After some rumours in the last weeks the Atlanta Hawks have made it official on Thursday night: Dennis Schröder’s team has split up with head coach Mike Budenholzer by mutual agreement.
“I’m grateful for the five years I’ve been with the Atlanta Hawks, and I will forever appreciate what the players here have accomplished and achieved,” Budenholzer told ESPN. “I will look back with great pride on what we have achieved together as an organization.”
Budenholzer would have had a valid contract for the next two seasons and over 14 million dollars, but his ambitions went in a different direction to those of the organization. While the Coach of the Year wants to win in 2016, the Hawks will probably have a slightly longer rebuild ahead of them.
The Hawks had already given Budenholzer permission to audition for an engagement with the Suns and the Knicks. According to ESPN, he continues to be a hot candidate for the post of head coach at the Knicks. Budenholzers final record with the Hawks is 230-219, and in four of the five years of his tenure Atlanta reached the playoffs.
It is still unclear how the Hawks will fill the position. According to the report the assistant coaches Stephen Silas (Charlotte), Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool (both Portland) as well as James Borrego and Ime Udoka (both San Antonio) are supposed to be on their notes.