Forbes: Rick Pitino a candidate for Milwaukee Bucks job

Rick Pitino might not be Louisville’s head basketball coach anymore, but the annual January tradition of the Hall of Fame coach’s name being linked to another high-profile job is carrying on.

According to Mitch Lawrence of Forbes, Pitino is on the short list of candidates to replace Jason Kidd, who was fired by the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.

According to industry sources, among the potential coaches Lasry and co-owner Wes Edens could look at to replace Kidd are former Memphis head coach Dave Fizdale; former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy; former New Orleans coach Monty Williams; former Louisville coach Rick Pitino; and current G-League minor-league coach Jerry Stackhouse, who is seen as a future coach in the NBA.

It might not be the plum job as advertised. All candidates will want to investigate who’s in command in terms of determining the roster, as the Bucks are known to have more than one chef in the kitchen. In addition, Lasry and Edens, who purchased the team for $550 million in April, 2014, are not always on the same page, sources told Forbes.com. Overall, the Bucks are not viewed as dysfunctional, like some other NBA franchises, but they have a reputation for not being in lock-step. It’s been apparent from their clumsy and protracted GM search of last June and the Kidd firing that they have not followed the Spurs’ model, although that’s one of the top franchises Lasry said he closely studied when considering how he’d run the Bucks. Whomever takes the job will likely want to know who’s calling the shots on personnel. In the meantime, Kidd’s interim replacement is his top assistant, Joe Prunty.

Of course there are other reports that another long-time college coach currently without a job might be in line for the gig.

I mean, he is familiar with Milwaukee.