This is where we're going to disagree endlessly, so it's not worth arguing beyond this point.
ANY hiring is a roll of the dice. There is no surefire choice. Nobody, at all.
If you're arguing that you can't hire Hammon because she has no HC experience, fine, that's a fair criticism. But it's also a criticism that can be put to tons of candidates. Fletch also listed David Vanterpool in his tweet: how many years of HC experience does Vanterpool have at any level? The answer is absolutely none. So if the criticism of Hammon is that she has no HC experience and that rules her out, fine, but apply that criteria evenly. If it rules out Hammon, it rules out Vanterpool.
I'm not even going to continue to address the idea that her being a woman somehow means players won't respond well to her. She's coached NBA players in Summer League and they respected her. The idea that somehow because these players are young and inexperienced they're suddenly incapable of listening to a woman is insulting to the players as much as it is to Hammon.
Pau Gasol would know better than any of us:
Quote:
So all I can tell you is that from a decade and a half of personal experience … this line of thinking — like I said, it’s all just very ridiculous. In terms of the locker room, and in terms of behind the scenes, there really is no practical difference in this league between having a male or a female head coach.