Mike Budenholzer is ready to tackle head coaching job of Milwaukee Bucks

Monday morning brought a brand new experience even for Mike Budenholzer, a veteran NBA coach of more than two decades. He's never been featured at a news conference on an active construction site.

On the concourse of the Milwaukee Bucks' still-under-construction arena, Budenholzer sat next to general manager Jon Horst staring out at a gaggle of media members and team staffers wearing hard hats, safety glasses and orange vests. Bucks players Khris Middleton and Marshall Plumlee also were on hand and properly attired.

In a more indirect sense than the usual activities, meetings and tours at the Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Complex, a major theme of the day's discussions had to do with building and construction.

He didn't have a hard hat or any other construction accoutrements on during his introduction Monday, but Budenholzer, 48, certainly signed up for a building job in Milwaukee.

D'AMATO: This Bud's for you, Milwaukee

As the 16th coach in franchise history, Budenholzer will be responsible for continuing and accelerating the franchise's growth process as it aims for higher levels of on-court success with the goal of constructing a squad that can consistently compete among the best teams in the NBA.

“Bud has a career of building successful franchises," Horst said, referencing Budenholzer's 19 years with the San Antonio Spurs and five seasons as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. "Finding the person, the right fit for this team, the right systems, the right ideas, the right principles and philosophies to help this group take the next step was paramount.

"Ultimately after going through our process, it was clear to us that Bud was the guy to do that.”

For Budenholzer, the son of a coach, everything about his new job with the Bucks came down to fit. It's a word he used 10 times during the 20-plus minutes he spoke. 

When he talks about fit, Budenholzer isn't just talking about the players on the roster. He certainly believes he can work with this team, a group that won 44 games this season and pushed the Boston Celtics to Game 7 in the first round of the NBA playoffs, but he also found Horst and his front-office staff as well as the team's ownership group to be made up of people who he can see himself winning with.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to be put in this position by Jon and ownership," Budenholzer said. "Since the moment we all said yes to each other nothing’s felt more right. I think there’s a genuine excitement about where we can go, a genuine understanding of how much work we have to put in to get there and that focus on getting better every day individually and collectively.”

Milwaukee's active interview process lasted nearly two weeks and included interviews with at least seven coaches. Budenholzer was the third of those, meeting with Horst and members of the front office for the first time on May 8.

Horst structured the interviews intentionally, aiming to learn the most about each candidate over a wide range of topics touching on every part of the job. He wanted to find someone he could envision himself spending a lot of time with while having casual, productive conversations. With a head coach and general manager, that represents a lot of what they do together.

By the end of the team's meeting with Budenholzer, Horst knew he had found someone who could fit what he and the Bucks need.

“One of the things that was great about Bud, one of the many things, is that’s a long process and a lot of conversation but it never felt like that," Horst said. "It was just an enjoyable time the entire period of time.”

Now there will be plenty of time for more conversations between Horst, Budenholzer and other members of the franchise. They will have to figure out the best roster going forward, though Budenholzer, the former president of basketball operations with the Hawks, says he's happy to be focused on coaching and working together with Horst rather than making the calls himself. They also will have to work together to build a coaching staff.

“I’m very hopeful that the majority of my staff will come with me," Budenholzer said, noting he'd be open to sitting down with other coaches, including former Bucks assistants. "I’m a huge believer in my group that’s been with me the last five years.”

Most importantly, the Budenholzer and Horst will have to navigate turning the Bucks from a competitive team into a legitimate competitor. It's a process they've already embarked on, including meeting at 8:30 a.m. Monday with members of the medical staff and front office to map out what was already going on and how Budenholzer and his future staff can get to work with their players, get to know them, help guide their off-season workouts and begin teaching.

For Budenholzer, he believes building the Bucks starts at the defensive end. All-star Giannis Antetokounmpo also will have a lot to do with getting the Bucks to the next level.

"There’s a lot to work with here in Milwaukee," Budenholzer said. "I really believe and I think there’s definitely the makings of a very good defensive team and it starts with Giannis.

"Giannis knows my expectations of him and how I’m going to push him on the defensive end of the court. That’s where it’s going to start.”

They said it

Here are a couple more things Horst and Budenholzer had to say during and after Monday's news conference.

Horst on working with Budenholzer, a person who has extensive experience as a coach and league executive

“This is not an I game, this is not a me game. This is a we game. To have someone with his experience and his knowledge to help us and support us is tremendous.”

Budenholzer on the types of players the Bucks need to get to the next level

“I think the thing we’re always looking for, I think Jon and I have talked about it, is competitors. It always starts with having great competitors on your team, in your front office, on your coaching staff. Probably the No. 1 characteristic, if you want win championships, you’ve got to be great competitors. It’s got to come naturally.”

Horst on helping Budenholzer build his staff

“That’s ultimately my job to figure out how to get those guys here and him to identify kind of who he wants and for us to work together on that. I think we’ll make that transition here as soon as possible and as easy as possible.”

Budenholzer on coaching Antetokounmpo instead of coaching against him

“It was miserable to coach against him and I’m so happy now. I’m going to say, ’34’s on my team? That’s, like, really cool.’ I mean, he’s a nightmare to coach against, to gameplan for and figure out can you keep him away from the basket. Can you keep him out of the paint? I think, defensively, the things he does are pretty unique and keeping him away from actions. And he’s a winner. He’s a competitor. To coach him, we’ve been talking about it all morning, I couldn’t be more excited about coaching him.”

Budenholzer on growing the Bucks offensively and defensively

“I certainly believe that we can be a really, really good defensive team — elite, I would say. I think how we can improve and be better offensively and be more efficient and be more dynamic on an individual basis and on a team basis. … They’ve had a lot of success here and things have been done well. I think I’ll learn some of the things from what’s been done here over the last few years and marry it up with the core things I was talking about earlier.”