Atlanta Hawks head coach Larry Drew, whose contract expires June 30, will interview with the Milwaukee Bucks about their head coaching vacancy according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hawks have not conclusively ruled out bringing Drew back and he remains open to returning, but in the interim the team has given him permission to explore other opportunities.
Drew was an assistant with the Hawks for 6 years before replacing Mike Woodson following the 2009-2010 season. In three years as head coach in Atlanta, Drew has compiled a 128-102 regular-season record and has gone 10-14 in the postseason, losing in the first round each of the past two seasons.
Connections will naturally be made between the Bucks, Drew, and Hawks forward Josh Smith, whom the Bucks actively pursued prior to the 2013 NBA trade deadline. Make of them what you will. The Bucks' slow, careful search thus far suggests they are judging each candidate on his own merits, which is refreshing. Still, that's also partially driven by the cold shoulders they've received from their reported top two choices, Stan Van Gundy and Jerry Sloan. Drew doesn't boast an overwhelming resume of success, but he's got some experience and comes from a "winning" team, having led a mid-tier Atlanta team to the playoffs in each of his three seasons with the Hawks.