Surprisingly and, out of nowhere, the Milwaukee Bucks fired Jason Kidd earlier this week.
It was a shocking move considering the Bucks were 23-22 by the time he left. Kidd compiled a 139-152 record in three-plus seasons with Milwaukee, but his results were better than what the numbers indicate. He made the playoffs in two of three seasons with Milwaukee. And aside from a dismal 33-49 mark in 2015-16, he always finished either at .500 or better.
In fact, if we include his lone season with the Brooklyn Nets (2013-14, 44-38), Kidd has made the postseason in three of his four full seasons. And he was well on the way to grab another playoff berth with a Bucks team that featured names such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Jabari Parker. But that is not going to happen anymore, and now the coaching search for Milwaukee begins.
Bucks assistant coach Joe Prunty has been installed as interim coach, but he is not expected to take over until the end of the season. And while several names could look promising, the Bucks need to go after one man, and one man only. We are talking about David Fizdale.
As you might recall, The Memphis Grizzlies fired Fizdale at the beginning of the season due to a negative stretch that saw the franchise go 7-12 at the time of his firing. But he was coming off a 43-39 season in 2016-17 and has several years coaching in the NBA as well. Fizdale spent two years as an associate head for coach Erik Spoelstra in Miami. He also spent other six being an assistant coach on the franchise. He coached four years in Atlanta and one in Golden State as well. The track record is clearly there.
Fizdale also knows how to handle himself in an NBA franchise. And he supports his players because Fizdale is not afraid to fight back if he feels his team is being prejudiced. After all, you might remember his rant when Memphis lost against the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs last season:
More importantly, Fizdale knows how to handle a young group of players. He thrived with the Grizzlies, and he also knows what is like to work with some of the best players in the world following his tenure with the Heat. He would be the perfect man to lead Milwaukee.
The Bucks have a young core led by Antetokounmpo, Middleton y Parker. However, most of the team’s roster has young players. Fizdale could help the development of players such as Malcolm Brogdon and Thon Maker, for instance. And he is a winning coach, even if his tenure with Memphis did not end as expected.
He checks all the box for the Bucks. And if the franchise wants to build a team capable of contending for a while in the East, then Fizdale is the perfect man to lead this group for the foreseeable future.