates but have largely been focused on getting to know Budenholzer in recent days, league sources said.

Considered one of the NBA's best tacticians, Budenholzer was the Hawks' president of basketball operations until he surrendered front-office control with the arrival of new GM Travis Schlenk in the spring of 2017.

[macd-gm]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2771039-nba-owner-reportedly-berated-tanking-teams-coach-for-winning-on-road

Wojnarowski said: "I know of an instance of an owner berating, really berating his coach here in the last several weeks of the season for going in and beating a pretty good team on the road, going, 'What are you doing?'"

Watch on YouTube

30 min mark.

Hmm, Hawks had wins against the Wiz and Celts on the road over the past week of the season. Think there's a possibility that Ressler is the culprit for tearing into Bud prompting him wanting out?

Sounds like us. Could be Memphis, magic or kings though right?

[Jamaaliver]

Fresh from AJC:

Hawks, Budenholzer both could be making mistakes if they split

The Hawks have basically told one of the best coaches in franchise history, “If you want to go, go. We’ll even open the door for you.”

Mike Budenholzer, who has two years and a reported $13 million remaining on his contract, has basically told the Hawks, “I think I can do better.”

In so many ways, this makes no sense. Welcome to the world of sports, egos and, most of all, business.


Question: Why would Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk allow Budenholzer to explore other options?

Answer: This one is easy. The Hawks, only one year into this rebuild, aren’t likely to do significantly better next season. Whether they win in the 2019-20 season depends on how well they draft and whether Schlenk and owner Tony Ressler think it’s time to spend serious money for a quality starter (or two) next summer.

Schlenk’s logic could be that in two years, he might be looking for a new coach, anyway. So it could make more sense to hire a younger -- and certainly cheaper -- coach who can grow with the team. Also, if another team (Phoenix) is willing to give up a first-round pick as compensation for Budenholzer, it potentially expedites the rebuilding process.

That said, Schlenk recognizes Budenholzer is a really good coach. The early bumps that the two had in their relationship after Schlenk arrived eased somewhat late in the season. Schlenk gained respect for how Budenholzer handled the losing and Budenholzer became resigned to the rebuild, at least on some level.

It would be strange to see the Hawks just let Budenholzer walk out the door. He remains one of the NBA’s best coaches. To assume the franchise can find another coach who’s just as good is a massive risk -- and that in itself can hurt the rebuild.

Question: Why would Budenholzer want out?

Answer: This one is a bit more difficult to determine. When I spoke to him after the season, Budenholzer declined to say with certainty that he wanted to return. That spoke volumes.

If Budenholzer simply wants to get an offer so he can leverage that for a longer contract with the Hawks, that makes sense. But he certainly seems serious about this job search. If he simply wants to have a chance to win next season, pursing the Phoenix job makes little sense.

Yes, the Suns are three years into a rebuild and the Hawks only one. But it’s not as if Phoenix’s win total has been ascending (23, 24 and 21 in the last three years). It has a potential star in guard Devin Booker and the best draft lottery odds to win the No. 1 pick (presumably DeAndre Ayton from Arizona). The Hawks have no star.

But consider some other aspects of this decision.

• Hawks majority owner Tony Ressler is still relatively new but he has shown a willingness to spend money in the right areas
• Ressler and the entire ownership group have expressed a desire to win
• Phoenix is owned by Robert Sarver, who has been at the forefront of front office dysfunction for several years. In 2016, ESPN ranked him as the worst owner in the NBA.

this could be the bottom point of the Hawks’ rebuild and it would seem they’re heading in the right direction. If Budenholzer winds up in Phoenix, he assumes a lot.

[Spud2nique]

Seriously can we kiss and make up?

[CP War Hawks]

I think Bud figured out some organizations are run alot worse than the Hawks. I don't foresee him staying past the his current deal so I'm still open to finding compensation except Phoenix had the best combination of assets to offer.

Hawks brass can still sit him down and explain that this past year was the worse and it'll get better gradually with the 2020 season being the "launch year". I wonder who he interviews with next.

[Jamaaliver]

I think Bud figured out some organizations are run alot worse than the Hawks. I don't foresee him staying past the his current deal so I'm still open to finding compensation except Phoenix had the best combination of assets to offer.

...I wonder who he interviews with next.

Hawks' Mike Budenholzer withdraws from Suns consideration

The Hawks gave permission to Budenholzer to meet with the Suns, and would be open to allowing him to become a candidate for other head coaching openings, league sources said. Budenholzer has two years and $13 million plus left on his contract, with the Hawks headed into a full rebuilding process.

ESPN - April 20

[Jamaaliver]

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[jayu70]

Seriously can we kiss and make up?

Maybe there's a chance Spud, a chance.

[Jamaaliver]

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