Flip's Plan Is Working Perfectly

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Abe, do you think FLip is double dipping. I would bet that he has a salary that doesn't change based on coaching or not. You still only put in so many hours per day.

That's what I always thought too, sjm, but apparently I was wrong. Take a look at this summary of NBA coach's salaries:

http://www.otherleague.com/contracts/nba-head-coach-contracts-salaries/

Flip is paid $9 million, more than any pure coach (i.e, not PBO also) other than Pop who gets $11 million. The other PBO/coaches, Rivers and Van Gundy, make $10 million and $7 million, respectively. I have never been able to find out what Flip was paid when he was PBO only in 2013-4, but there's no way it was anywhere near $9 million. So, he got a huge raise when Joerger decided to stay with the Grizzlies.

This is why Glen needs to get involved in the coaching decision. PBO/GM salaries are not as easy to research compared to player/coach salaries, but I read one source that says typically GMs make less than $3 million a year. So Flip stands to lose $6 million per year if he is "successful" in finding a new coach. What sane human being is going to work hard for his company if the reward is a 2/3 reduction in salary?

Flip needs this salary too. I believe he is a 3% owner, and he was not given his 3% ownership stake, but had to borrow to buy in when the value of the franchise was about $500 million (it's worth an estimated $650 million now). 3% of $500 million is $15 million. Assuming Flip financed most of his initial investment, his debt service might be $750,000 per year...that's a drop in the bucket if you are making $9 million per year, but a difficult payment to make if your salary is closer to $3 million.

I haven't played around with these numbers before, but now that I have, I'm more and more convinced that Glen needs to tell Flip to get a coach right now. Otherwise , it may never happen.

Ummm... that's a lot more convincing than my usual poorly written take where I basically just say "because."

I was stunned when I saw the $9 million, abe...also surprised that the media never talked about (to the best of my knowledge) the financial aspects of Flip adding the coach title. I always assumed Glen saw it as a way to save money (although I don't generally view him as a "cheap" owner), and assumed that was one of the main reasons he didn't seem to push hard for Flip to find a coach.

I have to take a deep look inside of myself, and project how I would act if I were Flip. If I stood to lose $6 million a year, I think it would be very easy to convince myself that I was by far the best candidate to coach...especially if I had a history of making the playoffs like Flip does. I don't blame Flip for not wanting to find another coach...I blame the system Taylor has created. Glen needs to force the issue.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Barreiro has talked about it on the radio before.

These guys are businessmen. Saunders knew exactly what he was doing when he opted for the Timberwolves. He worked out a helluva piece of the pie for himself. And there's literally nowhere to go but up as a team.

Anything will be an improvement, so I don't see much changing any time soon.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I'm now convinced things are going to shake out like this.

It's too late to expect a coaching change this summer. Plus, I have heard that Glen is not dissatisfied with the job Flip has done as coach given the ridiculous injury situation. But given any level of normal injury activity next season, I don't expect Glen will be so tolerant. Yes, the value of his investment is going up every year, but his cash flow has to be terrible, and he is painfully aware of the revenues he is missing out by missing the playoffs. If Flip gets the team to 40 wins next year, Glen may let Flip continue to coach. But if the team is healthy and doesn't produce, I expect Glen to give Flip the "find a new coach, or else" talk as the year grinds to a halt. And if the team really starts out in the tank, I wouldn't be surprised if Glen forces a move during the season. I wanted a new coach next year, but I'm still excited about this team, and not unhappy with giving Flip one more chance...but only one more.

I get why Taylor may be giving Flip a pass on last year, but I don't expect his patience to last.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Personally, I don't think Glen has the balls to tell Flip off. He seems to fit the pushover role perfectly.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Personally, I don't think Glen has the balls to tell Flip off. He seems to fit the pushover role perfectly.

It would be a mistake to size Glen up as a pushover...you don't start out with nothing and become a billionaire by being a pushover. He may look like a Casper Milquetoast, but he is as ruthless as any other ultra-successful businessman. A business partner of mine was a salesman with Taylor Corporation many years ago, and has told me many stories about Glen. Glen eventually fired my partner after ten years with the company, but he still has an enormous amount of respect for Glen as a tough, smart businessman.

At an estimated value of $650 million, Glen's 90% interest in the Wolves rivals his interest in Taylor Corporation as his biggest investment, so he is very much focused on its results. On one hand, he has to be happy that the value of the Wolves has increased 6 1/2 times since he bought it from Harv 'n Marv. But on the other hand, he can't be happy about negative cash flow and missing the playoffs every year. His own blunder with the Joe Smith incident was the cause of much of the futility of the franchise, along with seemingly always having pick X+1 and an X-man draft. Recently, injuries have been the main cause for failure. But he knows the current roster is poised for great success, and he reads a lot of the reports we do about Flip perhaps being out of date as a coach, so I think Flip is on a very short leash. Glen's patience with futility is over, I think. And that's good for us long-suffering fans.

[Coolbreeze44]

Flip wants to coach. I really think it's as simple as that.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Flip wants to coach. I really think it's as simple as that.

There's no question that Flip wants to coach...both for the money and for his own pride. But I don't think it's that simple. To think that Flip has the power to call his own shots, I would have to conclude that Glen either 1) is stupid, or 2) doesn't care about his $600 million investment. I don't think either is true.

[Coolbreeze44]

Flip wants to coach. I really think it's as simple as that.

There's no question that Flip wants to coach...both for the money and for his own pride. But I don't think it's that simple. To think that Flip has the power to call his own shots, I would have to conclude that Glen either 1) is stupid, or 2) doesn't care about his $600 million investment. I don't think either is true.

His best teams came with Flip as the head coach.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I wouldn't rule out No. 1 so quickly...

[Coolbreeze44]

I wouldn't rule out No. 1 so quickly...

Hahahahaha