Larry Drew spent three seasons as head coach of the Hawks. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Bucks announced Friday the hiring of former Hawks coach Larry Drew to serve as their next head coach.
“We are pleased to reach an agreement with Larry Drew to become head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks,” Bucks GM John Hammond said in a statement. “After a thorough search and interview process, it is clear to us that Larry’s track record in Atlanta, along with his experience as an assistant coach and player, make him the right choice to lead our club. We look forward to what he will bring to this franchise and we welcome him and his family to Milwaukee.”
The Journal Sentinel reports that the agreement includes three guaranteed years and a team option on the fourth year.
Milwaukee reportedly interviewed Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson, former Blazers coach Nate McMillan, and former Lakers assistant Steve Clifford, who was hired by the Bobcats earlier this week, before deciding Drew was their guy.
Drew, 55, amassed a 128-101 (.557) record in three years in Atlanta, leading the Hawks to the playoffs in all three seasons. Prior to taking the head job in 2010, Drew served as an assistant coach for 18 years, making stops with the Lakers, Pistons, Wizards and Nets before joining the Hawks in 2004.
The Hawks finished 44-38 in 2012-13, good for the No. 6 seed and a first-round dismissal by the Pacers in the playoffs. Hawks GM Danny Ferry, who took his position last summer, elected to hire Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer as coach rather than retain Drew, whose contract was set to expire this summer.
Earlier this month, the Bucks parted ways with interim coach Jim Boylan, who took over for former coach Scott Skiles back in January. The Bucks parted ways with Skiles after four-plus seasons following a 16-16 start. Milwaukee finished the season as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 38-44 and the Heat swept the Bucks out of the playoffs in four games.
The Point Forward ranked the Bucks job fairly highly in a recent survey of open coaching positions.
A 1980 first-round pick, Drew spent a 10-year playing career with the Pistons, Kings, Clippers and Lakers, posting career averages of 11.4 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Drew’s hiring continues a busy week on the coaching carousel. Warriors assistant coach Mike Malone reportedly agreed to coach the Kings, former Jazz assistant Jeff Hornacek was hired by the Suns, Clifford was hired by the Bobcats and Budenholzer was hired by the Hawks.
