New coach prospects: breakdown strengths and weaknesses and your picks

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I think Thibs should be in the mix, but my question is how will he adapt to the players? It appears to me that this team needs to play with pace - not SSOL gimmicky pace, but above average pace. We simply don't have the physicality to play a grind-it-out game of trench warfare. Can he combine his famed defensive acumen with an uptempo offense?

Yes, thank you for saying it better than I could

But again, we are talking here like this team is done building pieces. The trio of Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka was light-years better than our core....but they haven't won yet. If everyone's goal is to win a championship, this team will need to evolve and change to make that happen. Right now, we have some athletic guys, and everyone thinks that because of this, you need to play with pace. Well, a guy like Wiggins, while supremely athletic, hasn't yet shown anything close to an interest in playing at a crazed pace. Quite the opposite actually.....he plays slow. And while Towns is also gifted, he is certainly equipped long term to play any style. Lavine certainly makes sense to play faster style. I think more often than not, people think we need to play fast to get the most out of Rubio. I just don't necessarily build the teams tempo from a guy that realistically could be replaced at some point in the not-so-distant future. And if this team will truly contend, we are going to need a couple other major pieces....and no one can predict what style they may play.

It reminds me of my kids 10 year old basketball team. They run the same offensive scheme taught at our HS level. The problem is that most of the kids don't have the fundamentals or smarts to pick it up at this age. They seem to forget that you can build off key components, like defense, and then worry about applying more complicated schemes down the road. Sam as made it very clear, and I believe him here, that many guys on this team are ill-equipped with many basic skills. Thibs seems like a guy that given his success in the past, can provide some of these building blocks.

I'm not suggesting we play with pace just because we're athletic. It's also because we have a bunch of skinny guys that have a tough time in slow-paced slugfests. Dieng, Towns, Wiggins, LaVine....This isn't Noah, Boozer, Butler, and Rose. May be some day a few of these guys fill out more and their legs get stronger, but they aren't there yet.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I don't understand why some think that Thibs can't or won't adapt to whatever roster he has. Explain that to me. He's been around the league long enough, won enough games, to know that your best chance of success is playing to your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses. He doesn't give me the Adelman/Karl vibe.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I'm usually not a podcast guy... but...

Just listened to Zach Lowe's podcast. Thibs was mentioned and how he wasn't a good fit for NY because it's pretty obvious that he wants a dual role. GM/coach. Or, at the very least to be the most powerful guy in the organization. Does this give the rumors more steam?

1. It explains the dalliance during the season a bit. Would Thibs get both roles here?
2. Or, is Milt the perfect complement? A quieter guy behind the scenes and Thibs becomes the face of the franchise. Maybe Milt is staying...?

[Monster]

I'm usually not a podcast guy... but...

Just listened to Zach Lowe's podcast. Thibs was mentioned and how he wasn't a good fit for NY because it's pretty obvious that he wants a dual role. GM/coach. Or, at the very least to be the most powerful guy in the organization. Does this give the rumors more steam?

1. It explains the dalliance during the season a bit. Would Thibs get both roles here?
2. Or, is Milt the perfect complement? A quieter guy behind the scenes and Thibs becomes the face of the franchise. Maybe Milt is staying...?

Interesting thoughts and info Abe. Late this evening I finished listening to that podcast with Thibs and Simmons and it was a pretty good listen. Thibs probably has a pretty good comfort level with Simmons since he is Boston guy and all that but he seemed plenty relaxed and was joking around. He seemed pretty content taking the year off and while he has stayed around the game to a certain extent he said he was doing some normal stuff too. If there is one guy that's seen pretty much everything the last 25+ years it's Thibs. Probably about any coach in settings like that sounds pretty smart but he coached on some good teams and coached against some very good players. I enjoyed listening to him talk about a number of topics including his time around team USA.

Honestly based on my limited info I could see Thibs and Milt working well together. Both guys are strong willed no nonsense stubborn guys but if they have the same philosophies that's what matters. Thibs said he has a board of directors he will be consulting when it comes to that next job and he certainly has ties to the Wolves in a variety of ways. He was an assistant here years ago with Mussleman a guy he was really interested in and went and watched his practices. He and KG have a good relationship. JVG was very close with Flip. Doc was close with Flip. I am almost certain Flip said he basically talked to Thibs about the job at one point but I know he said they asked permission to talk to him when he was still with the Bulls and they declined. There are plenty of connections and maybe some we don't even know about it wouldn't be out of left field of he came here.

To me the question about him going to the Knicks might be more about Phil than anything else. Do you want to work with Phil but the bigger question is does he want to work with you? Do you fit into his coaching philosophy? My guess is Luke Walton is at the top of Phil's list but maybe the zen master does have interest in Thibs and his masters in counseling degree. :)

Here is an interesting old article that outlines Thibs history and some interesting and entertaining nuggets.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/06/03/attention_to_detail/

[Coolbreeze44]

My best case scenario if I had the power to put together POBO / Coach Team:

POBO: Dave Checketts

Coach: Kevin Ollie

[Coolbreeze44]

Jeez the coach is tough. I really like Jensen too. Ollie or Jensen.

[Coolbreeze44]

Damn, with Checketts, you might be able to draw SVG too.

[Monster]

Jeez the coach is tough. I really like Jensen too. Ollie or Jensen.

Right now Ollie is my favorite option of the young coaches likely to be available. I don't think I could say why but he is.

[TRKO [enjin:12664595]]

There are a number of quality coaches out there and I think we have a great job to offer. I actually want a tough coach to put with these guys. I don't buy into the theory of working them too hard. Had Derrick Rose not had the knee issues the Bulls outlook would have looked totally different. I think Thibs is the man for the job and his toughness will get the most out of our guys. If Thibs doesn't want it Izzo, Walton, or Brooks would all be great choices.

[Monster]

I don't understand why some think that Thibs can't or won't adapt to whatever roster he has. Explain that to me. He's been around the league long enough, won enough games, to know that your best chance of success is playing to your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses. He doesn't give me the Adelman/Karl vibe.

Cam I think the reason for this is that's the narrative that's been presented about Thibs. Remember Adelman and Karl have for most of their careers been celebrated as guys that coach to their rosters offensively. There is some YouTube video out there that shows how much Thibs ran the triangle. I haven't watched it but that's because I bet tons of coaches run some actions that are very much like the triangle. Ultimately my point is there is a lot we get told that may not be accurate and a lot we aren't told at all that matters both good and bad. This isn't just about sports either it extends much farther than that.