FU Mickey Mouse......GDT

[thedoper]

Tough loss, was only following on game cast. You can see these young guys are not gonna be ok with "just improving". They want wins and now. I like the attitude Sammich is bringing.

Mitchell and Skiles seem sort of similar. Hard nosed, old school dudes. The question is IF we get good - I mean really good, not 7th or 8th seed good - is Mitchell the right guy for a veteran playoff team that by then is sound in the fundamentals and team defensive culture?

Depends what Towns and Wiggins think about Mitchell. Seriously.

It's a player's league.

Totally agree with that. And what they think about him now versus two or three years from now could change significantly.

Remember Bill Fitch (you must!)? Of course he was the Celtics coach during Larry's formative years and they won a title together. Two years later he was gone, yet the Celtic core largely stayed the same and they proceeded to win two more titles under K.C. Jones. I bet Larry felt differently about Fitch as a veteran versus as a rookie.

I'm a believer that players and talent trump coaches and ultimately you need a coach that a) aligns with the front office vision, but just as importantly b) fits with where the team is at in its life cycle. There are very few coaches who are capable of molding a bunch of kiddies into a group of disciplined, hardened vets and then is able to adjust his style to get the most out of the vets that he helped "raise". It just seems like you need two totally different approaches and that's just a huge stretch for a head coach to make.

I think that the GS situation is really interesting. The players loved Jackson, but clearly the team had another gear that Kerr was able to find. There was obviously friction between the FO and Jackson. But that seems to be an example of ownership and management going beyond the seeming desire of the players and install a coach who would give the extra edge.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Tough loss, was only following on game cast. You can see these young guys are not gonna be ok with "just improving". They want wins and now. I like the attitude Sammich is bringing.

Mitchell and Skiles seem sort of similar. Hard nosed, old school dudes. The question is IF we get good - I mean really good, not 7th or 8th seed good - is Mitchell the right guy for a veteran playoff team that by then is sound in the fundamentals and team defensive culture?

Depends what Towns and Wiggins think about Mitchell. Seriously.

It's a player's league.

Totally agree with that. And what they think about him now versus two or three years from now could change significantly.

Remember Bill Fitch (you must!)? Of course he was the Celtics coach during Larry's formative years and they won a title together. Two years later he was gone, yet the Celtic core largely stayed the same and they proceeded to win two more titles under K.C. Jones. I bet Larry felt differently about Fitch as a veteran versus as a rookie.

I'm a believer that players and talent trump coaches and ultimately you need a coach that a) aligns with the front office vision, but just as importantly b) fits with where the team is at in its life cycle. There are very few coaches who are capable of molding a bunch of kiddies into a group of disciplined, hardened vets and then is able to adjust his style to get the most out of the vets that he helped "raise". It just seems like you need two totally different approaches and that's just a huge stretch for a head coach to make.

I think that the GS situation is really interesting. The players loved Jackson, but clearly the team had another gear that Kerr was able to find. There was obviously friction between the FO and Jackson. But that seems to be an example of ownership and management going beyond the seeming desire of the players and install a coach who would give the extra edge.

Good example and Jackson deserves some level of credit for getting the team to the stage it was at, as I think Kerr himself has acknowledged. I think there are numerous situations like this.

In our case, it's clear that Mitchell is instilling a defensive mentality. We're not exactly elite, but think of some of the liabilities we have on the roster defensively and it's pretty impressive. He's coached this group up quite a bit so far. We'll see what the future holds. All I know is it's a good problem to have if we're arguing some day about whether Mitchell can coach us to a title run versus "just" making the playoffs!

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Zach Lowe wrote a good piece on the wolves a couple days ago, I'm too lazy to post it. He agrees with most here in that Sam isn't the long term answer. But I like what he's doing so far overall.

[Monster]

On whether Sam can be the guy going forward it's difficult to come up with a coach that started with a rebuild and went lol the way to a championship. First of all that's hard to do as a franchise much less 1 coach.

I said from the beginning that Sam might be a good fit as the guy to get this young team to a good place the next 2-3 years then maybe someone else comes in. What he has done so far has been pretty damn impressive.

One interesting thing I took away from one of Sam's practice media comments was how he is instilling habits to these young guys so they don't have to think about it it just happens. I have read a book "The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do" and it's very interesting deconstruction of how habits work. The author talked about how Tony Dungy was all about creating player habits and that was the basis of his coaching philosophy. He had a few unique twists to it but anyway... My point is that when Mitchell was talking about hammering these smart and sometimes small habits like catching the ball in the triple threat etc I found it interesting I suppose it's not mind blowing but this is a damn young team that needs structure and teaching. It seems Sam is doing just that. The coaching staff seems to have guys known for teaching the game including Gates, Saunders and even Lowe. I like that we have Gary Trent and he seems really invested in working with guys.

As it has been mentioned Mark Jackson is an interesting comp for Sam. A big difference in this case is the significant connection Sam has to basically the entire organization so it's not going to be easy parting with him. What bugs me about Sam is his treatment of the media and seeming lack of caring about being a go between in that area. It sorta feels like there is a void left in general for the wolves which makes sense when you had Flip and his personality for a couple years. Think about this though 2 of the best run franchises team talk about are the Spurs and the Patriots. They both have cranky coaches and front office guys that seem perfectly fine not being remotely high profile despite being high profile franchises. So maybe Sam softens up a bit or not maybe it doesn't matter and Milt just does his thing. Mike Greenberg said today when they were talking about Saben going off the other day said he thinks the best coaches don't talk to fans via the media but to his players. I found that and interesting perspective. Finally Steve Kerr was the winning coach of the finals last year but is it so ridiculous to think Mark Jacksom could have guided that team to a championship?

McHale I think proved himself to be a pretty good coach and he just got canned because of the players. It's interesting to think what may happen years from now but it's fun to see a coach like Sam teaching AND getting guys to play together with some sort of overall cohesiveness when they are on the floor. Let's hope he can keep it up its been fun as heck to watch. He has vastly exceeded expectations. I see these players as guys who really seem to be a unique collection of guys pretty eager and good dudes that won't start pouting and stopping play etc. of course the Playeds on the Thunder seem to be good dudes. Westbrook might be maddening but the dude is gonna play all out. At this point I am more on the edge of my seat in possible excitement of what Sam can accomplish than on my seat worrying if he is gonna screw it up.

[AbeVigodaLive]

On whether Sam can be the guy going forward it's difficult to come up with a coach that started with a rebuild and went lol the way to a championship. First of all that's hard to do as a franchise much less 1 coach.

I said from the beginning that Sam might be a good fit as the guy to get this young team to a good place the next 2-3 years then maybe someone else comes in. What he has done so far has been pretty damn impressive.

One interesting thing I took away from one of Sam's practice media comments was how he is instilling habits to these young guys so they don't have to think about it it just happens. I have read a book "The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do" and it's very interesting deconstruction of how habits work. The author talked about how Tony Dungy was all about creating player habits and that was the basis of his coaching philosophy. He had a few unique twists to it but anyway... My point is that when Mitchell was talking about hammering these smart and sometimes small habits like catching the ball in the triple threat etc I found it interesting I suppose it's not mind blowing but this is a damn young team that needs structure and teaching. It seems Sam is doing just that. The coaching staff seems to have guys known for teaching the game including Gates, Saunders and even Lowe. I like that we have Gary Trent and he seems really invested in working with guys.

As it has been mentioned Mark Jackson is an interesting comp for Sam. A big difference in this case is the significant connection Sam has to basically the entire organization so it's not going to be easy parting with him. What bugs me about Sam is his treatment of the media and seeming lack of caring about being a go between in that area. It sorta feels like there is a void left in general for the wolves which makes sense when you had Flip and his personality for a couple years. Think about this though 2 of the best run franchises team talk about are the Spurs and the Patriots. They both have cranky coaches and front office guys that seem perfectly fine not being remotely high profile despite being high profile franchises. So maybe Sam softens up a bit or not maybe it doesn't matter and Milt just does his thing. Mike Greenberg said today when they were talking about Saben going off the other day said he thinks the best coaches don't talk to fans via the media but to his players. I found that and interesting perspective. Finally Steve Kerr was the winning coach of the finals last year but is it so ridiculous to think Mark Jacksom could have guided that team to a championship?

McHale I think proved himself to be a pretty good coach and he just got canned because of the players. It's interesting to think what may happen years from now but it's fun to see a coach like Sam teaching AND getting guys to play together with some sort of overall cohesiveness when they are on the floor. Let's hope he can keep it up its been fun as heck to watch. He has vastly exceeded expectations. I see these players as guys who really seem to be a unique collection of guys pretty eager and good dudes that won't start pouting and stopping play etc. of course the Playeds on the Thunder seem to be good dudes. Westbrook might be maddening but the dude is gonna play all out. At this point I am more on the edge of my seat in possible excitement of what Sam can accomplish than on my seat worrying if he is gonna screw it up.

Based on what we know about Mitchell... and what you've written... I can be talked into him as a good coach teaching a young team about being professional NBA players and getting that foundation.

As far as Jackson and GSW... I just don't think he had the chops to instill the things that has pushed GSW over the top. That offense is a thing of beauty, yet they were barely above average with Jackson there. Did the players change THAT much? Or, were they simply given more opportunities to maximize their gifts?

[Monster]

On whether Sam can be the guy going forward it's difficult to come up with a coach that started with a rebuild and went lol the way to a championship. First of all that's hard to do as a franchise much less 1 coach.

I said from the beginning that Sam might be a good fit as the guy to get this young team to a good place the next 2-3 years then maybe someone else comes in. What he has done so far has been pretty damn impressive.

One interesting thing I took away from one of Sam's practice media comments was how he is instilling habits to these young guys so they don't have to think about it it just happens. I have read a book "The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do" and it's very interesting deconstruction of how habits work. The author talked about how Tony Dungy was all about creating player habits and that was the basis of his coaching philosophy. He had a few unique twists to it but anyway... My point is that when Mitchell was talking about hammering these smart and sometimes small habits like catching the ball in the triple threat etc I found it interesting I suppose it's not mind blowing but this is a damn young team that needs structure and teaching. It seems Sam is doing just that. The coaching staff seems to have guys known for teaching the game including Gates, Saunders and even Lowe. I like that we have Gary Trent and he seems really invested in working with guys.

As it has been mentioned Mark Jackson is an interesting comp for Sam. A big difference in this case is the significant connection Sam has to basically the entire organization so it's not going to be easy parting with him. What bugs me about Sam is his treatment of the media and seeming lack of caring about being a go between in that area. It sorta feels like there is a void left in general for the wolves which makes sense when you had Flip and his personality for a couple years. Think about this though 2 of the best run franchises team talk about are the Spurs and the Patriots. They both have cranky coaches and front office guys that seem perfectly fine not being remotely high profile despite being high profile franchises. So maybe Sam softens up a bit or not maybe it doesn't matter and Milt just does his thing. Mike Greenberg said today when they were talking about Saben going off the other day said he thinks the best coaches don't talk to fans via the media but to his players. I found that and interesting perspective. Finally Steve Kerr was the winning coach of the finals last year but is it so ridiculous to think Mark Jacksom could have guided that team to a championship?

McHale I think proved himself to be a pretty good coach and he just got canned because of the players. It's interesting to think what may happen years from now but it's fun to see a coach like Sam teaching AND getting guys to play together with some sort of overall cohesiveness when they are on the floor. Let's hope he can keep it up its been fun as heck to watch. He has vastly exceeded expectations. I see these players as guys who really seem to be a unique collection of guys pretty eager and good dudes that won't start pouting and stopping play etc. of course the Playeds on the Thunder seem to be good dudes. Westbrook might be maddening but the dude is gonna play all out. At this point I am more on the edge of my seat in possible excitement of what Sam can accomplish than on my seat worrying if he is gonna screw it up.

Based on what we know about Mitchell... and what you've written... I can be talked into him as a good coach teaching a young team about being professional NBA players and getting that foundation.

As far as Jackson and GSW... I just don't think he had the chops to instill the things that has pushed GSW over the top. That offense is a thing of beauty, yet they were barely above average with Jackson there. Did the players change THAT much? Or, were they simply given more opportunities to maximize their gifts?

I don't disagree with you but that was a healthy roster And like I think you were pointing out a couple players stepped up over the previous year as well. My point isn't to take away from Kerr or say Jackson could have gotten it done I just think it's unfair that it feels like some people (not singling anyone out just a general public feeling from NBA fans and media) seem to just assume a forgone conclusion that Jackson couldn't have got it done. I think that's worth noting IF we want to conclude Sam essentially=Mark Jackson in coaching roles for downtrodden franchises moving up to championship status. Obviously it's only an interesting comparison as they are not the same guy and Mitchell already has one coaching stint under his belt compared to Jackson who had nothing but did a heck of a job and should be plenty proud.

Scott Skiles is the guy in Orlando who was a good hire for that young team but could he be a guy to win a championship if they had enough talent? Idk the two teams in the finals last year had rookie coaches. How good were those guys really? :) Personally I give both those coaches a ton of credit for doing what they did. Blatt and his staff did something pretty amazing those last few games even if they did have Lebron and some other worthwhile dudes. Coaching is always a tricky thing to predict who will ultimately be successful. Wasn't it Pop that almost got fired in his first year or so on the job?

[AbeVigodaLive]

On whether Sam can be the guy going forward it's difficult to come up with a coach that started with a rebuild and went lol the way to a championship. First of all that's hard to do as a franchise much less 1 coach.

I said from the beginning that Sam might be a good fit as the guy to get this young team to a good place the next 2-3 years then maybe someone else comes in. What he has done so far has been pretty damn impressive.

One interesting thing I took away from one of Sam's practice media comments was how he is instilling habits to these young guys so they don't have to think about it it just happens. I have read a book "The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do" and it's very interesting deconstruction of how habits work. The author talked about how Tony Dungy was all about creating player habits and that was the basis of his coaching philosophy. He had a few unique twists to it but anyway... My point is that when Mitchell was talking about hammering these smart and sometimes small habits like catching the ball in the triple threat etc I found it interesting I suppose it's not mind blowing but this is a damn young team that needs structure and teaching. It seems Sam is doing just that. The coaching staff seems to have guys known for teaching the game including Gates, Saunders and even Lowe. I like that we have Gary Trent and he seems really invested in working with guys.

As it has been mentioned Mark Jackson is an interesting comp for Sam. A big difference in this case is the significant connection Sam has to basically the entire organization so it's not going to be easy parting with him. What bugs me about Sam is his treatment of the media and seeming lack of caring about being a go between in that area. It sorta feels like there is a void left in general for the wolves which makes sense when you had Flip and his personality for a couple years. Think about this though 2 of the best run franchises team talk about are the Spurs and the Patriots. They both have cranky coaches and front office guys that seem perfectly fine not being remotely high profile despite being high profile franchises. So maybe Sam softens up a bit or not maybe it doesn't matter and Milt just does his thing. Mike Greenberg said today when they were talking about Saben going off the other day said he thinks the best coaches don't talk to fans via the media but to his players. I found that and interesting perspective. Finally Steve Kerr was the winning coach of the finals last year but is it so ridiculous to think Mark Jacksom could have guided that team to a championship?

McHale I think proved himself to be a pretty good coach and he just got canned because of the players. It's interesting to think what may happen years from now but it's fun to see a coach like Sam teaching AND getting guys to play together with some sort of overall cohesiveness when they are on the floor. Let's hope he can keep it up its been fun as heck to watch. He has vastly exceeded expectations. I see these players as guys who really seem to be a unique collection of guys pretty eager and good dudes that won't start pouting and stopping play etc. of course the Playeds on the Thunder seem to be good dudes. Westbrook might be maddening but the dude is gonna play all out. At this point I am more on the edge of my seat in possible excitement of what Sam can accomplish than on my seat worrying if he is gonna screw it up.

Based on what we know about Mitchell... and what you've written... I can be talked into him as a good coach teaching a young team about being professional NBA players and getting that foundation.

As far as Jackson and GSW... I just don't think he had the chops to instill the things that has pushed GSW over the top. That offense is a thing of beauty, yet they were barely above average with Jackson there. Did the players change THAT much? Or, were they simply given more opportunities to maximize their gifts?

I don't disagree with you but that was a healthy roster And like I think you were pointing out a couple players stepped up over the previous year as well. My point isn't to take away from Kerr or say Jackson could have gotten it done I just think it's unfair that it feels like some people (not singling anyone out just a general public feeling from NBA fans and media) seem to just assume a forgone conclusion that Jackson couldn't have got it done. I think that's worth noting IF we want to conclude Sam essentially=Mark Jackson in coaching roles for downtrodden franchises moving up to championship status. Obviously it's only an interesting comparison as they are not the same guy and Mitchell already has one coaching stint under his belt compared to Jackson who had nothing but did a heck of a job and should be plenty proud.

Scott Skiles is the guy in Orlando who was a good hire for that young team but could he be a guy to win a championship if they had enough talent? Idk the two teams in the finals last year had rookie coaches. How good were those guys really? :) Personally I give both those coaches a ton of credit for doing what they did. Blatt and his staff did something pretty amazing those last few games even if they did have Lebron and some other worthwhile dudes. Coaching is always a tricky thing to predict who will ultimately be successful. Wasn't it Pop that almost got fired in his first year or so on the job?

I'm a huge Kerr and GSW fan. That team played differently from the jump last season. I just don't see them making that leap offensively with Jackson, but it's all opinion.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Steph Curry's coaches so far - Don Nelson, Keith Smart, Mark Jackson, and Steve Kerr.

Dirk Nowitzki - Don Nelson, Avery Johnson and Rick Carlisle.

Tim Duncan - Gregg Popovich

Michael Jordan (Bulls career only) - Kevin Loughery, Stan Albeck, Doug Collins and Phil Jackson

Shaq (LA Lakers career only) - Del Harris and Phil Jackson

Dwyane Wade - Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy, and Erik Spoelstra

So other than Duncan, most of these superstars that have/had a great run with a single team went through multiple coaches. And a lot of them were damn good - they just couldn't breakthrough to a Finals win.

It's hard to say coaching continuity matters much in the NBA.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Steph Curry's coaches so far - Don Nelson, Keith Smart, Mark Jackson, and Steve Kerr.

Dirk Nowitzki - Don Nelson, Avery Johnson and Rick Carlisle.

Tim Duncan - Gregg Popovich

Michael Jordan (Bulls career only) - Kevin Loughery, Stan Albeck, Doug Collins and Phil Jackson

Shaq (LA Lakers career only) - Del Harris and Phil Jackson

Dwyane Wade - Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy, and Erik Spoelstra

So other than Duncan, most of these superstars that have/had a great run with a single team went through multiple coaches. And a lot of them were damn good - they just couldn't breakthrough to a Finals win.

It's hard to say coaching continuity matters much in the NBA.

Speaking of Carlisle... damn... he seems like a good coach.

Dallas is 8 - 4 right now. After losing out on D. Jordan and everybody else... and with almost nothing from its other marquee FA, Wes Matthews.

[TAFKASP]

McHale I think proved himself to be a pretty good coach and he just got canned because of the players.

Kevin getting fired, basically because of the players got me thinking about the makeup of the Wolves roster. Their roster is filled with level headed people, young yes, but the all genuinely appear to the non-knucklehead types. While I acknowledge people can and do change, I would also say most people's personalities are pretty set by their 20's. This fact is singularly responsible for much of this forums debate regarding Wiggins.

The reason I bring this up in relation to Houston is look at their two best players, Harden, phenomenally talented, yet he's always come across as very aloof. Then you the great Dwight, the coach killer, the ego, it's never his fault kinda guy. Are their two other talented players in the league that aren't outwardly petulant, off court problem children, that would be worse players to build a team around?

Flip was dead on in his focus on building a Timberwolves family! You need to build around players that want to be part of the family, not just the organization/payroll. While talent reigns supreme in the NBA, alone it doesn't form the basis for long term success. The most continuously competitive team in the NBA resides in San Antonio, over the current run how many key players were as aloof as Harden, or self centered as Dwight?

I really think as the years go on, whether we realize it or not, we are going to really miss Flip being the head of this family!