The NBA coaching carousel is spinning wildly after just a few days. The Hornets, Knicks and Magic are just a few teams that are searching for a head coach with more potentially on the way. One of those teams who could be looking for a coach is the Atlanta Hawks. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski the Hawks have given coach Mike Budenholzer permission to speak with the Phoenix Suns about their head coaching vacancy.
Budenholzer, who resides in Arizona, is reportedly going to meet with Suns officials early next week according to Wojnarowski. The Suns are also considering interim coach Jay Triano, who replaced the fired Earl Watson after three games into the regular season.
Budenholzer won the 2014-2015 NBA Coach of the Year when his Hawks went 60-22, earning a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. This is the first season in which Atlanta did not make the playoffs under Mike Budenholzer. The team has shed salary and let players like Jeff Teague and Al Horford walk, signaling the end of this small run.
The Hawks also allowed Budenholzer to be the team president, but left that role when the team hired GM Travis Schlenk last spring. Prior to being the Hawks coach, Budenholzer was a longtime assistant with the San Antonio Spurs.
Time appears to be a factor for the bumbling Suns, who have yet to find footing really since Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire patrolled the court together. Suns star guard Devin Booker says he is tired of missing the playoffs and vows that this season will be his last one outside of the postseason. Booker was a big advoacate to keep Triano as the head coach moving forward, but it is unclear if that is factoring intot he Suns coaching decision. The team has failed to put a competent team around Booker, but patience may be wearing thin for the 21-year old guard.
