Breaking news section at the top edit: Now it's a link http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/05/31/pacers.coach/index.html
I think I've come to the conclusion that this year's coaching class blows. Iavaroni was the hotshot assistant that everyone wanted and Adelman was the big name proven coach. After that, the rest was unproven or garbage. Case in point - a washed up loser like Jim O'Brien.
This is a stunner. SVG turned down the Pacers' job for too little money. How much will the Pacers offer O'Brien then? 3.5 mil per I guess.
I assume a flood of trades are coming then because Indiana is about 12 3-point shooters away from fielding an O'Brien team.
this is a sure fire sign of an implosion. if they were serious about winning, they would'nt have gone for a washed up old name like o'brien.
BC JVG doesn't wana coach. That's why. Otherwise he'd easily be the hottest candidate out there. He's gona take 10 years off because of his kids.
This kid thing is overrated. Most of them are use as a better excuse. SVG said it was family thing but everyone know it's not. Now, 1.5 seasons later, he's actively looking for a coaching job. Similiar story when JVG quitted the Knicks. After 1 or 2 seasons, JVG will sure be waiting for calls from another teams.
With this hire, I've burned my Pacer passport. I won't give a care what happens with the Pacers next season. This is a major blow to the gut.
stan didnt leave voluntarily. im sure it was a "will you resign so we dont have to fire you and look bad?" deal - not that i was a big pat riley fan to begin with, but the way he treated svg after quitting right before the season started when he thought the team was going to blow than deciding he wanted to coach again when the team looked good was pretty weak. and hadnt jvg just lost his best friend in the wtc attacks? as for the pacers, bird should have pulled an isaiah thomas and came back to coach.
Bird would definitely be an upgrade over anyone out there, but iirc he had heart problems which is why he moved away from coaching in the first place.
They are DaDakota- when you are such a winner- teams covertly try to hire you. I'm sure he had dozens of offers while coach of the Rockets......Like a schoolgirl in heat - he had many suitors..... They are quietly beating down his door Meahwhile he is giving motivational seminars when not on TNT entertaining us-many many talents
Looks like winning isn't in the Pacers organization's calendar. I think they went a little too soon on hiring a coach. There are better out there.
Not a real inspiring choice, but... He is a decent coach. His teams in Boston a Philly played way better for him than they did for the coaches both before and after him. His top assistant is a defensive geru named Dick Harter who coached the defense when Bird was head coach. He had schemes that allowed pretty marginal defenders like Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, and Rik Smits to actually be no worse than average on defense and go to the finals. Dick Harter coming makes it intriguing since we need somebody to help cover up for the defensive deficiencies of Tinsley, Dunleavy, Murphy and others. The only thing I dislike about O'Brien is his green light approach to launching 3-pointers.
What about the way he alienated most of the Sixers roster? It wasn't just Webber. If JO is gone and rebuilding is on the agenda, why not hire a younger coach who could grow with the team instead of a retread who will be fired in 2-3 years?
I don't think JO is gone just yet. Vecsey reported this and apparently his sources were not within the Pacers organization but on the Lakers side. He usually has good Pacers news but lately he has been way off. Less than a week ago he assured us the Pacers head coach would be either Boylan, Keith Smart, or Tony Brown. Not a MENTION of Obie. One of the things holding the Pacers back is Carlisle's insistence on calling all the plays and only playing half-court slog-ball. That is over now. As to O'Brien in Philly, He got the team in Philly to overachieve an a Philly friend of mine says he was fired because he butted heads with GM Billy King, mostly about Dalembert & Webber. Webber whined and moaned about his role as second fiddle to Iverson. He took over a team and they improved by 10 games in one year. They were competitive against a very good Pistons team in the playoffs, he was fired, and then Mo Cheeks took over the exact same starting 5 and the team went in the tank. Reports are Iverson loved playing for him, he gives his stars freedom to freelance as long as they play hard for him. If the Pacers keep JO he will probably have a monster year. Another nice thing: He isn't afraid to go with young guys. The 1st thing he did in Philly in training camp was send Glenn Robinson home and insert Iguodala into the starting lineup even though he was only a rookie. He isn't an elite coach but he is decent. His main assistant is an elite defensive coach.
You make good points about O'Brien -- except here. Pitino-esque tempo control is what O'Brien does best, and it's connected with his emphasis on three pointers: he wants everyone on the perimeter so they can get back on D and prevent fast breaks. I think he was quoted as saying that he'd be fine if all his players took quick threes on every possession if it helped them on D. As for his defensive system ... well, it's good in that he makes his bigs front their matchup on every possession, daring the opposing team to take shots. The bad flipside to this is that his teams get outrebounded every single game. His system is great against coaches who don't know what he's doing. But horrible when that's not true -- hence his coaching tenures are governed by the law of diminishing returns. He's a swell guy and might be good for rebuilding teams, but he's a college coach at heart.
