Spurs Allow Budenholzer to Negotiate with Hawks (Edit: Bud Hired as Hawks' Coach)

The Atlanta Hawks will be allowed to negotiate a contract with San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer during the Spurs’ nine-day break before the beginning of the NBA Finals if Budenholzer is the team’s choice for its next head coach, according to a league source.

Budenholzer has been with the Spurs for 18 years, the last five as Gregg Popovich’s top assistant. He is well regarded around the league and knows Hawks general manager Danny Ferry quite well from Ferry’s days as an executive in San Antonio before being hired last year by Atlanta.

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/05/28/aldridge-spurs-to-allow-hawks-to-negotiate-with-budenholzer/


Hope it doesn't happen.

:flag:


EDIT***Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine9m
RT @ajchawks: The Hawks have hired Mike Budenholzer as head coach


Well crap. That was quick. Good luck to Coach Bud, wish he would've stayed though.

Coach Bud will be missed.

Would be a huge, huge loss

Great! Coach Bud deserves a shot.

Is that the beginning of the end? :depressed

Has there been high ranking assistants interviewed by multiple teams and passed up to stay as an assistant?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SA210

Is that the beginning of the end? :depressed

---

More like a sign the end might not be as near as we think it is.

We need some corporate knowledge to stick around when Tim and Pop retire... I'm hoping bud doesn't leave.

Even more reason for the Spurs to win it all this season.

THAT'S THE SH!T I DON'T LIKE:bang

Damn I'd really really hate to lose Bud, but he's under no obligation to wait two more years for Pop to retire if he can get his head coaching gig now. Not that I think it'd be a good idea for Bud to go to a team that Danny Ferry built; look at how Ferry wrecked Cleveland by using all his assets on big name has-beens like Shaq and Ben Wallace and then he went and overpaid garbage players like Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker.

Why not wait till pop retires? He can take over, it's his already when pop leaves

fuck noooooooo

A good question... does this deserve its own thread?

I'm proud of coach Bud, and want him to be successful and happy, but honestly I don't want to see him go. I truly want him to be Pop's predecessor. Seriously, who is better suited to take the reins when Pop retires?

I hope this doesn't happen. They were going to wait until his 20th anniv. to give it to him.

Danny Ferry is coming back to haunt us. It's almost a done deal. Sucks, I thought he was for sure going to be our next HC.

Good for Bud. I hope he gets the job and I hope he does phenomenally well at it.

I wish the Spurs brought Bruce and Elliott as assistants years ago.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SA210

I wish the Spurs brought Bruce and Elliott as assistants years ago.

---

Neither one wanted to be a coach.

And good luck to Coach Bud. The Hawks are getting ready to create a new team. Given his background with Ferry, I'm sure he would get a voice in the process.

He'll be the 4th Pop assistant to become an active head coach after Carlissamo, Mike Brown and Jacque Vaughn. Impressive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spur|n|Austin

I'm proud of coach Bud, and want him to be successful and happy, but honestly I don't want to see him go. I truly want him to be Pop's predecessor. Seriously, who is better suited to take the reins when Pop retires?

---

Pre means before.

:pctoss

Bud's got the Spurs job lined up... why would he leave?

well there goes our future...

spurs pulling a gambit and secretly prepping Timmy to be head coach in waiting tbh

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SA210

I wish the Spurs brought Bruce and Elliott as assistants years ago.

---

:lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Richie

He'll be the 4th Pop assistant to become a head coach after Carlissamo, Mike Brown and Jacque Vaughn. Impressive.

---

Monty Williams

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Drachen

Pre means before.

---

doh, I meant successor.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Reckoning

spurs pulling a gambit and secretly prepping Timmy to be head coach in waiting tbh

---

Would timmy be a good coach?

Maybe Carlesimo will be back as lead assistant if Bud leaves?

Maybe Duncan becomes a player/coach and transitions to coach upon retirement from playing.

P.J. is out there. Who was that coach from Missouri that coached the Toros a few years back?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by coyotes_geek

Monty Williams

---

I thought about Williams, but he was a Blazers assistant between 2005-10. Was he ever an assistant with the Spurs?

WOW he should stay and wait. The Spurs will give him time to grow as they rebuild around Kahwi with the young guys..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Budkin

Bud's got the Spurs job lined up... why would he leave?

---

Probably because he doesn't expect the guy currently holding the position to be leaving anytime soon.

Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine
RT @ajchawks: The Hawks have hired Mike Budenholzer as head coach

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by moisaenz

Would timmy be a good coach?

---

he's been in the system long enough. "big fundamental." has those leadership qualities that gravitate other players' respect towards him, but he doesn't sound off like pop.

dunno.

:(

RT @ajchawks: The Hawks have hired Mike Budenholzer as head coach. #ATLHawks

Got the job.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Richie

I thought about Williams, but he was a Blazers assistant between 2005-10. Was he ever an assistant with the Spurs?

---

As Williams would later recall, he never saw himself going into coaching. As this 2005 NY Daily News profile tells it, Williams' goals were to "start a family, save enough money to live a comfortable life and open a dog kennel." But when he finished his playing career, Williams received a call from Gregg Popovich, who invited him to sit in on Spurs' practices to see if he wanted to pursue a coaching career.

Williams worked his way up in the Spurs' organization, moving from that temporary note-taking period to a team internship to a full time staff job in 2004. As Gregg Popovich said of Williams during the Spurs' championship season of '05, "He watches film, he meets with players, he's involved in player development and he puts practice plans together... He's doing it the right way."

http://www.atthehive.com/2010/5/22/1...monty-williams

Congrats to Coach Bud.

Damn, that was fast. Atlanta must have given him an offer he couldn't refuse.

What does this mean for the finals? He finishes the year right?

:wow WTF, THIS IS BULLSHIT

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ocotillo

Maybe Duncan becomes a player/coach and transitions to coach upon retirement from playing.

P.J. is out there. Who was that coach from Missouri that coached the Toros a few years back?

---

Quin Snyder

congrats bud!

Also, good for him. While we wanted him to stay and be the next Spurs Coach, the hawks are moving towards being a well run team, and Danny will probably give him a long leash to work with so he can implement a long term plan and develop players.

Shit.

Congrats Bud

Well fuck, hate to lose Coach Bud. Good luck in Atlanta and I hope you can bring them some of the success the Spurs franchise has enjoyed.

shit. hope pop isn't planning to retire anytime soon...

this blows.....pop better stick around for another 20 years

Aw damn. I hope he finds his way back to the Spurs one day. Congrats Coach Bud. Well deserved.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ThePop

What does this mean for the finals? He finishes the year right?

---

Obviously. He doesn't leave the team until the season is over.

Congrats to coach Bud. Sucks to lose him, but can't fault the guy for wanting his own gig.

Well Spurs did lose Presti prior to '07 title so ....

Good for coach Bud. He will be missed.

That being said, I wish this news could have waited until after the Finals.

He was just hired. Well that escalated quickly..

Well deserved. hope he finds his way back to SA.

Well deserved. hope he finds his way back to SA.

I kind of wish the Spurs had told the Hawks to wait until the Spurs' season was over. Then again, that wouldn't be fair to Bud; he'd be penalized for the Spurs' success. The Hawks couldn't afford to wait around as their 2nd, 3rd, etc. choices were snapped up by other teams.

It reminds me of college football coaches taking new jobs between the regular season and bowl season. It just rubs me the wrong way, but there's really nothing you can do.

http://www.lolbrary.com/lolpics/324/...wards-1324.jpg

Traitor though

Chip deserves a spot on the bench.

Yeah kind of a dick-ish move on the Hawks' part. But congrats to Coach Bud :tu

NOOOOOOOO

damn.....that sucks. well now is really time to strike the iron. happy for Bud, and hopefully he can get back to assisting Pop til the season is done.

Great for him. Looks like I'll be watching more Hawks games next season.

Wish they'd wait until after the finals to do this. We need Bud helping with the prep, not dealing with new job stuff. How often do you see some assistant coach interviewing before the finals in a variety of sports (it happens in the NFL a lot) then the team loses. It can't help but be a distraction.

So Avery is coming back?

So how does this work? Is he still a part of the Spurs staff for the Finals?

Congrats. :toast

He'll definitely stay for the Finals. I don't think it'll be a distraction, Bud is a professional and has been here for over 15 years and 4 Finals runs. He knows what is expected of him.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wtgspurs

Traitor though

---

He's been an assistant for 16 years. He's earned the opportunity to be a head coach.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by crc21209

So how does this work? Is he still a part of the Spurs staff for the Finals?

---

TBD, but Presti went right to work for Seattle in 2007. There's only one week between the date of a possible Game 7 and the NBA Draft.

Congrats coach!

Wow congrats coach Bud!

Why go to Atlanta though??? The worst franchise in the eastern conference (historically).

No one cares about the NBA in Atlanta - they have the worst fan base bar none. I'd rather him have taken the Detroit job.

Couldn't this shit wait until after the postseason? We're still playing. Dude needs to focus his time on strategy for the Finals, not what he's going to do next year.

foreal tho, fuck danny ferry

Another thought, might he take someone with him to Atlanta? Happy he is getting his shot. Sentimentally, it would have been nice for him to get it here but I have confidence in Pop and R.C. to find an outstanding replacement.

If you want too look at the bright side, Spurs letting Bud go means like that means that Pop will likely continue his career coaching for few years. And Pop is the best coach in the league.

Spurs have lost their top2 assistant coaches in 2 years with Don Newman going to Wizards and Bud now going to Atlanta. I've been very impressed by what Brett Brown did with Australia NT, so I would be fine with him getting the top assistant coach spot. Forcier being promoted as 2nd assistant sounds fine too.

Brett Brown seems to have already stepped up.

Well deserved! Congrats Bud!

Don't see why people need to call him out on it though. Spurs are most likely a lottery team anyway when Duncan, Manu, and Pop retire.

Say hello to the next head coach Ime Udoka. :lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ocotillo

Another thought, might he take someone with him to Atlanta? Happy he is getting his shot. Sentimentally, it would have been nice for him to get it here but I have confidence in Pop and R.C. to find an outstanding replacement.

---

he can take Gary and nando and dejuan.

Brett Brown did a great job as a head coach here in Australia, not just with the International team but when he was a head coach domestically. I'd be fine with him taking over the top job if and when that comes up.

well I guess the window is closed when Duncan and Pop retire anyway.

ATLANTA --The Atlanta Hawks have named Mike Budenholzer (BEW-den-holzer) the team’s new head coach, President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Budenholzer becomes the 12th full-time head coach in Hawks history. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.
“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," Ferry said. "His experience and four championships over the last 17 years provide a tremendous foundation for his leadership of our team.”

Budenholzer, 43, spent the past 19 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, including the final 17 seasons as an assistant coach. For the last six seasons, he has served as the team’s no. 1 assistant to current San Antonio Head Coach Gregg Popovich, the longest-tenured head coach in major professional sports and third-winningest coach (by percentage - .681) in NBA history behind only Phil Jackson and Billy Cunningham.

“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,” said Budenholzer. “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.”

During his time with the Spurs, he was a part of one of the most successful eras in NBA history. As an assistant coach since the 1996-97 season, he has helped lead San Antonio to a league-best 908-438 (.675) regular season record and four NBA Championships (1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007). Hired by Popovich prior to the 1994-95 season, Budenholzer spent his first two seasons as a video coordinator before being named an assistant coach. On numerous occasions, he served as the Spurs summer league head coach. He also served as an advance scout for Team USA for the 2004 Olympics.

"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. “I will miss him a great deal both professionally and personally and am confident that he and Danny will make a great team as the future unfolds."

Budenholzer is a 1993 graduate of Pomona College where he received a bachelor’s degree in politics, philosophy and economics and was a four-year letterman in both basketball and golf. Following college, he played professionally in Denmark for the Vejle Basketball Klub, averaging a team-high 27.5 points per game during the 1993-94 season and getting his start in coaching, serving as the head coach for two different teams in the Vejle system.

A native of Holbrook, AZ, he and his wife Mary Bet have four children: Will, Libby, Hanna and John.

Budenholzer will continue serving as the Spurs top assistant until the conclusion of the 2013 NBA Finals.

http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/hawks-...zer-head-coach

Congratulations to Bud, well deserved. Means that Pop is probably going to be staying on for at least 2-3 more years which is great news.

Unless Atlanta signs both CP3 and Dwight this summer, Bud should be available to take over for Pop when he retires tbh.

http://cf.badassdigest.com/_uploads/...oooo__span.jpg

:wow

:depressed

:cry

And if you think that Pop will retire as the same time as Duncan, Bud leaving could also mean that Duncan won't retire this summer, even if Spurs win it all.

Wow, that hit me like a sucker punch. Wish Bud the best. Who will be second in command in SA?

asdfghjkl;' shit sucks

Ah well. Good luck, Coach Bud!

Any chance he will take Bonner to Atlanta?

Hire Del Negro when Pop retires !!!!!

damn. congrats to budenholzer though. he definitely deserves a starting gig. selfish fans like myself wanted him to stay an assistant for a little while longer before taking over here, but he's invested PLENTY of years as an assistant. he's ready. just sucks that he's going to atlanta. if they aren't able to sign dwight or paul, their future doesn't look especially bright. horford is the man though.

looks like we'll have a reunion with PJ or give Brown the top assistant spot. i personally vote for brown. more of a fresh face instead of going backwards