Chris Ford says he has no trepidation about working for general manager Mike Dunleavy, the man he's replacing as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I think Mike and I have a great relationship," Ford said Saturday after becoming the sixth coach in the Bucks' 28-year history."We competed against each other as players and coaches, and we've had some conversations during the last couple of weeks and I think it will be a great working relationship. I look forward to working with Mike."
Dunleavy, who was stripped of his coaching duties April 27 after going 107-221 in four seasons, was in Texas and didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Ford's hiring. The team scheduled a news conference for Monday afternoon.
When he was fired as coach, Dunleavy acknowledged it would be difficult to watch the new coach inherit a firm foundation he spent four years creating.
Ford, 47, received a three-year contract, with the club retaining an option for two more years.
Ford's hiring filled the final vacancy in the NBA coaching ranks.
While the Bucks satisfied their owner's pledge to take their time while searching for a man with lots of NBA coaching experience, six other teams hired coaches.
Toronto (Darrell Walker), Dallas (Jim Cleamons), Philadelphia (Johnny Davis), Charlotte (Dave Cowens) and New Jersey (John Calipari) hired new coaches while the New York Knicks retained interim coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Cleamons interviewed with the Bucks before the Mavericks hired him, and former Toronto Raptors coach Brendan Malone was a finalist for the Bucks job.
"We interviewed several quality candidates, and I'm very pleased to name Chris Ford as our coach," said U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, owner of the Bucks. "He brings many qualities to our team that will make a difference. He has proved himself at the NBA level, and has earned three championship rings over the course of his career.
"We believe that his abilities will bring positive results, and are very excited to have him leading our team into next season."