Spurs have painfully obvious answer to fill vacancy on Mitch Johnson's staff

With Mitch Johnson officially becoming the next head coach of your San Antonio Spurs, there would appear to be an easy choice for the next assistant on Johnson's staff — Mike Budenholzer.

Look, I get it. Not everyone is thrilled with Johnson's hiring. In fact, I would say most Spurs fans are flat-out opposed to it. A large portion of the fanbase really desired someone with a plethora of head coaching experience. It's understandable, especially given where this franchise has been in years past compared to now.

But there's no turning back now. Mitch will be the captain of this ship, so now the next order of business is to put qualified people alongside him and in his corner that will make life easier for him. Budenholzer falls directly into this category.

Not to mention the elephant in the room: The fact that Budenholzer was an assistant on Gregg Popovich's coaching staff in San Antonio for 17 years, from 1996 until 2013. He is someone who knows the organization inside and out, and who is trusted by everyone. He would be a great fit on this staff for that reason alone.

Budenholzer would fit perfectly on Johnson's staff

But then there's his qualifications as a head coach as well. Coach Bud has been leading a coaching staff in this league since 2013 when he initially left the Spurs. He headed up the Atlanta Hawks from 2013 to 2018, the Milwaukee Bucks from 2018 to 2023 (won the 2021 NBA championship), and the Phoenix Suns this past season until his dismissal on April 14.

For those who wanted a head coach who knows the Spurs' way of doing things and has been in the locker room for championships in San Antonio, you could not ask for a better man for the job of assistant on this staff than Mike Budenholzer. He's seen and done more than most coaches in the association, and he'd be a fantastic fit in the Alamo City.

Of course, that leads some to wonder something else: Is there a world in which Budenholzer joins Mitch Johnson's staff, but then ends up taking over as head coach somewhere down the line? Maybe, but I don't think it's something you'd want to be thinking too hard about right now.

The season that just finished up in Phoenix wasn't exactly one you'd want to go bragging about if you were part of it in just about any capacity. But with that said, it could be the perfect opportunity for Coach Bud to jump back in to being an assistant if he so desires, and to do it in a place he knows very well.