The Little Black Book of Available Coaches

rullrich · Jan 12, 2016

Fantastic post - really well written/researched.

Yes I wouldn't bother trying to bring someone in mid-season with a lot of potential realistic candidates already holding assistant or college positions.

I think I'm most intrigued by Ollie - think he'd love to get back to the NBA and already has a relationship with Harden? Getting Harden's buy in to a coaching decision will be key - and would be a nice add to our crumbling KD recruiting pitch this offseason.

Dgn1 · Jan 12, 2016

smoothie said: ↑

i started writing/researching this post the day mchale was fired! I hope you guys enjoy

i'd like to share my thoughts on the state of the market, who's out there, and who fits with les and morey. first i'd like to explain that this post in intended to look at the market through the lens of les and morey's eyes, not my own. here's what i think they will look for:

les - i believe winning is important to him, but he wants a fast paced style of play. i doubt he considers any other style of play, even if that means hiring a lesser candidate. he’s also always hired a big name coach. although this is secondary, i think he enjoys the big name hires that can stir some buzz and sell some tickets.

morey - DM wants 2 things out of a coach. first, they have to be open to using analytics. no one can be sure how much control DM likes to have on coaching. JVG said morey didn’t micromanage, but we saw his system much more heavy handed under mchale. he wants 3’s/fts/layups, and les wants fast breaks... i highly doubt a strict half court set coach gets considered, even if he’s the better candidate. second, morey has to make a safe choice - if he hires another bad coach, he could be on the hot seat. he’s probably not swinging for the fences on this one. he needs a safe bet, not high risk / high reward.

with that lens in mind, lets look at the market.

*keep in mind that there is a chance for other names to pop up as the year goes on.*

-for the college coaches, a lot depends on tournament success this year.
-for the nba coaches, others may get fired or hired before we start our search this summer.

here are available NBA head coaches, in no order:

adelman - unfortunately, he's got a bad relationship with les. no chance. if it were up to me, i'd give him the SVG deal; coach and pres of bball ops.

JVG - same as above, plus les didn't even like his style of play.

thibs- same as above, by association with the JVG. harden likes him from their time with team usa, and he's the biggest name out there, so there a a chance.

brooks - brooks would be the recruiter that morey wants. he's a big name, especially since winning a ring as a rocket, so les would be happy. harden likes him. im sure he’d be open to the style of play les and morey want. consider him a candidate for better or worse.

m.jackson - created a mess in gs. prob cant clean up this one.

d'antoni - les fired JVG sayng he wants "phoenix style" offense. here's the guy, but les wont risk pissing off dwight who left LA to get away from him. edit; he's with the sixers now anyway

avery - coaching career is trending down. went from the mavs to the nets and now just signed on to coach alabama.

hubie - too old. his best coaching years are behind him.

collins - good at turning around a team, but not pushing them over the top which we need.

del negro - was interviewed by the rockets before so there might be something there that les/morey are interested in, but he's known for being strategically challenged. i dont think les or morey would see this as an upgrade.

mike brown - known for his defense and slow pace. probably doesn't excite morey or les too much.

mike fratello - defensive oriented and slow paced, head strong, hard nosed... the opposite of what les, morey, and harden would want.

mike dunleavy sr. - was interviewed by the rockets before (again, they might see something they like here) hasn't coached in 6 years and was an average coach with no clear system, but isn't a big enough name for les nor a clear enough upgrade for morey.

lionel hollins - as of today he's available. great defensive coach, but not the offense les and morey are looking for. morey wanted to bring him on as mchale's assistant before he took the nets job, so there is some interest there, but maybe not as the head coach of the team.

my takeaways from this list:

brooks - pencil in brooks for an interview. he checks off les' desire for a big name, and as a former rocket would have extra appeal. he checks off morey's desire for a recruiter (durant), and someone who has no system of their own, so would happily adopt morey's system. he has a great relationship with james. unfortunately, he's a very strong candidate.

thibs - i would also not be surprised either way, if thibs gets an interview or not. he's a big name that les likes, and harden praised working with him for team usa. on the other hand, les might consider that bridge burnt, while morey would consider him impossible to work with.

hollins - he doesnt fit the uptempo style that les wants, and but we know morey wanted him as the top assistant as recently as before last season. i think the interest was more to help mchale with strategy than to actually replace him as head coach. still, he's a contender.

here are the best assistant coaches available in no particular order:
(I will include some coaching history for each since their experience isn't as well known as the coaches in the first list)

jim boylen - won championships as an assistant for rudy t and then pop. also coached under tom izzo, frank vogel, and now fred hoiberg. he's known as one of the best shooting coaches in the nba (credited for making the spurs one of the best shooting teams in the nba) as well as one of the best defensive strategists.

nate mcmillan - did a good job as a HC in seattle and portland, as an assistant to coach K with team USA, and now as an assistant under frank vogel. known as a rare combintion of defensive minded but player friendly. he was an average head coach but time under vogel might have taught him something about game management, and recently changing the team’s identity from a slow paced defensive team to an up tempo 3 point shooting team could make him appealing to the les/morey.

kenny atkinson - assistant for d'antoni in NY, and now under coach bud in ATL. known for player development and has a good grasp of offense and ball movement thanks to his 2 mentors.

Jay Larranaga - assisted doc in boston, and now brad stevens. also assists mike fratello on the ukraine national team.

Tyronn Lue - assisted under doc in boston and LA. now is an associate HC to david blatt with the cavs. won championships as a player for phil with the lakers. has a history of player development, a knowledge of half-court offensive ball movement from phil and blatt, and has a knowledge of thibs' defense that doc learned in boston. also has a reputation as a players coach. well respected in nba circles as very deserving of a coaching opportunity.

Ime Udoka - played for pop for 3 years, and is in his 4th as an assistant for him. one of pop's rising coaching stars. pop says udoka is already better than him at managing player's personalities and added "the only thing i dont like about him is he doesn't drink." with only a few years on the bench, he might not be ready for the first chair yet.

Ed Pinckney - started under jay wright for 4 years in villanova (wright is known for one of the best offensive systems in ncaa), then balanced that by working under thibs for 5 years where he was praised for his grasp of defensive schemes. currently under malone in denver. known as a tireless worker in game preparation and as a players coach.

Adrian Griffin - 5 years as an assistant under thibs and 3 under skiles, he's obviously known as a great defensive assistant. he also unofficially assisted team usa's minicamps thanks to the thibs connection. why get a thibs disciple when you can get thibs?

J.B. Bickerstaff - assisted his dad in charlotte for 3 years and the next 8 under the likes of whittman, mchale, rambis, and mchale again. like his dad he's known for his defense. he's got enough years on the sideline but not enough time under quality mentors. he'll get his chance this year but will probably be replaced as HC. however i bet he's kept on our bench under the next coach.

ron adams - assisted tarkanian, lucas, karl, skiles, thibs, stevens, and currently kerr during his 45 year career. known as one of the best defensive assistants in the league, but has also coached for some of the most up-tempo / high powered offenses under tarkanian, karl, and kerr. for all of his knowledge and experience, at 68 im not sure if he even wants to be a HC, and if so, do we want someone who's probably thinking of retiring soon? he'd be a big upgrade but not a long term solution.

David Fizdale - has a history of player development and most famously credited for helping lebron add post game (although, didn't lebron work with hakeem?). 8 years under spoelstra with 2 championships gives him a solid knowledge of game management and player management, as well as knowledge of spo's switching defense and 'positionless' offense (which they have recently gone away from since acquiring a real center and PG). he's a strong assistant, but not a big enough name for les, or a safe enough choice for morey.

Ettore Messina 4x euro league champion, 4x italian league champion, and 7x italian cup champion. 5x russian league champion, and 2x russian cup champion. he’s won (a lot) everywhere. now assisting pop, he’s known as a tough coach to play for. known for his defense and playing through the post in a half-court offense. he’s a celebrated coach, but slow/half court offense is the opposite of what les and morey want. still, he should be considered but will have to convince les/morey that he will run a fast paced offense and avoid the mid range game.

Mike Woodson won a championship under larry brown in detroit. put atlanta on the map over 6 years at the helm, but struck out in new york. now assisting doc, but known for his defensive schemes and little else. doesn’t seem like a fit for les or morey.

Lawrence Frank served under brian hill and byron scott (yawn). didnt have any real success after 9 seasons as a head coach of the nets or pistons. did his best work in boston and LA under doc as the defensive coordinator. probably best in that role as a lead assistant.

sam cassell - one of the smartest players of his time. has a ton of potential as a coach but most of his experience has come learning from only slightly above average coaches, saunders and wittman. now he’s on doc’s staff and has a chance to really learn, but is only in his second year there. right now his strength is in player development, specifically guards. we love him but he still needs more time.

mario ellie - another fan favorite that’s not ready yet. spent one year under pop and one more under carlisle, but the rest of his years have been spent learning from a slew of mediocre coaches. still needs some time before he’s ready for the first chair.

elston turner - we know him so i dont need to add his resume. that adelman bridge might be burnt, especially since they let him go to get mchale... you think they will let mchale go to get him now? doesn't make sense. plus he's known for his defense more than the adelman offense. great assistant, and will make a good coach but not for us.

luke walton - just became a big name, spent lots of years playing for phil, and now coaching under kerr. only one problem, he's been an assistant coach for about 18 months and now as interim coach he's basically holding the wheel straight when it was kerr that built the car. great future, but may not ready to build the car yet. still, might appeal to les (big name, up tempo), morey (similar system / probably seen as willing to listen to analytics), and to harden (former player, easy going).

monty williams - proved to be a good defensive coach, but probably best as a defensive coordinator. wrong style for les and morey.

mo cheeks - if i forgot the lyrics to the national anthem, this is the guy i'd want. but he's not going to be seen as an upgrade at this point in his career. probably best in his current role as senior advisor to a new coach.

my takeaways from this list:

messina - big name and safe choice probably appeal to les and morey. however, will he be willing to adopt morey’s system on offense? will he at least be willing to run a fast break offense for les? he’s a great coach, maybe the best on the market, but both sides will have to compromise to make this work. credit to les and morey if they do, but i just dont see them budging.

boylen - should appeal to les since he was on rudy's staff, morey might like the idea of his reputation as a top shooting coach and running the spurs offense... but they might also dislike that he's a smaller name, can't be used to recruit, and is more half court oriented. however, he’s one of the best candidates on the market, which makes him a safe choice for morey.

lue - he is a name that's praised around the nba for game and player management. anyone that hires him is due for some media praise as well, something morey might actually need to avoid the hot seat. the offense from phil/blatt is probably appealing to les and morey, and i bet he’s open to input from analytics.

walton - the suns might grab him before we get a chance. if he's around at season's end, i believe les would like that he's a big name now with an up tempo offense. i think morey would like that he's probably willing to listen to analytics... and the fact that like lue, the media will all praise this hire as the right move, will help keep him off the hot seat.

mcmillan - the pacers are playing the style morey and les want to play. mcmillan helped vogel change their identity from slow defense to fast 3 point shooting. more credit to vogel for changing his style and philosophy on the fly, but mcmillan was there for both and surely picked up on defensive/offensive schemes, as well as game management and adjustments that vogel is so good at.

here are the best college basketball coaches, again in no order:
(with donavan, hoiberg, and stevens leading the way, more nba teams are looking into the college ranks)

first we have to cross off the 'lifers' who will retire where they are. lets not waste time discussing them as real possibilities.

coach k (duke) - 68 years old. 36 years at duke.

roy williams (UNC) - 65 years old. 13 years at UNC.

jim boeheim (syracuse) - 71 years old. 40 years at syracuse.

john calipari (UK)- recently turned down lucrative offer from kings that would’ve made him coach and GM. “for the 100th time, i have the best coaching job in the world.”

bo ryan (winsconsin) - retired while i was writing this post.

mike brey (ND) - only 56 years old but with 15 years at ND and a new 10yr extension it doesn't look like he's interested in leaving for the nba

mark few (gonzaga) - only 53, but nearly 30 years at gonzaga as an assistant and head coach.

john beilein (michigan) - only 9 years at michigan, but i doubt at 62 years old he wants to start a new career in the nba at this stage.

bob mckillop (davidson) - 65 years old. 25 years at davidson.

dave rose (byu) - only 57 years old. however after 18 years at byu it will be tough to pry rose away.

kevin stallings (vanderbilt) - only 55 but 17 years at vanderbilt.

rick byrd (belmont) - 62 years old. 30 years at belmont.

randy bennett (st. mary’s) - only 53 years old but been at st. mary's for 15 years.

rick pitino (louisville) - 63 years old, been at louisville for 15 years.

tom izzo (michigan state) - 60 years old, 20 years at msu.

thad matta (ohio st) - only 48 but 11 years at ohio state.

steve fisher (sdsu) - 70, 16 years at sdsu

now we can look at coaches might be interested in making the jump, including a little info about their philosophy and resume since some are lesser known.

tim cluess (iona) - fast break offense. once joked that d’antoni’s 7 second offense was slow! his scrimmages use a 5 second shot clock. unlike d’antoni he likes to structure the fast break and emphasizes keeping turnovers down. led the ncaa is 3’s attempted, and was 3rd in fast break points. like d’antoni, pays little attention to defense or half court execution. i think les, morey, and harden would love this guy’s style... dwight not so much... but morey likes drafting from bigger programs because he places great value on tournament experience and level of competition, both might be strikes against cluess.

larry krystkowiak (utah) - says he’d like to play like the spurs (who doesnt?). runs a similar motion offense that relies heavily on read and react. emphasizes constant movement, and having all 5 players being a scoring threat. well balanced on defense too. uses mostly man to man which will translate well to the nba. his defense jumped from 119th to 36th to 5th in the ncaa. defensive philosophy is based on unpredictability. he was quoted as saying he likes to throw curveballs on defense, give opponents different looks. believes in having offensive and defensive coordinators as assistant coaches. i think his offense is something that would appeal to les and morey, while his shared leadership approach (using 2 coordinators) would also appeal to morey. he’s young enough (51) to grow with the rockets, and shouldn’t be tough (after only 5 years in utah) to pry away, and i believe he’d be interested in a return to nba coaching.

steve alford (ucla)- garnered recognition for his defense while head coach at new mexico, and for his motion offense with ucla. however, it has been documented that it was long time assistant craig neal that should be credited for the x’s and o’s. neal became the head coach in new mexico when alford left for ucla. on his own he’s received some praise for his cutting and screening offense but also some criticism as a tactician. shows promise but not ready to head an nba team yet.

lon kruger (oklahoma) - known for his flex offense that focuses on high ball screens at the top of the key. seems like a great fit for H&H. his offense ranked as high as 7th in the nation, but has recently added a new focus on defense which relies heavily on packing the paint and forcing outside/low% shots. this goes against morey’s philosohpy of limiting opponents 3s. only been there 5 years, and has tried the jump to the nba before, but at 63 does he really want to try it again?

jay wright (villanova) - one of ncaa’s best offenses. he runs a 4-out-motion. the system would be aligned with the style that morey wants to play, but wright does rely on small ball lineups which may not translate to the nba very well. his switching and trapping defense would translate well. and his defensive philosophy of limiting opponents 3s fits right in with morey’s ideals. after 15 years at villanova, will he want to leave?

dana altman (oregon) - Dana Altman is one of only six active coaches in NCAA Division I with 18 consecutive winning seasons. He is part of an exclusive fraternity that includes Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, Bill Self and Jim Boeheim. high post offense similar to adelman. designed to open the paint for cuts and drives. would be great for our role players who cant create their own shot (ariza, brew, beverley). harden would have a clear lane to attack. not a whole lot discussed about his defense, but he’s a seasoned winner. with a good defensive assistant (maybe we keep jb?) he could be a good candidate. the knock against him is that for all of those winning seasons, there hasn't been any real tournament success. we know how much morey values tournament success when drafting players, my sense is he feels the same about coaches.

kelvin sampson (UH) - remember him? he was our X’s and O’s guy before leaving for UH. his leaving exposed mchale’s shortcomings but also proved his own worth as a strategist. We know he’s got nba ready defense which would be an improvement from what we have now. we know he’s comfortable working within morey’s system. pop said about sampson “As a coach, he knows what wins and loses. He's disciplined, he's demanding, but he cares about his people." not a bad endorsement. sampson says his philosophy is to play fast, stress defense, and shoot 3s. his 1-4 motion offense is designed to get scoring options from the outside and the post, which makes it a good fit for H&H. morey must be considering this guy again, but les might consider the bridge burnt and maybe too risky for morey to keep himself off of the hot seat.

tony bennet (virginia) - a CBS poll of college coaches voted him the best defensive mind in the ncaa. he likes to pack the paint and cut off driving lanes with help defenders. relying heavily on help defenders creates a more ‘team’ defense which will greatly help harden. thibs uses this type of defense and was able to cover ray allen’s short comings in boston. unlike thibs or jvg, he’s got a pretty solid offensive system called the blocker-mover offense. its a variation of a motion offense that restricts ‘blockers’ (think dwight/capela/harrell)to setting screens, rolling to the basket, and scoring off putbacks. it allows ‘movers’ the freedom to read and react to the defense by using an off-ball screen to get open for an outside shot, or for cutting to the basket. they can also call for an on-ball screen and run a PnR. this would work really well for the way this team is constructed. at 46 years old he could be a long term option, but will packing the paint work against nba shooters? can he adjust his offense to allow for a 4th ‘mover’ since stretch 4s are all the rage? great college coach, but if you want defense and slow offense, just hire thibs or messina.

sean miller (arizona) - big believer in defensive analytics. designed one of the best defenses in the ncaa (ranked #1 in opponent Efg%) by forcing opponents to shoot mid range shots (can you hear morey’s ears perking up?). on offense he’s considered a ‘solid’ but improved coach. (this will all sound very familiar) they like to play fast, preferring fast breaks and 3s as a first option before getting into their half-court passing game which can sometimes breakdown into 1-on-1 play. however, there has been notable improvement as they went from 86th to 7th in the country on offense in the last 3 years. miller has been working on that half-court passing game, and has built in a very nice motion offense. he’s only 47 and has only spent 6 years in arizona, so he shouldn’t be too difficult to pry loose. espn ranked him last year as one of the top head coaching prospects for the nba. he’d be a natural fit in houston, and an upgrade as a strategist.

bill self (kansas) - after 13 years in kansas he hasn’t ruled out the jump to the nba. however, it would be hard to imagine why he would want to leave one of the best coaching jobs in the country. he uses as high-low motion offense that focuses on the interplay between the 2 bigs, and specifically tries to get the ball into the post as the first option, while sometimes diminishing the role of the perimeter players. this isn’t the best system for our roster, and self is pretty stubborn about sticking to the system even when his best players aren’t big guys. he’s a great coach and anyone would be lucky to have him, but the rockets will ask him to adjust/compromise, and he wont leave kansas for that.

shaka smart (texas) - known for his ‘havoc’ defense that consists of various full-court presses, traps, and double teams to force turn overs. while this works well in college, it may not translate well as a primary defense in the nba. however, it may be effective as a situational defense to stop a run, or just throw off the opponent. on offense he uses a fast break offense, usually started by a forced turnover. still in his 30s he’s got plenty of potential but isn’t ready yet.

kevin ollie (uconn) - revered for player management, and in game management (timeouts, out of bounds plays, substitution patterns, half time and timeout adjustments, etc...). uses a ball-denial defense that attempts to cut off passing lanes which makes it difficult for the opponent to have much ball movement. he likes to use transition offense to get easy buckets, but in the half court he uses a similar motion offense as his buddy fred hoiberg. he’s well balanced on both ends. system is a good fit for les and morey, and he’s probably open to listening to analytics.

my takeaways from this list:

although they haven't ruled out wanting to go to the nba, i'm going to say that jay wright, bill self, and lon kruger are probably not realistic options. dana altman is a good coach and a good fit (from a big program which morey likes), but a lot depends on winning, or at least some prior nba experience. right now he isnt a safe enough choice for morey, although a big run in the tournament may change that.

kevin ollie - like lue, earned a lot of praise around the nba for his game and player management, and hiring him would be seen in nba circles and in the media as a solid move. safe choice for morey, one of the more notable names on the market for les, the style fits, and durant praised ollie for making a huge difference for him, westbrook, and harden in their one year together. he can be the KD recruiter that morey wants, and he could also help keep harden from leaving as a free agent.

sean miller - big program, believes in analytics, upgrade in management and strategy. i think he's one of the best fits on the market. may not be a big enough name for les, and hiring a college coach with no nba experience or nba ties might be too risky for morey.

larry krystkowiak - like dana altman, he still needs to prove he can win big, but i have him on the list because he's more well balanced on both ends than altman, and has nba experience as a coach and player which make it easier for him to make the jump (and safer for morey). he'll need to win big this year though.

here are the best 'out of the box' options i could think of:

shane battier - knows adelman's offense, JVGs defense, spoelstra's 'positionless' offense and switching defense. always known to be able to galvanize a locker room. does he even want to coach? even if he did, might be too risky of a play for morey.

kenny smith - most notably played for dean smith, bill russell, and of course won championships with rudy t. i think he's been able to express a strong knowledge of the game as an analyst, and would also be skilled as a locker room motivator. like battier, does he want to coach? and even if he did, he would probably be too risky of a hire for morey.

TOP 11 CANDIDATES
(the market will change depending on performance and availability of these coaches, but as of today i think this is how les and morey, not i, would rank the field)

after an extensive look at the market, these 11 seem like the most likely names to come up: thibs, hollins, brooks, messina, boylen, lue, walton, mcmillan, ollie, miller, krystkowiak.

tier 1 - serious contenders

lue - the more i think about it, the more it feels like the safest choice for morey. the whole nba world will praise whoever hires this guy. its zero risk. and the positives are that we know he’s already good at game and player management. there is potential for him to build a nice offense from his experience with phil and blatt.

brooks - fits what les and morey want too damn well for my liking. the only knock i can think of is that this will be seen as an obvious recruiting hire rather than a coaching hire. i’m not sure morey is in a position to take on any criticism of this next move. but he and les might feel the pros outweigh the cons.

hollins - we know there was mutual interest at the beginning of last season, and so that puts him firmly in tier 1. however that was for the lead assistant role. will morey want him as a head coach? i assume if hollins is willing to open up his offense he would be highly considered. if not, i bet morey goes after him again as the lead assistant.

tier 2 - dark horses

thibs, messina, and boylen - i think they will be seen by morey as undervaluing his input from analytics. i think les will not want their style of play. they would be asked to adjust and i dont think these guys are the type to go for that, and therefor stand much less of a chance of serious consideration. however, they are probably the best coaches on the market, and all safe choices for morey.

tier 3 - long shots

mcmillan - low risk / low reward. was an average head coach, but there is a good chance he learned a lot under vogel. still, unexciting name for les, no recruiting power for morey... but the pacers new style is what they want, and he brings defense, solid but not all that exciting of a choice.

walton - high risk/high reward. he hasn’t even been an assistant coach for 2 years. sure he’s been groomed by phil and now a kerr but he really is only holding the wheel straight when it was kerr the built the car. and he’s got long time awesome coach ron adams in the passenger seat with one hand on the wheel anyway. maybe he brings that phil/kerr system here and we have a beautiful offense. maybe too risky for morey, maybe phoenix pounces on him before we get the chance.

miller, ollie, and krystkowiak - so much depends on their success in the tournament this year. for all of ollie’s strengths, he won the national championship, but then failed to make the tournament the next year. this year will be telling for him. and while miller seems like a great fit, and has been to 4 elite eight’s, it would be more convincing to see him win big (final 4 or better) before making the jump to the nba. krystkowiak seems like a great fit too, and has nba experience (unlike miller), but has only 1 sweet 16 under his belt as a coach. he, too, will need to win big this year to have a chance.

ps, sorry i couldn't add fancy videos and articles without making this post overly massive, but you all know how to use google and youtube.
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Repped for putting in work. Maybe you can officially do this for Clutchfans since you no longer work for Grantland...

SemisolidSnake · Jan 12, 2016

ISOBall said: ↑

Rep this man. Greatest post I've ever seen
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Agreed and done.

Smoothie for new Rockets GM.

Htownballer38 · Jan 12, 2016

Is Dr. Bobbythegreat on this list? lol

Nah, just kidding.

Scottie Brooks will be the next Rockets coach.

Htownballer38 · Jan 12, 2016

Smoothie you've done some very impressive work there. Wow I wish I could rep you at least 10 times for this one.

Bobbythegreat · Jan 12, 2016

Htownballer38 said: ↑

Is Dr. Bobbythegreat on this list? lol

Nah, just kidding.
Click to expand...

I know you are just trolling, but the fact that I'm willing to look things up so as to know what I'm talking about doesn't mean that I think I am a doctor, it just means that I prefer to have an informed opinion as opposed to the type of completely ignorant opinions that you favor.

basketballholic · Jan 12, 2016

Bobbythegreat said: ↑

I know you are just trolling, but the fact that I'm willing to look things up so as to know what I'm talking about doesn't mean that I think I am a doctor, it just means that I prefer to have an informed opinion as opposed to the type of completely ignorant opinions that you favor.
Click to expand...

Dude why do you want to jack with him? Put him on ignore.

Mr Chuck Norris · Jan 12, 2016

This has to be the best post in clutchfans pre-Lin. Great work. If les and Morey can get out of their own way and we can land Kevin Ollie that would be tremendous. Thibs with Ollie as associate head coach or an assistant would be better.

Remlap · Jan 12, 2016

LUKE WALTON!!!???

Please. . . .no

showa13 · Jan 12, 2016

I would be all for Tyronne Lue, he's been next to a nice variety of coaches and reports have been that the Cavs players listen to him more than Blatt. He seems to be ready to take over a team.

HeyDude · Jan 12, 2016

I wish we never let R. Adleman go

DraftBoy10 · Jan 12, 2016

Tier 2....thibs.

Lololol

smoothie · Jan 12, 2016

Mr Chuck Norris said: ↑

This has to be the best post in clutchfans pre-Lin. Great work. If les and Morey can get out of their own way and we can land Kevin Ollie that would be tremendous. Thibs with Ollie as associate head coach or an assistant would be better.
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i agree that les and morey need to get out of their own way. a lot of the better coaches aren't a perfect fit for what they want. thibs, hollins, boylen, messina, calipari should be tier 1. instead they are probably viewed as poor fits or undervaluing analytics.

i would start with the best coaches, and then choose the best fit. les and morey are probably starting with the best fits, and then trying to find the best coach of that bunch.

that's how you end up with someone like tyronn lue. he's not the best coach, but he's the best coach out of the list of 'good fits.' still, we could do a lot worse than tyronn lue.

Rudyc281 · Jan 12, 2016

Mr Chuck Norris said: ↑

This has to be the best post in clutchfans pre-Lin. Great work. If les and Morey can get out of their own way and we can land Kevin Ollie that would be tremendous. Thibs with Ollie as associate head coach or an assistant would be better.
Click to expand...

If we get Ollie which I hope we do he will be the head coach.

leebigez · Jan 12, 2016

I would hire Hollins. He would play to the teams strong suit, he's a really good in game coach. Guys respect him and he's tough as hell. Harden may have issues because hollins will hold him accountable on both ends. Not only that, his team in memphis moved the ball, no iso.

True Rocket · Jan 12, 2016

I actually think Tyron Lue would be a good coach for the rockets

gunawanspurs · Jan 13, 2016

Ettore Messina found & shaped Manu Ginobili into a player he is right now. We know Harden's game is quite similar to Manu's, and actually before coached by Messina, Ginobili was known as no defense, personal glory oriented type of player -ehm, remind us to somebody indeed.

He is a strong proponent for team defensive play, and love to coach PnR half court like he did in CSKA with Teodosic and their talented bigs (just imagine what he can do with Harden, Howard, and Capela here).

As much as i hate it for him to coach a division rival, he is more than qualified for the job & in the peak age to be head coach right now. If he can get a ring with the Spurs this season, he is more than deserved to get head coaching gig with other teams out there.

An article about Messina & his old days with Ginobili:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/sports/basketball/san-antonio-spurs-manu-ginobili-ettore-messina.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

kaleidosky · Jan 13, 2016

what a great post--thanks so much. Didn't realize Lue's reputation was as you wrote. Interesting.. would take some effort to get me on board.

I think Miller would be a fun hire, but I'm not sure they're willing to go that experimental with Harden's true prime coming up and failure in the recent past.

smoothie · Jan 13, 2016

kaleidosky said: ↑

I think Miller would be a fun hire, but I'm not sure they're willing to go that experimental with Harden's true prime coming up and failure in the recent past.
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exactly. that's why i wrote that morey can't afford to swing for the fences on this one. he's got to make a safe choice. high risk / high reward types (such as college coaches) will probably get less consideration.

i agree that miller would be a fun hire. i'll definitely be watching more arizona, utah, and uconn games just in case

BackNthDay · Jan 14, 2016

Steal Luke Walton right now, the GS ball movement is awesome and he has the inside knowledge to beat them. We get it a great young coach and weaken the best team in the league.

Winner!!!

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