Is This Bud For The Nets?
Leaks like the one given to The Athletic’s Shams Charania on Saturday often have an agenda behind them.
Since ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who has a strong relationship with Nets General Manager Sean Marks, has to date been silent on the matter of Brooklyn’s head coaching search, it is fair to wonder whether Charania’s report that the organization has whittled down their list to three “finalists”—former Bucks HC Mike Budenholzer and rising assistant coaches Kevin Young (Phoenix) and Jordi Fernandez (Sacramento)—to replace interim HC Kevin Ollie after Sunday’s season finale in Philadelphia was sourced by someone close to a candidate.
According to Charania, Marks and owner Joseph Tsai have already “interviewed an extensive list of candidates.” NetsDaily.com posited that Budenholzer, the only one of the three with prior NBA head coaching experience, had his around March 17 when Tsai was present for Brooklyn’s matchup against San Antonio in Austin, near Budenholzer’s home.
Though Sharania indicated that “a final decision is looming in the near future,” how can he be sure that Brooklyn is any of their first choices? Young in particular is highly valued by the Suns, who reportedly made him the league’s highest paid assistant with a five-year, $10 million contract last June. The commitment pretty much indicated that if Suns HC Frank Vogel underperforms this postseason—which could mean anything less than a Western Conference Finals appearance--Young, who allegedly is tight with star guard Devin Booker, would be next in line.
Young has every reason to wait this out until he knows Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s long-term plans. As attractive as the Nets job might be to those in league circles—and folks, don’t be fooled by trolls, as this is still a New York City address with the potential to be a player in the coming summers due to a large cache of first-round Draft picks and ample salary cap space in 2025—the team as currently constructed isn’t close to competing for a title, unlike Phoenix.
Or, for that matter, the L.A. Lakers, who could evolve into a competitor in a Budenholzer sweepstakes should they too fail to go on a substantial playoff run and decide not to bring back Darvin Ham. In fact, a Head Coach with a ring will be many teams’ first call. Budenholzer, who piloted Milwaukee to the 2021 NBA Championship (beating Brooklyn in seven games along the way), doesn’t need any boosting. He is still being paid by the Bucks following his firing after last season.
I don’t have inside info to confirm the identity of Charania’s leaker, but I did hear that Fernandez, through his agent, has been aggressively lobbying for the Nets job. Just guessing here, but Marks could have been intrigued with the prospect of hiring yet another first-time NBA Head Coach he could control, on top of Fernandez’s experience in leading Team Canada to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
I’m hoping Tsai stamps that out. From Sharania’s and other reporting, Tsai likely nixed the idea of turning to another regurgitated coach from Marks’ inner circle like former Charlotte HC James Borrego. The thinking could be that Tsai wants the Nets to make a pop with this announcement after interest was shredded during this miserable season. (Note: The strong attendance totals at Barclays Center include an unknown number of giveaway tickets—the YES Network ratings were down almost 35% through the season’s midpoint and I can’t imagine that they improved when the team fell out of playoff contention.) Tsai apparently is willing to pay for that privilege.
So, if Marks insists on bringing in a known quantity, Budenholzer should be the easy call, in my opinion, as he would have a better chance at generating that pop. The two overlapped in San Antonio, where Budenholzer won four rings as a Gregg Popovich assistant.
My early take is that while I heard good things about Young, I question whether there is mutual interest beyond him keeping all his options open. Budenholzer has his detractors, particularly those who point to his stubbornness in not making adjustments in the playoffs. But my gosh, look at that record (a career .604 winning percentage and a 56-48 mark in the playoffs), not just with Milwaukee but with the Hawks from 2013-18. His teams have qualified for the playoffs in all but one of his 10 seasons as an NBA Head Coach. The shocking 2023 first-round exit at the hands of eighth-seeded Miami that led to his firing came under extraordinary circumstances, with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo getting hurt and Budenholzer losing a brother due to a car accident before Game 4.
Having a Head Coach on the sidelines who doesn’t need to learn how to do the job on the fly would be a nice change for Brooklyn. Plus, I think Budenholzer’s general basketball philosophies mesh with Marks’. They’re both advocates for three-point shooting volume and prioritize packing the paint on defense.
However, there are mixed reports about the pair’s relationship. Though NetsDaily.com was accurate in reporting that there is mutual respect, with Marks complimentary of Budenholzer’s x’s and o’s, Budenholzer is known to be difficult to work with. The term NetsDaily used was “abrasive.” For a GM who demands collaboration, that could be a problem. Will Marks relent, for instance, on allowing Budenholzer to choose his own staff, as befitting someone with that resume?
In other words, is this Bud for the Nets? And vice versa?
Again, the “near future”, meaning the next month or so, will be fascinating. The playoffs, which portend to be thrillingly competitive, will yield consequences beyond the court. The coaching carousel lies in wait, with Budenholzer first in line.