Milwaukee Bucks: Will coaching carousel influence search for head coach?

As the Milwaukee Bucks continue their search for a new head coach, changes elsewhere in the NBA mean the dynamics of that search are constantly changing.

The Milwaukee Bucks planned on interviewing both David Fizdale and James Borrego as a part of their search for a new head coach, but in the end neither interview came to pass.

Fizdale was hired as the New York Knicks head coach just 24 hours after reports emerged of a potential Bucks interview, while Borrego took the Charlotte Hornets job, following two rounds of interviews with that franchise, just days before he likely would have interviewed with Milwaukee representatives.

Perhaps neither of those were the preferred candidate of Bucks fans, front office or management alike, but it provided an early taste of just how competitive the coaching market is this summer.

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Beyond that, it also offered evidence of how the decisions of the rest of the NBA’s teams may ultimately shape the identity of the Bucks’ new head coach as much as the team’s own preferences will.

If further proof of that was needed, with the Bucks a full week into their search and interviews, two more coaching vacancies have emerged in recent days.

Stan van Gundy and the Detroit Pistons parted ways, in somewhat surprising fashion as the move was far from immediate following the conclusion of the team’s season.

In a move that was surprising due to the coach’s overall body of work rather timing, the Toronto Raptors also dismissed Dwane Casey following another playoff defeat at the hands of LeBron James.

So, while the Bucks have been carrying out a diligent search of their own, for a hire that certainly needs the greatest of care and attention, chaos from elsewhere in the NBA has already thrown its own set of wildcards into the mix.

Although I personally wouldn’t be advocating for either at present, van Gundy and Casey act as two more accomplished coaches with track records of success who are suddenly on the market. At this point, there’s a good chance neither will get consideration in Milwaukee, but it’s tough to say they wouldn’t have if they were available just a bit sooner.

In part, that suggests an urgency that only grows more apparent with each passing day of the search. General manager Jon Horst has often alluded to a desire of hiring the right candidate when the team finds them, but it should already be clear that’s not necessarily a luxury at the team’s disposal.

You can’t conduct a coaching search in a vacuum. The right candidate may no longer be available by the time you realize they are the right candidate.

No better example of that can be found than with what’s currently going on in Toronto. Having already gone through a first round interview with Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks may now face major competition, for him and others, from a job that can certainly rival the appeal of Milwaukee.

On that same front, the Raptors’ highly thought of assistants Nick Nurse and Rex Kalamian, viewed by many as worthy of consideration in Milwaukee, may now have an opportunity to ascend within the framework they’ve helped to build.

There were reports the Bucks were hoping to interview another unnamed assistant before narrowing their shortlist down, but if that was Nurse or Kalamian, they may no longer have that chance.

Likewise, just because little has emerged on the Pistons’ plans for their next head coach, it doesn’t mean they may not yet become a rival for the Bucks.

There’s much to be admired about the Bucks’ process in searching for a head coach so far, particularly in light of past mistakes and the fears that lingered as a result.

An extensive group of candidates have been considered, as promised, and they fit a varied range of profiles. There has also been a clear chain of command with Jon Horst conducting the first round of interviews as GM, and ownership only set to get involved in the final stages of decision-making.

Now, if there’s one thing that can go wrong, it will be that the Bucks spend too much time mulling over their options. It’s not easy to find the balance between taking time to make an essential decision for the future of the franchise and reacting rapidly in fear of competition, but circumstance has forced Milwaukee into that kind of spot.

The Bucks could have started their search sooner and had a chance to really consider Fizdale or Borrego, but that wasn’t a fatal mistake. If a coach they have interviewed and already feel strongly about was to end up elsewhere, that would be a different story, though.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks nearing second stage of head coaching interviews

A head coaching search is generally defined by how it ends, and in the Bucks’ case, the hope will be that when it ends doesn’t become an equally significant factor.