Bucks HC Rumors: Rick Pitino, Jeff Van Gundy Linked After Jason Kidd's Firing

The Milwaukee Bucks are apparently casting a wide net in the search for a permanent head coach after firing Jason Kidd on Monday.

Forbes' Mitch Lawrence reported Tuesday former head coaches Jeff Van Gundy and Rick Pitino, as well as two-time All-Star and Raptors 905 coach Jerry Stackhouse could all be included in Milwaukee's search.

Van Gundy is 430-318 in 11 seasons as an NBA head coach and led his teams to the playoffs in all but two of his years on the sideline. Even though Van Gundy hasn't coached in the NBA since 2007, his past success could be an easy selling point for fans.

Stackhouse, meanwhile, would immediately command respect from the Bucks roster due to his 18 years in the league as a player. And unlike Kidd, Stackhouse will have worked his way up the coaching ladder.

The 43-year-old was an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors in 2015-16 before becoming the head coach for their G League affiliate. Under Stackhouse's watch, Raptors 905 won the championship in 2017, and he earned the league's Coach of the Year award.

Kidd, by comparison, became the Brooklyn Nets' head coach shortly after he retired in 2003, and the Nets went 44-38 before he moved to Milwaukee.

Pitino is the real head-scratcher among the names Lawrence mentioned. The 65-year-old is out of a job after the Louisville Cardinals dismissed him in the wake of an FBI investigation into college basketball recruiting practices.

The Bucks might have a hard time getting the fanbase on board with a coach who won 41.1 percent of his games in three-and-a-half seasons with the Boston Celtics.

Regardless of Milwaukee's selection, a final decision is unlikely to arrive anytime soon. General manager Jon Horst told Fox Sports Wisconsin interim head coach Joe Prunty will finish out the regular season.