After the departure of Mike Budenholzer as head coach, the Atlanta Hawks have reportedly narrowed their search to a final four of Lloyd Pierce, Jay Larranaga, Nate Tibbetts and Stephen Silas.
According to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Pierce is the clear-cut frontrunner due to his time as an assistant during the Philadelphia 76ers “Process” era – a time in which the team won only ten games just two seasons ago.
Hawks narrow coach search to four candidates https://t.co/928jBOyDfr
— Michael Cunningham (@MCunninghamAJC) May 6, 2018
Clearly, the 76ers have an impressive culture of developing young players, as Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons exploded onto the scene this season and catapulted Philly to the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference. Though they are currently on the brink of getting swept by the higher-seeded Celtics, the team is resplendent with young talent – a (hopefully) similar situation to the what the Hawks will have in the coming seasons.
Pierce met with GM Travis Schlenk on Friday and is expected to meet with Hawks owner Tony Ressler this week. If the meeting goes well, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, a job offer for Pierce is likely forthcoming.
Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce will meet with Atlanta ownership early this week on franchise's head coaching job, league sources tell ESPN. Pierce has a strong chance to earn job offer if that meeting goes well, sources said. @MarcJSpearsESPN reported Saturday on second interview.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 6, 2018
Larranaga is also in the running, and he was the head coach of the Hawks G-League affiliate Erie BayHawks from 2010 to 2012 (before the team was associated with the NBA’s Hawks), and has been a lead assistant for the Celtics under Doc Rivers and Brad Stevens since 2012.
Assistant coach Nate Tibbetts of the Blazers has already met with owner Tony Ressler, and his background with developing the star backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum could play a role in the Hawks’ head coaching decision.
Lastly, the Hawks met with Hornets assistant coach Stephen Silas last week. Schlenk worked with Silas between 2006 and 2011 when both men were with the Golden State Warriors’ organization.
Next: 4 Free Agents in Playoffs Hawks Should Target
After a tough season, the Hawks must start afresh and getting the right head coach in position is the first step back into relevance in the NBA. Stay tuned for more news regarding Atlanta’s search for a head coach.