Going to try and keep this short, but I would like to commend the Charlotte Bobcats for taking on a relatively new name, Sam Vincent, as their new head coach. Avery Johnson had some choice comments about it and they were spot on.
“You’ve got to start somewhere. Every head coach, somebody had to give them a shot,” Johnson said Thursday. “When I took over, or Gregg Popovich or Phil Jackson or anybody, you always look back at your first opportunity.”
Exactly. In recent years, with job security on coaching staffs hitting incredible depths in the L, one thing which has stood out the the rate at which all these coaches are recycled. How many times are coaches like Jeff Van Gundy, Doc Rivers and Rick Adelman going to be re-hired into positions where they have a minute window for success. Yes, the two I mentioned, and many other coaches, Fratello, Silas, Larry Brown, all have track records for success, to different degrees, but that means at this point the front offices should know exactly what they are getting when they make the hire. Don’t bring in a veteran coach and give them two years to revitalize a team. If you want immediate success, why not take a gamble on younger coaches with higher upside. Hell, most teams in the lottery are taking gambles on upside anyways, why not do the same with coaches.
The youth trend on the sidelines has taken off in the recent year in the NFL thanks to the stunning success by first-year head coach Sean Payton and the Saints. Now everybody is scrambling to get the hottest thing from the assistant coaching pools. Even teams like the Cowboys, who hired veteran Wade Phillips as their head coach, are gambling on 40-year old Jason Garret to call the plays on offense.
Part of the problem may be with the coaches who keep taking the jobs. Why not take a chance on a young retired-pg like Avery Johnson and hire a veteran coach like Del Harris as his assistant (who looks to be on the way out, by the way). Because these coaches either have too much pride to take a lower position or want too much money. Fortunately, it seems like the L is following suit with Charlotte and the NFL, seen when Sun’s assistant Mike Iavaroni was interviewing for various job, including with Memphis, and the Pacers interviewing Bulls assistant Jim Boylan. Let’s just hope these interviews lead to some hires because, frankly, we don’t need to see Jeff Van Gundy roaming the sidelines again. He’d make a pretty good defensive coordinator on the bench though, wouldn’t you say?
- LeBron and the media are talking about the no-call at the end of Game 2 last night. I missed the game because I went to a Buck 65-Sage Francis concert (the whitest rap concert I have ever been to, almost an otherworldly experience) but really, how is this different from every other game called in the L. Refs always let play loosen up in the final minutes of a game. It may not be consistent with the way the rest of the game is called, but it is consistent with at least the last decade of whistle blowing. Kind of funny that Bron Bron is complaining about referees in the first place. How about you work on upping that 19-point mark next time, eh?
- ESPN Insider reports that the Knicks are heavily pursuing Vince Carter this offseason. Really? You really think that’s going to work with Vince, Starbury, Q-Rich, Steve Francis and Jamal Crawford jacking up jumpers all day? Think about this for a second Zeke. “Thomas has told confidants he believes the Knicks are one “star” from contending for a championship, feeling all other pieces are in place.” I could try to explain this man, but I would fail. He has no defense. The world would be better off if NBA execs could just admit when they screwed up and find rational ways to fix things.
- I’m starting to get a little weary of Mike Conley Sr. Maybe it would be better if Conley Jr didn’t end up with Oden and the Blazers. I’m not sure how much I trust that dynamic. The guy did pressure Oden, at least a little, into declaring, after all.