Right there with you. People walk on eggshells with players lately in a lot of sports and typically the best players in history in any sport don't mind being worked hard. Jabari and Sengun will take to that just fine. Jalen might not and if he doesn't then let him walk. KPj same thing obviously. As far as the draft is concerned, you shouldn't ever question players work ethics. Jarace Walker is one that we know will work hard. Miller doesn't strike me as that. I don't know enough about Wemby but he seems to want to be great. Scoot as well. Can't overstate it enough. If Atkinson's style drives them off then good riddance.
Hopefully the Raptors lose their play-in game tonight so we can interview Nick Nurse soon as well…don’t want to see this process dragged out
Disagree on Jalen obviously (there was a report two days ago that he wanted more coaching structure), but otherwise yes. I don't want to drive off star players. I want to drive off star players that are coming here to relax or do things that a winning coach won't allow. The stars who win tend to be the ones who don't mind it. Will it drive away the Bradley Beals of the world? Of course, but players like that are not title calibre tier 1 stars.
This group of players need this type of coach. Silas was not the right fit to mold them. A reincarnation of JVG in Atkinson is what they need to mature them fast into bonafide NBA players.
I've been beating the drum for Kenny A from the start, so this is welcomed news for me. New Jersey has been a cluster f_ck for some time now. He took a bunch of lemons and made lemonade when he was there. When superstars run teams the NJ mess is what you get. He's spent two years with Kerr and won a ring. If there is anything Kenny has learned in GS its dealing with vet personalities, like Dray in the example during the radio interview. He's no dummy and I believe turning down the job last year was as much about right team as it was about family. Listening to him, he's willing to grow and learn new things to be a better coach, I'm sure he's better prepared for his next job. He has a link to HOU and I'm sure his old mentor Jeff Van Gundy is talking to him about the opportunity. We need a coach that can bring tough love to these young men and help build them as players and people. The best coaches don't just teach Xs and Os, they CARE about their players and helping them with things bigger than the game. Kenny seems to be that kind of coach.
Hey guys here's the thing, we have potential but this is a last place team. I really don't care if it's a players coach or other styles, progress, becoming a playoff team and getting measurable results next season are all that matter imo. On a last place team any player or coach can be moved if not helping progress. There is no MVP player or star yet. If Kenny learned in GS that's great, but there are no all stars on this team yet. Some have asked for structure, fairness and these young guys need to show and prove with wins. Kenny has taken a team from horrible to competitive so if we can't get someone better I'm good with him.
One of the things these "college-style coaches don't work in the NBA" posters are missing is that we essentially have a team full of guys fresh out of college (or developmental leagues). I think it's the perfect style for our group, and if they come up as players under that style they're not going to mind it if/when any of them develop into stars. Which is a good thing. We don't need divas. My overall perspective is: Let's develop a homegrown contender and let stars come to us when we get good. If they want to play here they can buy into our system, not the other way around.
Any team that has had any success had a star player that was essentially a workaholic. They are obsessive and they *hate* you slacking off. Cristiano Ronaldo was that type of guy at Real when he was there. Famous story of a new signing coming in super early to make a good impression only to find Ronaldo had already been there for an hour. Steph's training regimen is legendary at this point and most players couldnt go through the kind of conditioning drills he does on a normal basis. That's why I'm out on both Luka/Trae. I wouldn't want either on this team. They're both losers that would rather be playing Overwatch than training. Why did the Suns suddenly get better when CP3 got there? Why did the Rockets get 65 wins when he got here? That's why Jabari is ultimately going to be the most important player on the team. Because he is that guy. Jalen could be Steph/Klay to Jabari's Draymond. A lot is hanging on how Jalen is going to react to the new coach. @Nook mentioned before how KPj/Jalen were already known for coming in late. That's not good. If Jalen wants to go paint his nails in Milan in the offseason for fashion week instead of improving his game then trade him. Those players get you to conference finals but they don't win you rings. I'm at that point. If he's unserious then so be it. I already know KPj is. It won't take him long to wear out his presence with the new coach. Jalen is the wild card to me. In terms of mental "fit" with a coach like Atkinson, I only see Jabari, Sengun and Tate as 100% certain will deal with it. Alpy already proved it by dealing with Silas.
I'm convinced that Atkinson has been exposed by this thread. Good thing it took a few posts rather than 3 seasons. One fraud down, bring on the next fraud.
I think superstars are becoming more emo. Now you have Luka and likely Trae having slumps because their private life has not been peachy or they have problems with their teammates.
Good question, upon checking, it was likely the opportunity with GSW and the financial and family restrictions he would have had at Charlotte. "So what factored into the decision? It had to do with family and, reportedly, the salaries for assistants Atkinson planned on bringing with him to Charlotte played a part as well. Plus, the opportunity to chase another title with Golden State certainly couldn’t have hurt. It was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday that Atkinson backed away from his agreed-in-principle four-year deal to coach the Hornets. As he prepared to join the team for the NBA draft this week, he and the team were unable to come to financial agreements for his new assistants, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported on Tuesday, citing sources. The Hornets reportedly are intent on keeping a large portion of former head coach James Borrego’s staff, Fischer added, as many have one full season of guaranteed money remaining on their contracts. In addition to becoming Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s right-hand man with Mike Brown departing for the Kings, Atkinson won’t have to move his family to an entirely new zip code for the third season in a row." Why Atkinson pulled out of Hornets job to stay with Warriors
I’m sure he would be asked questions on his vision and plans on how to work with stars and vets considering his messy exit in Brooklyn where he didn’t resonate in the locker room or with the two big stars there according to reporting. It’s interesting to me that he decided to work for the Warriors perhaps trying to soak up the winning culture there and learn Kerr’s player relation acumen with the multiple stars and personalities there. Perhaps he has reinvented himself into a better 2.0 version that can build a culture and identity with the young core but also find a way to build and cultivate relationships with vets and stars and listen and get their buy in.
I believe in an adaptive style of leadership, which morphs to the needs of the particular group or organization you're leading. Great leaders are able to figure out what's required to achieve success. Its not easy, but it can be learned. Kenny seems capable of learning from his mistakes and adjusting his style to what our team needs. He's also got the championship pedigree to understand what it takes and apparently the work ethic to ensure he and the team is prepared. In the videos I watched, his players seemed to have a genuine appreciation for him and his coaching style. Obviously something didn’t work out, but KD and Kyrie also got Nash fired and Harden to bail, before leaving themselves. What a mess.
