Who do you want the next head coach to be??? I would like Mark Jackson, but I know that would never happen.
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Who do you want the next head coach to be??? I would like Mark Jackson, but I know that would never happen.
I'm willing to give a newcomer a chance. Someone who has never coached before like Jerry Stackhouse, Becky Hammon, that assistant from Minnesota, Kevin Ollie. Someone like that.
I've championed the call for Becky Hammon for long enough, I'm not going to jump off the train now.
I don't know a great deal about Becky Hammon but do we want that microscope of having the first female HC in the NBA ? Do we want a 1st time HC at any level? ( yeah i know she HC'd summer league ) We have and will have a young team , 1st female NBA HC AND 1st time HC. She may turn out to be a really good HC but it's rolling the dice
It is rolling the dice, but I think it's a risk worth taking. She has plenty of experience in the world of basketball, firstly as a player, and for someone without previous HC experience it's hard to get a better pedigree than coming from the Spurs organisation. We will have a young team with all of those things, but that's partially a pro imo. Hammon has shown (via Spurs summer league, as you mentioned) that she's able to connect with and motivate young players at least to some success.
It is a risk, sure, but I think any coach you hire in our current situation is a risk. All the sure-fire good coaches like Budenholzer, Snyder, Pop, etc, already have jobs and they're really not likely to leave them. Any coach you hire is one that's either a risk, or has been squeezed out for some reason or another (these are the Mark Jacksons of the world) and in that scenario I think it's worth taking the risk on someone new.
As for the pressure of hiring the first female HC, that is a valid point. Not in terms of on-court product, since I take Pau Gasol's word for it when he says that Hammon can coach at an NBA level, but there's going to be a lot of people who look at us through a lense of sexism where they hold Hammon to a higher standard than other coaches. I get that. But I also think that this same microscope can be a boon: this organisation should be a forward thinking one. Of course we need to make sure the people are qualified, but insofar as those requirements are met, it is a good thing to open the doors and diversify. For every person that dismisses us for hiring a female HC, there will be another who appreciates that as a positive, and we should embrace that mentality imo.
At the same time, it's not a total shock either: a lot of people have been saying Hammon should get a HC position for a couple of years. For some, it will be less ''oh, so the Pelicans hired a female HC?'' and more ''finally, someone hired Hammon for a HC position! Nice.''
There are two separate questions
1. Does Hammon deserve a chance to be a Head Coach?
2. Is she the best possible candidate of every single person who is available for this specific team at this specific time?
The answer to question 1 is definitely yes. The answer to question 2 might be yes but is most likely no.
You are committing to this person for the next 3-5 years and it's not like you can just swap them out like you can with players if it's not the ideal person.
She has a solid resume, but if she is a man with the same coaching resume, nobody here advocates for that person. Especially as an assistant for a team coming off a 35 win season. No way she is stop your guys list with that resume.
Personally, I am pretty convinced the next coach will be Ty Lue but I think Griffin will interview a lot of people and maybe somebody wows him. But I dont think it would be Hammon
What about Juwan Howard? He’s been an assistant on a consistently winning team.
I know he is finally coaching his alma mater, but would he pass up a chance to be an NBA head coach? I’m just thinking of people that can relate to the players and bring a toughness to the team.
There are plenty if people who could be the person. More than we can even think of here. Heck, Nick Nurse was a nobody 3 years ago.
But only one person can get the job and that doesn't say anything negative about all the other candidates. But when it comes time to actually pick one over all the others, I would bet that Griffin chooses someone with HC experience. I think Lue is the overwhelming favorite but yes, many people have a solid argument to be considered
This is lazy. By this same argument, Griffin didn't deserve the job because Lebron was the GM too
Coaches win with talent. And sometimes a coach can't handle top tier talent. Several coaches didn't win titles with MJ, Shaq, Lebron, etc
You can't disqualify a coach when he wins with elite talent. And then also blame him if they lose with elite talent.
What I have seen for years is that fans dont truly understand what 80 percent of the coaches job is. They thi I it is just drawing up plays and schemes and rotations. But that's a very very small part of their actual job
Nurse goes to the Knicks and he is already fired and won't be getting another job any time soon.
Nurse is both a product of the Raps tremendous culture and a great fit for their culture.
Its forgotten now but he made a lot of dunce decisions in round 2 and 3. He was getting killed on twitter in that Sixers series. If Kawhi has his shot roll out and or the Sixers make another shot or two in that 4the quarter, Nurse is not thought of that highly.
I have seen Spoelstra called both a genius and a hack who only wins with stars. Vogel was a top tier coach, then a loser, now good again. Dantoni was agood, then terrible, then a COY again.
It's a long way of saying that only 2-4 coaches are objectively great and will succeed regardless. The majority are purely reliant on the organization around them, the players, and other variables outside of their control
This would be like having a strong opinion about a movie you haven't seen. You have no clue what Lue did or didn't do in his job. No clue what his Xs and Os are. Or how they have grown/are growing
This is problem number 1 with the internet. People feel the need to have a strong take on something they dont know about. Just say "I dont know"....its okay to say that, it won't make you irrelevant. It's actually the bravest thing you can say
You just did exactly what you are telling me not to do. How do you know who I am or what I do? I’m stating opinions and you are acting like you know me. Do you know the game of basketball more than me? Or do you just write about it and expect people to believe what you are saying? I respect your opinion, but you are talking to me like I don’t know what I am watching. I know what a coach does behind the scenes. I promise.
Is it always this hard to have a basketball conversation with Mac without him acting like he is the smartest basketball mind on the planet?
I am saying you dont know Lue. Prove me wrong and tell me about all his offensive philosophies and what he would do with a roster of X vs a roster of Y. What has he learned since stepping away? What has he added since going to LA?
Neither you nor I know the answers to those questions. But what I wont do is pretend to know and give the lazy, common analysis of Lue that he was just a Lebron puppet and therefore cant/wont be a good coach without him.
The truth is there is no coach that is available that will definitely be a success. They all have pros and cons. They will all grow and learn if given the chance and the right organizational culture.
The mature fan understands things like this. The standard fan has strong opinions one way or the other about this candidate or that one, despite not knowing 80% of what actually matters when it comes to what will predict future success. Thibs was a lock to succeed because of his prior track record when he went to Minnesota. Meanwhile, D'Antoni was thought of as an awful hire when he went to Houston because of his last two stops. The game had passed him by.
IMO, fans and writers should never have a strong opinion about coaching candidates. Nobody, myself included, has access to the information required to have a strong opinion on candidates.
Though I do agree with a lot of what you are saying, the Hammon biasness I guess you can call it for me doesn’t come from being a woman. It’s strictly the fact that she’s sitting next to Pop and her temperament.
Let’s say she was an assistant on the Portland TrailBlazers. My confidence in her as a choice would drop considerably. The Spurs record this season, I don’t mind. To me Pop is in stealth rebuilding mode and in my opinion his team is performing as they should if you cancel out this magic dust theory everyone thinks Pop has under his desk to sprinkle on his team’s to slot themselves into the playoffs every year.
But I agree. Based on familiarity and Griffin being in a position where his rear becomes severely on the line, he may dance with the coach that he knows...again.
Maybe he should trust Langdon‘s opinion on it. I’ve learned that he’s a pretty good eye for talent myself.
I don't even think that's the case this year. Doesn't seem like stealth rebuilding, imo. I think Pop just doesn't seem particularly interested in basketball anymore. He has been on record before saying that he doesn't like the dominance of the 3pt shot and the way it has changed the league, and he was saying that 2, 3 years ago: it's only gotten more dramatic since then. I think he has aesthetic and stylistic issues with the most effective playstyles of the modern era: it doesn't help that his two most well-known players are LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar Derozan, two guys who have built their careers off of long mid-range shots, and who have given Pop a reason to continue using that style.
Combine that with the sub-par roster that's finally lost its sheen as Aldridge advances in age, Derozan takes another step back, and nobody is there to fill the gap, and I think it's not a stealth rebuild at all. The Spurs just aren't very good right now.
That said, I do agree that the Spurs losing right now doesn't make me averse to Hammon. Hell, Pop was an assistant coach for the 34 win Warriors two seasons before taking over as Spurs HC, and he had also never been a HC before, and then he got the HC job for the Spurs and we all know how that worked out. Not saying that Hammon would be as successful as Pop, that would be presumptuous beyond belief, but it is to say that someone being an AC on a team that has a bad record one year says nothing about their HC potential.
The biggest argument against Lue is I think he is hard to sell to fans. The reason it was said Griffin kept Gentry was because he "knew" Gentry and how to get the best out of him. You can't turn around and then have Griffin hire Lue using that same reasoning. Not after it has failed so horribly with Gentry.
For the fan base to be excited and supportive I don't think you can do that again. Lue might be a great coach, the problem is he is perceived as a stan for Lebron on that team. I mean his claim to fame is taking over on a team that had just fired their head coach after Blatt had them at 30-11.
So while Lue might be a fine candidate, taking into account not just his fit with the team but also the fit with the fan base and the perception of what the organization is trying to achieve, is he the best option? I don't think so.
What this team needs isn't a retread coach or someone who already has ties with Griffin but a fresh face that they can get excited behind.
I would never, ever go into any decision with the goal being to excite the fan base short term. I have seen that fail far more times than it has succeeded in sports.
Again, Nick Nurse did not excite their base. Kerr was an ex GM with no head coaching track record. Miami went from big name Riley and a Van Gundy brother to some video coordinator. I am sure no fan popped champagne that day.
Wouldn't even be a .0001 percent consideration in my mind. Besides, Zion will be the one exciting fans about next year, not some coach unless it was like Coach K or some unrealistic person
Also, I hate how retreads are always lumped together like they are universally bad.
Look at many of the top records in the league - Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Bucks, Rockets ..... are they coached by fresh faced, exciting up and coming assistants or "retreads"?
People will give players infinite chances, understand that he will grow and learn over time, and improve under better situations
But if a coach isn't absolutely perfect in his first stop, he is a retread and not as good as the up and coming unknown (who, in reality, is likely to be a retread in a few years because everyone gets fired in this business)
Who's lumping Lue into any group? I leave the possibility that he's a good coach. I don't know, no one does. Nick Nurse was a fresh face so he was someone the fans could get behind.
As I pointed out and you seem to have ignored, Lue is a retread because of his history with Griffin. How can you sell the fan base on him after you just spent all summer selling the fans on Gentry using the same arguments? You can say exciting the fan base isn't important but when they are trying to win back goodwill after this debacle of a season you can bet they will want some excitement. Griffin is on record saying this franchise cannot survive a Philly style rebuild. Whether you agree that it should be a factor is irrelevant. It will be.
To use the exact same argument you used for Becky. Do you think taking everything into consideration that Lue is the absolute best coach for this team?
Adrian Griffin would be a good candidate. He’s got a good resume. I want a guy who knows how to develop players and who has worked with the best of the best in the league.
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Another name that should be considered!
Jamahl Mosley assistant for Dallas Mavericks. Carlisle right hand man. Knows young talent real well.
https://www.mavs.com/team/coaches/jamahl-mosley/
Quote:
assistant coach with Dallas. Before the 2018-19 season, Mosley became the club’s defensive coordinator, in charge of planning the defense’s strategy for every game. For the past three summers, he was also the head coach on the Mavericks Summer League team that competed in Las Vegas, and in 2017 he led the club to a tournament semifinals appearance. Mosley also served as an assistant coach at the USA Basketball minicamp in the summer of 2018, where he assisted Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich.
Prior to joining the Mavericks, Mosley spent four seasons as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2010-14. Before joining the Cavaliers in July 2010, Mosley spent five seasons with the Nuggets, the last three seasons as an assistant coach/player development. In that role, he assisted with developing the skills and fundamentals of Nuggets players. In his three seasons as an assistant coach, the Nuggets reached the playoffs each year, winning 50 games or more and reaching the playoffs each season, including winning the Northwest division twice and making a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2009. Before joining the Denver bench, he spent two seasons with the Nuggets working in player development and advance scouting.
Gentry is more than replaceable just so y’all know. Y’all know... he’s made a lot of boneheaded decisions. His philosophy and style doesn’t work. Pace is not a big predictor in winning. Taking and making good shots, limiting turnovers, getting offensive rebounds, playing defense, and getting to FT line are the issues that need to be addressed. Also, faster pace might lead to more injuries. I want a team that can go fast but is effective no matter what is happening.
The team needs to make some solid moves and keep developing players. I think a healthy Zion will change everything. Anyone disagree? Still believe his weight is the biggest concern despite what many of you have said. He probably will get down to 265.
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No. I have acknowledged I should not have an opinion because it would be ill informed.
My issue is with people who have a strong opinion, based on having access to at most 10 percent of what is relevant to make that decision.
I have issue with people eliminating retreads or eliminating women or eliminating foreign coaches because of X or Y guys lack of success.
The one true thing is that no fan or writer should have a strong opinion because we are all grossly under informed
Alvin is my uncle and I still want him fired. We ate at Emerils not to long ago and I asked him nicely if he would step down. He explained to me how taking a couple shots of Hennessy has really helped him cope with the complete lack of knowledge the fans have for the game. I asked him if his system was hard and he explained that if he had five all stars they would win games. He said it’s really hard to understand why anybody thinks he should be fired. That’s when I knew I had no idea what it’s like to be an NBA head coach.
Ok first i say this with no thought of sexism only reality , knowing full well that sometimes reality and what should be can be 2 different things. How many if any female HC's of male basketball teams are there? Will a young freshly turned pro team of males respond to a female with almost no HC'ing experience and only 5yrs of coaching experience? How will a probably mostly male coaching staff with more coaching experience react to her? It would be great to blaze new roads with a female HC . And if Hammon had a few yrs as a HC ANY level and had did well that i could buy, but the next Pels HC needs not to have so many if's and question marks
How many just, at all? In the world? No idea. Obviously in the NBA, the answer is none.
Yes, I believe that a team (particularly a team made up of largely younger players) of men can respond fine to being coached/instructed by a woman. Hammon has had plenty of positive results/feedback working with males players before; she won Summer League coaching an (obviously) all male team who responded very well to her, and Pau Gasol is on record extolling her virtues at length. I don't think that's an issue. An NBA basketball team is a group of professionals showing up to work, not a bunch of 12 year olds squabbling over video game voice chat. Some more evidence for this is how well the team has responded to people like T Spoon being on the coaching/development staff already.
You cannot name a single HC candidate with no ifs and question marks. It's impossible.
Tyronn Lue has question marks. JVG and Mark Jackson have exclamation points to go with their question marks. Jerry Stackhouse has never coached an NBA team before: those are the same question marks Hammon has.
In fact the only option which has zero question marks and ifs associated with it is to just retain Gentry, because at least we know 100% what we're getting with him and this team in combination. You have to take risks. That doesn't necessarily mean Hammon, although she is my preferred candidate from the publicly available info (obviously who knows what's going on behind the scenes), but you can't just play it safe and hope things will work out.
Fortune favours the bold.
Your EXACT quote was, "What this team needs is not another retread coach...."
You do this a lot I have noticed. Say something, then somebody argues against it and you say, 'hey, hey, hey, i never said that!'
It's right above us for you to go and see for yourself. I then said that i hate the way people lump retreads into one big category and dismiss them all as one.
Which is exactly what you did in that sentence. It's really odd how I have seen this exact thing happen to you several times. It's like you instantly forget what you write and then you get mad at people for pointing it out.
All my points remain. I contend that I am ill informed, as is everyone else. It would be fine to talk about what we would like the process to look like, what questions we hope Griffin asks or qualities he looks for, etc. But for anybody to have a strong opinion on who would be good or not good as the next head coach, makes no sense to me because of the lack of info available
Instead of ...... , why didnt you type his entire quote? The entire quote could imply that Lue is in the "someone without ties to Griff" category. Whether the Venn Diagram is connected or not, I have no idea what Mythrol train of thought is, but cutting the quote changes the scope of his thought choices.
In the world ? Not that broad. How about in college , at any level? A veteran NBA is a group of professionals. our core now and in the near future is 19-24 inexperienced young players that are learning how to be professional. How will they respond to a female 1st time HC with only a few yrs as an Ast coach that's in uncharted territory with a lot of pressure being the 1st female NBA HC. Of course there are no coaching candidates that don't have ? and if's . LOL if there were they wouldn't be out of a job !!!Griffin's job is to find someone with as little of those if's and ?'s maybe not take on some he'd have with no other candidate.Hammon may one day be a very good NBA HC and if she had ANY real HC'ing experience at any college level even if it was mediocre I'd be more open to the idea of her as HC . but she does not even have HC experience coaching women. This coaching choice is too important to just roll the dice.I'd like to see Hammon be given a G league team to run , even choosing her own staff and then revisit her as an NBA HC