By Jordan Long
The Milwaukee Bucks are starting their coaching search. The Bucks fired Head Coach Mike Budenholzer after a first-round exit in the NBA playoffs. The Bucks have permission to interview Scott Brooks, Kenny Atkinson, and James Borrego. All of them have head coaching experience in the NBA.
Brooks is the most experienced of the three. He coached the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008 to 2015. The Thunder earned a playoff spot 5 times and even advanced to the NBA Finals in 2012. Unfortunately, they were beaten in 5 games by the Miami Heat.
Brooks was let go following a 45-37 finish in 2015, the only year the Thunder failed to make the playoffs. He wasn’t out of work long as Washington hired him prior to the 2016-2017 season. Brooks didn’t have the type of success with the Wizards that he did with the Thunder. In Washington, Brooks coached them from 2016 to 2021. Washington earned a playoff spot 3 times. Washington canned Brooks after a first-round playoff exit in 2021. Overall, Brooks’ record is 521-414, a winning percentage of .557. Since 2021 he has been an assistant with the Portland Trailblazers.
Atkinson spent 4 seasons as the Brooklyn Nets’ Head Coach, lasting from 2016 to 2020. The Nets earned a playoff spot once in 2019. His overall record is a disappointing 118-190, a winning percentage of .383. He has spent the past 2 years on Steve Kerr’s staff as an assistant coach. Maybe the lessons he is learning from Kerr could help him if he is hired as the Buck’s Head Coach.
Borrego’s first taste of being an NBA Head Coach was with the Orlando Magic in the 2014-2015 season. The Magic fired Jacque Vaughn 52 games into the season. The Magic stood at 15-37. Borrego went 10-20 the rest of the way. The Magic didn’t’ bring him back. Borrego’s second chance was in 2018 to 2022 with the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets never earned a playoff spot with him as Head Coach. Overall Borrego’s head coaching record is 148-183, a winning percentage of .447.
The Bucks will take their time hiring their next head coach. They know they have a playoff team that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday. The Bucks want to make a deep run in the NBA playoffs with the goal of winning another NBA Championship. The next coach better deliver in the postseason or it’s back to the drawing board for Milwaukee.
Leave a Reply