New Bucks GM John Hammond (formerly the VP of the Detroit Pistons) acted quickly in his first few days on the job and fired head coach Larry Krystkowiak.
Krystkowiak, who was named head coach on March 15, 2007, won 31 of 100 games with the Bucks.
The Bucks will immediately begin their search for a head coach. Former Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle and former Chicago Bulls coach Scott Skiles are expected to be considered, and it’s possible veteran Larry Brown could be in the mix. Brown, who coached the Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship, has said he wants to return to coaching.
There’s enough talent in Milwaukee to make the Bucks a perennial playoff team. The team has two terrific scorers in Michael Redd and Mo Williams, along with a promising front line that features Andrew Bogut, Yi Jianlian and Charlie Villanueva.
Being a long-time Bucks fan, I watched a ton of games this season and it’s clear that the team was lacking the chemistry necessary to win games consistently. I would typically blame the head coach, since it’s his job to take the talent that’s there and get those players to buy into his system. That simply didn’t happen this season.
The Bucks’ owner, Senator Herb Kohl, needs to make a serious hire, not another no-name, first-year gy. I love the idea of Larry Brown coming in and whipping this team into shape. He has led tremendous turnaround efforts in the past and his disciplined mindset still lingers in Detroit. The other two names mentioned – Scott Skiles and Rick Carlisle – are also known as serious hard-asses, but they don’t have the reputation that Brown has. I’d be a little worried about Skiles since he was unable to do much with a talented Chicago team this season, but any of these three hires would be an improvement.
