Monty Williams, New Orleans Hornets
BACKGROUND OF HIRE: Too many injuries and not enough money have hurt the Hornets. Two years ago, a succession of injuries to center Tyson Chandler deprived New Orleans of its rim protector and alley-oop option in a big three with Paul and David West. After Chandler was dealt to Charlotte in a payroll-crippling trade for Emeka Okafor, Paul's injuries kept him on the bench for much of last year, a season in which general manager Jeff Bower also took over for Scott as coach early in the season. Before Bower's departure, he made an unsuccessful run at luring Thibodeau to replace him as coach, then tapped Williams, another well-regarded assistant coach, from the Trail Blazers.
LENGTH OF CONTRACT: Three years.
JOB PRIORITIES: Keeping Paul happy and healthy, at least until his contract expires in two or three years (he has an option to terminate before the 2012-13 season). Watching his buddies from the 2008 Olympic team congregate in Miami while his Hornets fixated on a potential ownership change and avoiding the luxury tax provoked wanderlust in Paul this offseason. New general manager Dell Demps went all-in on retaining Paul by trading his promising backup, Darren Collison, to obtain Trevor Ariza, who, paired with Paul, creates the best ball-hawking backcourt in the NBA. Now it is up to Williams to surround Paul with the right schemes and personnel to foster wins and loyalty from the face, heart and soul of the franchise.
FORTES AND FLAWS: Williams, 38, the youngest coach in the league, worked for the past five years under Nate McMillan in Portland, where he was credited with assisting the development of young forwards Nicolas Batum, Martell Webster and Outlaw. Williams announced that he would focus on improving team defense -- an appropriate priority, given that the Hornets fell to 21st in defensive efficiency last year after ranking in the top 10 the previous three seasons.
PLAUSIBLE GOAL FOR 2010-11 Fifty wins. A healthy Paul working with dynamic swingmen such as Ariza (on defense) and Marcus Thornton (on offense) can be an elite backcourt. Williams has to conjure ways to stop the slow slippage in power forward David West's game and maximize the limited skill sets of Okafor and backup center Aaron Gray. Ariza needs to return to the defensive role he was known for with the Lakers and fix the horrible shot selection he had in Houston. But above all, the team needs a vintage season from Paul.
THE RIGHT HIRE? Good question. Williams has a short résumé. But being able to engender the trust and support of Paul would cover a multitude of sins. Without Paul's embrace, the coach's tenure in the Crescent City is likely to be brief.
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Originally Posted by Liltiger
) about what he can actually do considering who he works for.
