Phenom's_Revenge wrote:In light of the recent movement with Joerger, I was thinking about what could have been had he been available to the Wolves. Now I have always been on board with the Thibs hire and he was my first choice but I liked the idea of Joerger here. He's the home grown guy obviously but he also is a workhorse like Thibs and is a top notch Xs and Os coach that demands defense.
The more I analyze the situation though I feel going after Joerger would have been a mistake. I was thinking back to a couple years ago when Joerger was all but hired as Adelmans successor. After it fell through and Flip took over, I remember a report that Rubio was not a fan of Joerger and preferred Flip. Why was that? Was it his style of play? I know there are concerns about Thibs playing a grind type style here based off reputation and Ricky, by all accounts, is thrilled to have him here. With recent reports that Conley and Gasol were not big on Joerger, I am thinking that Gasol had been sharing his opinions with Ricky about him as coach. Then I examine how quickly he jumped aboard in Sacramento when Houston or Indiana would have probably gladly interviewed him, and I question his mindset. Sacramento has a kooky bunch running things and Dave saw eye to eye with them immediately. Maybe it was just the money, or maybe he is dysfunctional himself. I can see him wanting out of a crazy situation in Memphis but it seems like he hopped right back on the train that is arguably more unstable. Either way I am so very happy Thibs wanted to come to Minnesota. We may have dodged a bullet. Or maybe I am reading too much into it.
Good observations Phenom. Yeah, we don't really know how Joerger is like behind the scenes, but the results speak for themselves. He did a hell of a job in terms of squeezing wins out of that Memphis roster. But you do have to question his judgment on the Sacramento gig. He's got some real characters in both directions of the reporting chain - Cousins underneath him and ownership above him.
Thibs came with his own set of questions but I agree I had a lot of those same thoughts about Joerger. What we know is that Joerger has twice tried to get himself a new job while being employed at a current job. He had plenty of reason to do so since both times his job was in jeopardy but it does make you wonder especially like it's been said here his final destination was the Kings who may be moving in the right direction with leadership but who knows the owner is still there. Joerger probably would have been my preference over Thibs a few weeks ago if I had my choice but now that we have him and Layden (who makes me feel good about Thibs having the POBO title) in place and the way Joerger's situation played out...I'm pretty happy with Thibs.
TeamRicky wrote:I guess Adrian Griffin will probably come play with Thibs now.
Good point unless the Magic hire him as their HC. It seems there are a lot of established guys they could pick from but Griffin's name has come up plenty when talking about young possible HC options in the past. I'd like him with Thibs though I was a fan of his as a player and have always heard very good things about him as a coach.
Orlando Magic announce that Scott Skiles has resigned as head coach.
It's a story as old as time itself: The GM comes from scouting and believes in drafting/teaching, the coach is the youngest member of The "Where's My Ready-Made Team Already!?!?!" school of coaching (Phil Jackson, President).
As a quasi-Magic fan, I am really disappointed in Skiles. He was NEVER going to be fired (he's not Steve-Spurrier-popular, but as former Magic players go, EASILY #1), and he should have just tried his best.
Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan signed a three-year contract, league sources tell @TheVertical. No options in the deal.
I thought McMillian was plenty deserving of another shot.i think this is more than just a solid hire even if he isn't a sexy name. If Bird gives him 3 years that's a pretty long time these days in NBA coaching. Lol
monsterpile wrote:Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan signed a three-year contract, league sources tell @TheVertical. No options in the deal.
I thought McMillian was plenty deserving of another shot.i think this is more than just a solid hire even if he isn't a sexy name. If Bird gives him 3 years that's a pretty long time these days in NBA coaching. Lol
Considering how even winning coaches are getting the hook lately, the Coach/POBO designation is probably going to become an even better negotiating tool.
monsterpile wrote:Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan signed a three-year contract, league sources tell @TheVertical. No options in the deal.
I thought McMillian was plenty deserving of another shot.i think this is more than just a solid hire even if he isn't a sexy name. If Bird gives him 3 years that's a pretty long time these days in NBA coaching. Lol
Considering how even winning coaches are getting the hook lately, the Coach/POBO designation is probably going to become an even better negotiating tool.
And you may see more guys taking a season or two off when they get that hook but are still getting paid to get ready for that next duel role gig similar to what Thibs did. It seems more of the experienced coaches are getting at last 3 years guaranteed.
I like the MacMillan signing. I think Nate is a great coach. Interesting that he became totally forgotten. Bird's a shrewd ballsy guy. Vogel by all accounts is a great basketball mind too. But I like that Bird demands excellence, even when the roster is mediocre. Now it is Bird's turn to make some moves, I hope it succeeds. I love Paul George and am glad he came back strong this year.
Van Gundy is no longer in contention for the head coaching job in Houston. D'Antoni is the frontrunner. I'd love it if Van Gundy wanted to be top assistant here, but its probably a longshot at best that he'd consider it given his current cushy job.
