Well, this gives us all something to look foreword to. Ric Bucher on Sportscenter just said that the Rockets internally are pushing for Dunleavy. Is this the guy you want to lead the Rockets over the next 4-5 years? I hope the Rockets don't pick Dunleavy. If there is no JVG, just pick some no-name guy and hope for the best rather than pick some middle of the run coach.
Hmmm.. Washington fired Collins to get Brown Detroit wants Brown Clippers want Brown Rockets want Brown Philly wanted Brown to stay And who wants Mike Dunleavy? ........................ Considering 1/2 the teams in the NBA are looking for a head coach and the only one he's being considered (other than us) is Atlanta and that's only because he's good friends with the soon to be new owner. Yes, the NBA must be completely clueless as no one's beating down his door.
Nice response. Yeah, you've gotta go back quite a ways to find a Championship coach fired even once, let alone 2 or 3 times. Not to say that that's conclusive, but Mike Dunleavy is not the coach I envision winning us rings. He won't take much away from our team, he's not a negative. But what team has he ever had that performed above it's talent level? I repeat, at this stage I would go like gangbusters for Carlisle, see if Rivers can be pried away...hell, I'd see if Old Man Riley can be had. I'd hire JVG, I suppose, but I wouldn't be doing cartwheels...I'd rather go for an unproven guy with potential over Mike "Melba Toast" Dunleavy. Again, he knows the game, is apparently a very nice man, and I suppose it's good that he really wants to coach here...but, really, who in his position wouldn't? What coach who's been sitting on the shelf for as long as he has, has failed in every coaching opportunity he's had, and was considered for a position managing two young All Stars and other young talent, wouldn't be very happy? It's a nice after-school special, but it doesn't make me want to hire him.
I am basing my term 'failure' on his employer's conclusion that the team had performed below their talent level, and as such decided to terminate his services. Agreed that we could argue till Doomsday about whether a particular group of individuals could have gotten much further with other coaches, etc., but I repeat that he certainly didn't raise their level of play, and I trust that those who fired him probably felt the same way.
Some notes from the Dunleavy years in portland: 2nd year: Team won 35 games (strike shortened season) Leading scorer only 13.9 pts/game (Rider) One of the top defensive and rebounding teams in the league. Finishes with the 3rd best record in the league. Loses to the eventual NBA champion Spurs in the WC finals. 3rd year: Team won 59 games Wallace leading scorer at 16 pts a game. Again, one of the top defensive and rebounding teams in the league. Finishes with the 2nd best record in the league. Loses to the eventual NBA champion Lakers in the WC finals 4th year: Team won 50 games Wallace leading scorer at 16 pts a game. Again, one of the top defensive and rebounding teams in the league. Loses to the eventual NBA champion Lakers in the 1st round --------------------------------- Seems that Dunleavy teams are well balanced, play good defense and hit the boards well. His last 3 coaching seasons, his team was knocked out by the eventual NBA champions.
In other words, he never had alot of talent to work with in Milwaukee. Robinson has never been a winner, in his youth or his prime. Baker was a good player then, but has proved long term that he is a loser. Calling Douglas a good point guard is a stretch. He is closer to mediocre than good. Cummings was way passed his prime and only played there 1 season (Dunleavy's last). Newman has been a solid NBA player in his career, but hardly considered a main cog of a team.
I believe so. After he resigned, he retained his job as the GM of the Bucks before Portland came calling.
That's good stuff. That information along with Mike D's expressed passion about coaching this team, makes me think he has some definite ideas, and a vision about where he wants to go. I just hope it's the right vision.
Ok Crazy Joe, tell me what you see in Dunleavy's teams in L.A and Portland. Dunleavy's first year in L.A., they won 58 games, yet the next season they only won 43 and got bounced out of the first round. What was the difference in those 2 seasons? Dunleavy's Portland years: 1997- 46-36 1998- 35-15 (strike year) Then 1999- 59-23 2000- 50-32 (and gets fired) Please explain?
I don't really understand what those Portland stats really prove. Ok, so the leading scorer on the team only averaged 16 ppg. Maybe that's because they were the deepest team in the NBA the way Sacramento is the deepest team now. Remember, Portland had the highest payroll in the entire league and a team filled with veterans and talent. The biggest knock on him was he couldn't make all the pieces fit. He couldn't develop the right chemistry to put them over the top. Then he started losing control of his team and Wallace took a swipe at him. Then the whole team fell apart. Unable to control players, unable to find the right chemistry..... You can blame it on Whitsitt (and most people did). However, Portland obviously felt more comfortable with the players than it did with Dunleavy when they forced him out. As far as Milwaukee, A 5 year stint which demonstrated absolutely nothing about being able to overachieve. You think those Milwaukee teams had little talent? what about Carlisle's team in Detroit? Is this Detroit team twice as good in terms of talent as that Milwaukee team? Nope. How does the NBA feel about Mike Dunleavy. Supposedly he has 1 job offer from his friend. That's it. Why is that? You would think teams in Toronto, Philadelphia, Cleveland, New Orleans, Washington and the LA Clippers would at least give him a sniff. Nope.
Magic Johnson retired due to the HIV virus three games into Dunleavy's 2nd year. Pretty significant eh? Sabonis and Pippen (two of their top players) missed a quarter of the season and Wallace (their best player), I believe, missed about 5-6 games due to suspensions (not totally sure on that but Ill research it and get back to you).
Yep......this is sad. Brown to Pistons. Everybody wanted Brown. Silas to Cavs. Several wanted him. The rest are undecided. But Jeff Van Gundy. Cavs.....well chose Silas. Not confirmed yet. JVG didn't fit with 76ers. He hasn't talked with any of the other teams...who are looking at mainly assistant coaches...and he has talked ith Rockets....but the interview didn't go too well. Mike Dunleavy....Cavs, 76ers,.....nobody has considered him. Only us and Hawks........just because of loyalty? But it's sad. Cuz Mike Dunleavy and Jeff Van Gundy are the only two big names left... And the Rockets don't seem to be going after Rick Carlisle.
RIET- Good analysis. I agree. However, I think its pointless now to discuss and just have to get used to having a coach who seems like nothing but a Rudy clone. I bet after Rudy was fired (I mean stepped down), if you would have told the BBS that Dunleavy would be the next coach, this place would have gone ape$h!t. I think the supporters of Dunleavy here are just making the best out of a bad situation. Its the only way to deal with one's dissapointment.
Exactly, L.A. had a veteran leader. Once he left Dunleavy lost control. As for Portland, Pippen arrived in 1999. Again a proven veteran leader put Dunleavy's team in the playoffs. The Rockets don't have a veteran leader who can run the team. Dunleavy's track record proves: 1. He does not work well with young talent 2. Without a veteran leader on the team, the team does not listen to Dunleavy.
Or maybe that's because Dunleavy excelled at getting several great individual talents to play as a team. Seems that is part of the Rockets problem. However, they never had a true go to guy. Wallace is a good PF, but not on the level of a Duncan, Webber or Malone. Also, having the highest payroll was Whitsitt's baby. I always thought this was one of his assets actually. The fact that he could get a bunch of selfish headcases to play as a team and consistantly be one of the top teams in the league. Not many coaches could have done much better with that chemistry. So you are saying that Dunleavy couldn't control Wallace, his stary player. Didn't Brown have that same problem with Iverson? These are highly, HIGHLY, subjective statements. Is that group even capable of being controlled? Please name someone who you think could have done a better job with the chemistry. You can't fire the whole team, so you fire the coach. Happens all the time. In fact, this is what happened with Rudy isn't it? He had nothing to work with in Milwaukee. NOTHING. The best players on his team were Robinson (who we all know by know is a loser) and Baker (who it seems might have overacheived under Dunleavy). The rest of the team was a bunch of scrubs. Coaching didn't matter here. No coach could have won with that team. How did Brown win only 35 games with all that talent in Indiana? Detroit has talent. Hamilton (one of the top scorers in the league) and Wallace (best rebounder in the league and 2x defensive player of the year) is a nice foundation. Toronto and New Orleans haven't even mentioned Brown. I guess that means that hes not a very good coach either. Also, up until the Rockets job came open, it was almost an established fact that Dunleavy wanted to Hawks job and that the Hawks wanted him. They probably would not have even considered anyone else. Although, that is a highly subjective statement I don't understand your hate filled posts about Dunleavy. You seem to be taking the Rockets consideration of him personaly. Did he steal your dog or something? If Brown is so much better than Dunleavy, then how did his Indiana team go from 52 wins to 39 wins? Then go to 58 wins with a new coach with almost the same team.
How is this losing control? Anytime the heart and soul of your team is suddenly removed from the team you're going to struggle. Its not like they were planning on a season without magic and they certainly weren't able to plug in another player to suddenly replace, who could? Look what happened to the Bulls when MJ up and retired at the end of the season. I don't recall them just reloading and winning another two championships... Why is it considered a bad thing to make the playoffs after aquiring a veteran? I seem to recall thats what most people want to do in Houston. Would you hold it against Rudy T if we had brought in a veteran this next season and made the playoffs? Would that make him less of a coach because the talent on the floor was improved through free agency? How do two situations where veteran leaders went down prove this? Lets see here, lost starting players who were major contributers and the back ups didn't just step in and shine... this has never happened anywhere in the history of coaching in any sport.. you might be right... I'm not saying Mike D is a GREAT coach, or that he is the answer to all our prayers but if you've got a complaint base it on logic please.
I disagree that Pippen is a proven veteran leader. He's a proven veteran, and I believe proven not to be a leader. 1.In Chicago, he quit on his team during their playoff run, and removed himself from the game. That's not leadership. Because he didn't get the last shot he pouted his way to the bench and sat out. 2.In Houston, Scottie blamed his not being more involved in the offense, he blamed Charles, and even in the playoff game when he clearly blew it, Pippen refused to ever take any of the responsibility. Leaders take responsibility. Already after just four years in the league, Steve Francis takes more responsibility for losing than Pippen ever did. 3. On arriving in Portland Pippen says he wanted a trade, because he didn't like having to carry the team in Houston. First of all leaders will carry a team, secondly, he wasn't carrying anything in Houston. No leadership. 4. Also in Portland Scottie blamed the coaches, his teammates, his GM. I actually agreed with some of the things he said, but not once did he take any responsibility on himself. No matter what the other people did or didn't do, Pippen is the one on the floor during the games, and should face up to the fact that he deserves some responsibility when things go wrong. Pippen is a talented player, and a veteran, but Pippen is definitely NOT a leader.
