A Friendly Flatulence wrote:What exactly has flip been doing recently? He is getting paid to do something I hope
I don't think anyone has ever questioned Flip's work ethic, FF. I'm sure he's focusing on the draft, an early look at free agency, and the coaching vacancy. And as much as devoted fans like all of us on this board want to know what is going on, I don't want our PBO being transparent about his intentions. I think Flip is cagey, and he is generally going to use humor with his press contacts to avoid telling them what he is really thinking...listen to him parry with Barreia, fo example. Most of the other GMs are equally cagey, and that's why we just haven't heard much about any of the coachless teams being close to making an offer. Information is going to start leaking out, but it will primarily be from coaches who are trying to manage the process (like SVG). I don't need Flip to keep us informed...I just need him to make the right choice.
I would imagine it being easier for Flip to go through the draft process without needing to consult with a new head coach regarding who to pick. I would expect for him to make a decision after the draft, but before FA.
I'm sure Flip is doing something, but it's frustrating to see the progress the Warriors are having compared to the silence about our Wolves... :(
Marc J. Spears ?@SpearsNBAYahoo 10m
Lionel Hollins is expected to interview for Warriors head coach opening during the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago next week, a source said.
khans2k5 wrote:I would imagine it being easier for Flip to go through the draft process without needing to consult with a new head coach regarding who to pick. I would expect for him to make a decision after the draft, but before FA.
this makes no sense. You NEED to have that input. Otherwise, you're looking for more reasons for coaches to not sign with you.
I would argue that a coach shouldn't matter for this year's draft for us. Our starting 5 is all but locked in already pending injuries. You pay scouts for a reason and we need talent, so you take BPA. We have holes everywhere but C and there isn't going to be a C on the board that is BPA unless Embiid drops which isn't happening. Having a coach in play is how you end up with Bud instead of Terrance Jones (would have been a much better backup than DC). Our best picks with the exception of D Will have been BPA and the worst have been because of fit or need (i.e. Wes Johnson over Cousins, Johnny Flynn because Ricky was 2 years away from the NBA versus trading Mayo for Love and drafting Ricky after he slid). Also add in that any new coach probably is way behind scouting this draft because they haven't needed to without the job yet. We'd just be adding an uninformed member to the decision making and having to play catch up. He's not going to say no because of not being here for the draft. If anything the draft could help our case to bring in a coach just as much as hurt it so it is a wash.
Taking a look from the other side Khans, I would worry that Flip might take the player that could help immediately over the more talented player if he believes he will be coaching.
Flynn wasn't picked because of fit. Kahn, based on input from the Wolves scouts and other front office people like Rob Babcock thought Flynn was the best player available at #6. In fact, our scouts had him rated ahead of Rubio. The Wolves took Wes Johnson over Cousins because Kahn was advised by others in the front office that Cousins had serious attitude issues and Kahn agreed. The front office consensus was that Wes had a huge upside and was the best player available, limited only by some concerns that Rambis expressed about Johnson's lack of intensity. Kahn wanted to deal for Budinger; that move wasn't pushed on him by Adellman. The Wolves passed on signing Iggy because Babcock and others in the front office had concerns about his attitude and salary. I don't know what those attitude issues were, but I heard that straight from David Kahn. Adelman would have been happy to have Iggy.
Bottom line is that having a head coach in place before the draft has never proved to be a problem for the Wolves. The problem has been terrible talent evaluation and decision-making by our front office people. Having another set of basketball eyes to help evaluate potential draftees can only help. And having a coach in place is essential to drafting the right type of player. I'm a big proponent of taking the best player available with a lottery pick, but often there are several players available at each pick who are roughly equal in overall talent. Therefore, the deciding factor is often the prospect's fit in the head coach's system.
In other words, there is no upside to delaying the head coach selection until after the draft and no excuse for Flip's deliberate foot-dragging. As I've said from the beginning, Flip is sandbagging in an effort to make it difficult for Taylor to say no to Flip's eventual decision to make himself the new head coach. I'm still counting on Glen to stay strong and make Flip do the right thing for the franchise. But I'm not holding my breath. In the meantime, the Knicks, Warriors and Lakers will no doubt hire new head coaches and we will probably be left to watch Flip take this franchise back to the start of another rebuilding process.
