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Hawks Set To Interview David Fizdale Today

April 28th, 2018 at 11:30am CST by marksuleymanov

The Hawks are set to interview David Fizdale later today for their now vacant head coach position, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports. Fizdale is among several candidates as Atlanta will also consider Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts and Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, Stein adds.

We relayed on Thursday that the Hawks were expected to consider Fizdale, Tibbetts, and Silas. Atlanta entered the offseason with Mike Budenholzer under contract for two more seasons but both sides parted amicably earlier this week after he interviewed with the Suns and Knicks.

Fizdale has been a popular candidate for various head coaching vacancies. He previously served as an assistant coach for four seasons with the Hawks under Mike Woodson.

He coached the Grizzlies to a 43-39 record during the 2016/17 campaign but the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

The 43-year-old was relieved of his duties 19 games into this season as Memphis struggled to win while Fizdale’s relationship with All-Star Marc Gasol reportedly deteriorated. Fizdale has been endorsed by his former players and fellow coaches as he looks for his next opportunity.

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Mike Budenholzer To Receive Full Hawks Salary

April 27th, 2018 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the end of the relationship between Mike Budenholzer and the Hawks was classified as a mutual parting of ways, it doesn’t appear the two sides agreed to any sort of buyout of the two years and $13MM+ remaining on Budenholzer’s contract.

Budenholzer will receive the full amount of the money left on his contract with the Hawks, reports Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That was a “lump Hawks owner Tony Ressler did not want to swallow,” according to Schultz, who suggests that the team was willing to agree to the arrangement in order to move on and begin searching for a new long-term head coach.

Continuing to pay their old head coach isn’t an ideal situation for the Hawks, but Schultz notes that Atlanta’s financial obligation to Budenholzer will be lessened if he lands a new head coaching job elsewhere. While the specifics aren’t clear, it sounds like the agreement between the Hawks and Budenholzer includes some form of set-off rights that will prevent the veteran coach from collecting his full salary from Atlanta while also earning a full salary from a new team.

In order for the Hawks to reduce their commitment to Budenholzer though, he’ll need to be hired by a new team. After interviewing with the Suns, Budenholzer withdrew from consideration for that job, so he appears to only be in the mix for the Knicks’ position for now. There have been rumblings in recent weeks that Budenholzer could be eyeing the Bucks’ job, but as long as Milwaukee remains in the playoffs, interim coach Joe Prunty continues to hold that role.

As Schultz observes, Ressler and GM Travis Schlenk initially wanted to leverage other teams’ interest in Budenholzer into compensation for letting him out of his contract. Not receiving any compensation and remaining on the hook for Budenholzer’s $13MM salary is almost a worst-case scenario for the franchise. However, with Budenholzer’s return having become increasingly untenable and Atlanta wanting to start interviewing candidates to replace him, the club felt it was time to make a move, even if the financial pill was a tough one to swallow.

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2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Atlanta Hawks

April 27th, 2018 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

After making 10 straight appearances in the postseason, the Hawks recognized that streak was in danger of coming to an end and decided to lean into it with a full-fledged rebuild. As a result, Atlanta’s win total dipped by nearly 20 games in 2017/18, as the team finished with a 24-58 record, tied for the NBA’s third-worst mark. The Hawks should have cap flexibility going forward, but they’re still fully immersed in the rebuilding process, meaning they’re more likely to use cap room to accommodate bad contracts in trades than to make a splash in free agency.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Hawks financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

  • Mike Muscala ($9,500,000): Bird rights (if player option is declined)
  • Dewayne Dedmon ($8,280,000): Non-Bird rights (if player option is declined)
  • No. 4 overall pick ($5,864,636)4
  • No. 19 overall pick ($2,231,755)
  • No. 30 overall pick ($1,606,717)
  • Total: $27,483,008

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $33,401,355

  • For our Hawks’ cap projection, we’re assuming that both Dedmon and Muscala decline their player options, which isn’t necessarily a lock (Dedmon appears more likely to opt out than Muscala). We’re also assuming the team waives all its non-guaranteed players and renounces its free agents, which is hardly a sure thing either.
  • In that scenario, the Hawks’ seven guaranteed contracts, three first-round picks, and two cap charges for empty roster spots result in a team salary of $67,598,645. That’s nearly enough to accommodate any maximum-salary free agent, though Atlanta is unlikely to be in the market for any players of that caliber.

Footnotes:

  1. Taylor’s salary becomes guaranteed for $300K after June 22, then fully guaranteed after July 27.
  2. Cavanaugh’s salary becomes guaranteed for $450K after May 15, then fully guaranteed after July 7.
  3. Cleveland’s exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.
  4. The Hawks are fourth in the draft lottery standings. They could end up picking anywhere from No. 1 ($8,095,595) to No. 7 ($4,403,246).

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hawks Get Permission To Meet With Blazers’ Tibbetts

April 27th, 2018 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have been granted permission by the Trail Blazers to meet with Portland assistant coach Nate Tibbetts, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wojnarowski describes Tibbetts as a “serious” candidate to fill Atlanta’s head coaching vacancy.

Tibbetts, who was recently identified by several league executives as one of the NBA’s up-and-coming assistants who deserves head coaching consideration, was reported to be a candidate for the Hawks’ job shortly after the team parted ways with Mike Budenholzer.

That list of candidates also included former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale, Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, and Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego. Meanwhile, Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution added one more name to the mix on Thursday, writing that Darvin Ham – a Hawks assistant throughout Budenholzer’s tenure – could be in the mix.

Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk has said there’s no set timeline for the club’s coaching search, but he expects to have a new head coach in place before the NBA draft on June 21, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“We are going to find the right head coach for the Atlanta Hawks,” Schlenk said. “That coach is going to have the same job description or same end game as I do and that’s to try to bring a championship to the Atlanta Hawks.”

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Hawks Expected To Consider Fizdale, Tibbetts, Others

April 26th, 2018 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

2:13pm: Vanterpool won’t be among the Hawks’ head coaching candidates after all, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

9:30am: The Hawks are the latest NBA team to embark on a search for a new head coach, having confirmed on Wednesday that they’ve parted ways with Mike Budenholzer, who had held the position since 2013. While there’s no presumed frontrunner to replace Budenholzer yet, a number of potential candidates have already emerged for Atlanta.

The Hawks are expected to talk to former Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale and current Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts about their head coaching position, a source tells Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Fizdale has been one of this spring’s most popular head coaching candidates, having previously been linked to the Knicks, Suns, and Hornets. It’s the first time we’ve heard Tibbetts connected to one of the ongoing searches, however.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski adds a few more names to the Hawks’ list of candidates, reporting that the club is also expected to consider Hornets assistant Stephen Silas, Spurs assistants Ime Udoka and James Borrego, and another Trail Blazers assistant, David Vanterpool.

Borrego has been another assistant whose name has frequently popped up in coaching rumors this spring — he has been linked to the Knicks and Suns. Meanwhile, Silas was identified as a possible head coaching candidate in the wake of Steve Clifford‘s ouster in Charlotte. As Amick and Zillgitt note, Silas is “widely respected” around the NBA and was with the Warriors at the same time as current Hawks GM Travis Schlenk.

It’s no surprise that the initial group of candidates for the rebuilding Hawks includes a number of NBA assistants. Wojnarowski writes that the team wants to hire an up-and-coming coach who can evolve along with Atlanta’s young roster. Vanterpool, Silas, and Tibbetts all showed up near the top of a recent list of NBA assistants who should receive head coaching consideration — that list was voted on by about three dozen executives around the league.

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Hawks, Mike Budenholzer Part Ways

April 25th, 2018 at 8:57pm CST by clarkcrum

Mike Budenholzer and the Hawks have mutually agreed to part ways, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (story).

As Luke Adams opined last week, there was a belief that it may be difficult for Budenholzer to return to Atlanta after interviewing for jobs with the Knicks and Suns, and it appears that both the Hawks and Budenholzer have come to the same conclusion.

Hawks GM Travis Schlenk confirmed to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the two parties have moved on, saying he “feels like it’s in the best interest of both parties.” The Hawks have also officially announced the move.

It is still unknown whether Budenholzer will retain any of the $13-14MM remaining on his contract with Atlanta, but it may not matter, as Stefan Bondy of the Daily News tweets that it’s possible Budenholzer may already have his next job lined up — perhaps with the Knicks.

If so, it would be a win-win for both Budenholzer and the Knicks, as Budenholzer reportedly views New York as his top destination, while the Knicks would be gaining a well-respected leader in NBA circles.

Speaking to ESPN, Budenholzer said “I am grateful for the five years that I spent as coach of the Atlanta Hawks, and will always cherish the incredible contributions, commitment and accomplishments of the players that I was fortunate enough to work with here. From ownership to management, support staff to the community, I’ll look back with great pride on what we were able to achieve together with the Hawks.”

Budenholzer was awarded the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in 2015 after a 60-win season and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals. He also won four NBA titles as a member of Gregg Popovich’s staff in San Antonio.

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Community Shootaround: Can Budenholzer Return To Hawks?

April 23rd, 2018 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Budenholzer has interviewed for two of the NBA’s open head coaching positions so far this offseason, meeting with the Suns and Knicks about their vacancies. Budenholzer withdrew from consideration for the Phoenix job, but is reportedly interested in landing in New York.

The only problem? Budenholzer already has a coaching job, with two years and about $13-14MM remaining on his contract with the Hawks. While Atlanta has been willing to let Budenholzer interview for other jobs, the team has maintained that it’s open to bringing back its head coach for the 2018/19 season.

Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is skeptical, writing today that he finds it hard to believe that Budenholzer could remain the Hawks’ head coach going forward. As Cunningham outlines, Budenholzer wasn’t thrilled to lose personnel decision-making power to GM Travis Schlenk a year ago, and isn’t all that interested in working through a long rebuilding process in Atlanta.

A person familiar with Budenholzer’s plans tells Cunningham that the head coach would be ready to return to Atlanta if he doesn’t get another job, and the Hawks have maintained that they could be on board with that scenario too. But Cunningham views that scenario as untenable, since it’d be hard for Hawks players to commit to a lame-duck coach who may have his eye on other jobs.

The best-case scenario for both Budenholzer and the Hawks would for him to find another situation he likes, and for that team to offer Atlanta a fair compensation package to let him out of his current contract. That way, Budenholzer could move on to a more favorable situation and Atlanta’s new management group could hand-pick a new head coach after having gotten out from under Budenholzer’s contract.

If Budenholzer doesn’t get an offer though, or if a team that wants him isn’t willing to give the Hawks compensation to let him go, the situation could get messy. It wouldn’t be unprecedented if Budenholzer ultimately remains in Atlanta – Dave Joerger signed an extension with the Grizzlies in 2014 after they let him interview with the Timberwolves – but it wouldn’t be ideal either.

What do you think? Can the Hawks bring Budenholzer back? Will they have the opportunity to make that decision, or will he be offered a job by another team? Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Mike Budenholzer Wants To Coach Knicks

April 22nd, 2018 at 10:05pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has a genuine interest in the Knicks’ coaching vacancy, Marc Berman of The New York Post reports.

“New York’s his top choice,’’ the NBA source tells Berman. “If they offered him the job, he’d say yes. He wants to live in New York.’’

Atlanta appears to be heading toward a Process-like rebuild, something Budenholzer isn’t pleased with.

“Phoenix and the Knicks are trying to win every game,’’ said the NBA source who has spoken to Budenholzer recently. “There’s a good chance Atlanta is not looking to win games the next two years. This wasn’t Mike’s decision. He didn’t expect it. He doesn’t want to lose games.’’

Budenholzer has two years and $13MM remaining on his deal, though the Hawks seem open to letting him coach elsewhere next season, as they’ve already allowed him to interview with the Suns and Knicks. Budenholzer withdrew his name from the Phoenix job last week.

Atlanta could be looking for compensation in return for its coach. However, Berman hears that finances may be the franchise’s top priority, meaning they could ultimately end up receiving cash considerations rather than draft picks from a team looking to bring Budenholzer aboard.

“Ownership has quite a bit of money on the line,’’ an NBA executive said. “They may be thinking why pay him $6 million a year if they’re not a playoff contender? Why not pay someone $2 million a year for the next two years?’’

Budenholzer previously coached the Knicks’ highest-paid player, Tim Hardaway Jr., while the shooting guard was in Atlanta and he helped the Michigan product develop into a serviceable option. That, along with his excellent reputation, could give him a leg up for the job in New York.

“He’s an excellent coach and teacher,’’ another NBA personnel director tells Berman. “He’s really a student of the game and did a very good job developing young players. He’s a good combo of disciplinarian and players coach. Doc Rivers isn’t a bad comparison.”

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Knicks Plan To Talk To Mike Budenholzer

April 20th, 2018 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks continue to cast a wide net in their search for a new head coach, with Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting (via Twitter) that the club intends to talk to current Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer.

Budenholzer, who has two years and more than $13MM remaining on his contract with the Hawks, has already met with the Suns about their head coaching vacancy. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday night that Budenholzer withdrew from consideration for that Phoenix job, but it appears he’s not yet a lock to return to the Hawks.

If the Knicks want to hire Budenholzer, they’d almost certainly have to send the Hawks some sort of compensation to let him out of his current deal. The most notable example in recent years was the Celtics acquiring a first-round pick from the Clippers when Boston let Doc Rivers out of a contract with three years left on it in 2013.

As our head coaching search tracker shows, the Knicks have put together an extensive list of potential candidates to become Jeff Hornacek‘s replacement. Jerry Stackhouse, Mark Jackson, and Mike Woodson have reportedly interviewed with the team, and Kenny Smith was set to do so today. New York is also expected to meet with David Fizdale and David Blatt.

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Budenholzer Withdraws From Consideration For Suns Coach Job

April 19th, 2018 at 9:32pm CST by marksuleymanov

Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer has withdrawn from consideration for the Suns‘ head coach vacancy, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Budenholzer met with the Suns on Monday and Tuesday and was expected to reach a decision this week.

A native of Holbrook, Arizona, Budenholzer still has two years and $13MM+ left on his deal with the Hawks.

With Budenholzer off the board, the Suns are considering interim coach Jay Triano, David Fizdale, Steve Clifford, Kevin McHale and Frank Vogel to fill the position, Wojnarowski adds.

Budenholzer, 48, has been the Hawks’ head coach since 2013, leading the team to a 213-197 record. He won Coach of the Year for the 2014/15 season, a year in which the Hawks went 60-22 and went to the Eastern Conference finals.

The Hawks played to an Eastern Conference-worst 24-58 this season as the organization cut payroll and gathered young assets under general manager Travis Schlenk‘s vision.

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