Atlanta Hawks: Top 5 Head Coaches

Nov 7, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer talks with a referee after a call during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

I love Coach Bud.  I’m sure you do, too.  What he has done for the Atlanta Hawks in just two seasons is almost unimaginable.  He took a sub-.500 team into the playoffs as an 8-seed and nearly upset the top-seeded Indiana Pacers in 7 games in 2014.  This was without superstar Al Horford for the last two-thirds of the season.  Plus he was establishing his Popovichian offensive system he learned while in San Antonio.

And then this past year happened and everything changed for the better.  Coach Bud led the Atlanta Hawks to a franchise record 60 wins, the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the Hawks first appearance in the ECF ever.  He took an afterthought of a team to national prominence in just two seasons.

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The Atlanta Hawks franchise is at an all-time high in fan support.  It sounds crazy but the Atlanta Hawks are the most popular team in the Georgia in 2015.  His strength in player development sent four starters to the All-Star Game in February and changed an entire city’s sports culture almost overnight.

Coach Bud is off to a terrific and hopefully long tenure as the Head Coach of the Atlanta Hawks.  After just two seasons as an NBA HC, Budenholzer has won a Coach of the Year Award, coached an All-Star team, has won 98 games (.598 winning percentage), and lead his team to 11 playoff victories.  If this is just the beginning for Coach Bud and the Atlanta Hawks, we might witness an NBA Championship in the next few seasons.  Let’s Go Hawks!

Next: One of the Greatest Basketball Coaches of All-Time