East Conference Coaches Grade

Discussion in 'NBA General' started by SunnyD, Apr 13, 2006.

  1. SunnyD

    SunnyD Sexiest Poster Alive (Yessir)

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    http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5492820<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>NBA coaches have much more of an impact on their players than do the coaches in any other major sport. Like their peers in the NFL, NHL and in MLB, they create a social-and-working environment that's crucial to their teams' success. But NBA coaches make many more in-game decisions per minute, and that's the difference that makes the difference.So, let's scrutinize the work done by the league's 30 resident coaches, beginning with the Eastern Conference.Mike Woodson, AtlantaIt's entirely conceivable that the Hawks will double their win total from last season (13). For sure, the signing of Joe Johnson was a major factor, but so was Woodson's steady hand. Early in the current go-round, the team was wracked by dissension between the veteran and the young players and even between several of the Hawks' kiddy-corps and the coaching staff. But Woodson calmed the waters enough for the Hawks to continue playing hard, especially at home. (As is symptomatic of all young teams, Atlanta is abysmal on the road.) While the Hawks are still a long ways from achieving mediocrity, at least they are suffering growing pains instead of terminal agonies.Grade: B Doc Rivers, Boston"The Trade" left the Celtics slower and less athletic, but presumably that's not Rivers' fault. What Rivers can be blamed for, however, is his mishandling of the roster. Injuries were a considerable factor, but Rivers never quite made up his mind about whether to go with the vets or the youngsters. It took several weeks of Hall-of-Fame performances by Paul Pierce to foster the illusion that the Celtics were indeed making progress and had a viable future with the players already at hand. But this is just another pipe dream indulged in by the desperate Celtics faithful who yearn for the enchanted days of yore. Doc Rivers is the latest coach to have a tough go of it in Boston. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images) Wherever he's coached, Rivers' blithe arrogance and phony bonhomie has always created a mistrustful distance between him and too many of his players. That's the primary reason why the Celts have taken a giant step backwards since the 45 wins they posted last season.Grade: D+<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Bernie Bickerstaff, CharlotteOne year advanced from expansion, the Bobcats have taken a small step towards respectability. Even without the services of their franchise player, Emeka Okafor, for most of the season, the Bobcats never stopped playing hard. Meanwhile, Bickerstaff has successfully groomed Raymond Felton to take over the point-guard slot, developed a degree of consistency in Gerald Wallace, established Primoz Brezec as an adequate center, and enabled Bernard Robinson to develop into an explosive sixth man. Bickerstaff also delivered a powerful message when he unceremoniously cut Kareem Rush along with his guaranteed contract for lackadaisical play. Slowly but surely, the Bobcats are building toward a respectable future.Grade: B</div>Scott Skiles, ChicagoShould the possibility of squeezing into the playoffs only to be ousted in four or five first-round games be taken as a sign of progress? No, especially not in the wake of the Bulls' shameful loss to Philly last Saturday in Chicago, no less! In truth, the feistiness has gone out of this team and the deficiencies in the physical size and overall talent-level have become increasingly evident. Obviously, Skiles' in-your-face mode of coaching is no longer functional with this particular group of players. Even though the Bulls are only three seasons into a new-look rebuilding program, the blueprint must be drastically revised. Skiles is a Billy Martin type, who can generate incredible passion for two or three seasons before becoming too manic to retain the loyalty of his players.Grade: D+Mike Brown, ClevelandSo LeBron will finally get to strut his stuff in the playoffs. Having a lock on the fourth seed, the Cavs should have a relatively easy time in the first round against any of their probable opponents Washington, Milwaukee, or Indiana. Next up would be the Pistons, and the real test for both LeBron and Brown. Extending Detroit to six games would be quite an accomplishment.Actually, considering that the Cavs' blue-chip free agent, Larry Hughes, was injured for most of the season, Brown has done a yeoman's job in keeping his team competitive. He didn't bet the mortgage on Damon Jones, got the most out of both Drew Gooden and Eric Snow, slowly nurtured young Anderson Varejao to the point where he's a valuable sub, kept Zydrunas Ilgauskas reasonably healthy, and has Donyell Marshall primed for the postseason. All this without any public blow-ups, too!The Cavs are still light years away from contending for a championship. They need more defensive-minded players on all fronts, more power in the middle, more reliable perimeter shooters, etc. And to prevent the league's elite defensive teams from too easily ganging up on LeBron, the Cavs need to minimize the number of times that their franchise player begins his offensive adventures from a dead stop.Grade: BFlip Saunders, DetroitIf it ain't broken, make it work even better. By opening up the Pistons' offense, and by shunning his predecessor's picayune nagging and shrill correctives, Saunders has restored the joy of playing. Aside from periodical bouts of boredom, Detroit has maintained its intensity throughout the season.So far, so great. But how will Saunders react as the Pistons get deeper into the playoffs and the pressure mounts? Will he be able to make the miniscule adjustments that spell the difference between champions and also-rans? Flip Saunders' players have clearly been listening to him. (Allen Einstein / Getty Images) Grade: A+Rick Carlisle, IndianaInjuries are the name of the game in the NBA. But even when all hands are on board, the Pacers are a severely flawed ball club. Their relatively dismal performance this season only indicates how much they overachieved in winning 44 games last season. If the roster needs to be overturned, Carlisle did an admirable job of keeping Indiana's jalopy in the race.Grade: B Pat Riley, MiamiA team not playing hard under Pat Riley! Unheard of. Until now.Okay, Riley's face-to-chest confrontation with Shaq convinced the Big Load to drop 20+ pounds. But the Heat are still comprised of too many dysfunctional pieces to duplicate last season's near-miss in the conference finals. Has Riley done any better than Stan Van Gundy? Not so far.Grade: C-Terry Stotts, MilwaukeeAfter their scintillating early-season successes, the Bucks have fallen on hard times. Andrew Bogut has been just okay. The more Jamaal Magloire plays, the more his limitations become evident. T. J. Ford has lost some of his zest. Michael Redd is inconsistent. And the league has caught up with Bobby Simmons. Through it all, however, Stotts has Milwaukee on the verge of a postseason berth. Give him credit for taking risks and for reaching deep into his bench.Grade: B-Lawrence Frank, New JerseyOf their Big Three superstars, only Jason Kidd is totally legit. Vince Carter is supremely talented, yet when the Nets try to ride him in the endgame, he forces shots, makes turnovers, and loses more games than he wins. Richard Jefferson is terrific in a broken field, and can play aggressive defense. And Kidd remains the best all-around point guard in the league others may shoot better, but none of his peers can pass, post, rebound, or play superior defense. Besides these guys, Frank isn't exactly playing with an All-Star cast. Nenad Krstic is basically a 7-0 jump shooter. Jason Collins takes up lots of space. Clifford "Ancient of Days" Robinson is the only semi-reliable sub. And there isn't an adequate backup to Kidd. Somehow, though, Frank has managed to juggle the available spare parts and lead the Nets to the top of the Atlantic Division.It says here that Frank's biggest mistake is to exclusively put the ball in VC's hands whenever a game is on the line. Let J-Kidd be the doer.Grade: B+Larry Brown, New York Larry Brown hasn't exactly been an A student with the Knicks. (Julie Jacobson / Associated Press) Apparently, Larry Brown believed he could simply place his Hall-of-Fame butt on the bench and the Knicks would miraculously turn into an unselfish, intelligent, flexible, defense-oriented team. After all, severing the lines of communication with his players yet relentlessly criticizing them in the media was good enough to get him enshrined in Springfield. So were his phony mea culpas publicly delivered after embarrassing losses. Plus his incessant nagging, as well as his insistence that a coach isn't responsible for motivating his players. Too bad for all concerned that the Knicks' first season under LB didn't work out that way. And if Brown is now claiming that he loves his "young kids," then why didn't he play them on a more regular basis when the Knicks' season was still alive?In the ruthless world of professional sports, an individual's reputation must be validated every time the lights are switched on. Unfortunately, Brown has performed more like a rookie coach than a certified immortal.Grade: F-Brian Hill, OrlandoDitching Stevie Francis and handing the reins to Jameer Nelson was a huge step in the right direction. As Nelson learns to be more of a pass-first point guard, the Magic will be able to contend for a playoff spot as soon as next season. That said, Orlando's late-season flurry of wins is misleading. Winning meaningless games over foes who have either clinched their postseason positions or are eagerly looking forward to vacation time should not be overestimated. Still, where other going-nowhere ball clubs have gone belly-up, Hill has kept the Magic competitive. A not insignificant feat. At the same time, it should be noted that Orlando will fall short of last season's 36 wins.Grade: C+Maurice Cheeks, PhiladelphiaAfter Cheeks flopped in Portland, why did Billy King think he'd succeed in Philadelphia? Because he once was an outstanding player in the Cheese-Steak City? Because AI didn't hate his guts? In any event, Cheeks' presence didn't make a team player out of Iverson or a clutch player out of Chris Webber. Cheeks did, however, make some poor decisions. Like mishandling Samuel Dalembert and not furthering the development of Andre Iguodala. And what about trying to trade Steven Hunter and then, after a medical exam nixed the deal, inserting Hunter (temporarily as it turned out) into the starting lineup?Barely qualifying for the right to be demolished by the Pistons in the playoffs would not in any way salvage the Sixers' lost season. In order to get the team back on the right track, King, Iverson, and Cheeks should ride the same train out of town.Grade: D-Sam Mitchell, TorontoWith the likes of Charlie Villanueva, Chris Bosh, Mo Peterson, Matt Bonner, and Mike James on the roster, the whole has been less than the sum of the parts. Perhaps there have been too many roster changes and the current mix of personalities (and specific talents) hasn't had enough time to blend. Perhaps there's too large a hole in the middle. Or maybe Mitchell's fiery approach to his job should be blamed. Whatever the reasons, the Raptors are in retreat, and radical renovations are in order.Grade: D+Eddie Jordan, WashingtonHow could any NBA watcher anticipate that Brendan Haywood would regress? Or that Antonio Daniels would be such a dud? Or that the Atlantic Division would be so ridiculously inept? Add up all these surprises and it's nothing short of miraculous that the Wizards are on the verge of claiming the fifth seed in the forthcoming Eastern Conference playoffs. Most of the Wizards' unexpected good news was generated by the quantum leap in Gilbert Arenas' season-long performances. And even though Washington will fail to match last season's 45 wins, Jordan deserves plaudits for giving Arenas a green light, and for managing to keep his ball club even marginally competitive.Grade: C+</div>I double quoted a few I thought were questionable.How in the world is Bernie Bickerstaff a B? I agree that Primoz is better thanks to him, but Felton would have got to where he is without Bernie. I don't think he has made Gerald consistant though. Bernie gets a C in my books.Pat Riley a C+? Give me a break. Shaq dropping weight has made him more agile. HE JUST GOT A TRIPLE DOUBLE. Pat hasn't done bad at all.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Has Riley done any better than Stan Van Gundy? Not so far</div>But Van Gundy was good. He doesn't have to be exactly live SVG to be an A. Give him a B+.
     
  2. ChuckTheD

    ChuckTheD BBW Elite Member

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    Haha, F- for Larry Brown.
     
  3. SerbBojo

    SerbBojo BBW Member

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    Larry Brown hahaha, hes the highest paid coach in the nba and the team is horribe!!!!!!!!Skiles got a pretty bad grade, dunno why, the team is in the 8th spot and they no longer have a inside presence that they use to have with Curry or AD. They have played pretty well considering their position
     
  4. nba dogmatist

    nba dogmatist BBW Member

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    Doc doesn't even deserve a D+..
     
  5. SunnyD

    SunnyD Sexiest Poster Alive (Yessir)

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SerbBojo @ Apr 13 2006, 09:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Larry Brown hahaha, hes the highest paid coach in the nba and the team is horribe!!!!!!!!Skiles got a pretty bad grade, dunno why, the team is in the 8th spot and they no longer have a inside presence that they use to have with Curry or AD. They have played pretty well considering their position</div>Some coaches I thought were graded too small were Skiles, Rick Carlisle, Doc Rivers and Pat Riley.Western Conference coaches next week.
     
  6. Heatfan32

    Heatfan32 BBW Elite Member

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    The Bobcats are going to be good,there walking the right path,overall the whole coachins staff has been doing good.I also believe Pat deserves B+.
     
  7. ballorama

    ballorama BBW Member

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    Yay! Flip gets a A+ [​IMG]. He deserved it IMO.But its not really Larrys fault he got the F- its Isiah and how he built the team. You cant blame the coach, if you put Phil Jacson or Pop on there they will be jus as bad.
     
  8. nba dogmatist

    nba dogmatist BBW Member

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    Rick Carlisle is underrated out the <Censored>.And i can't believe Skiles only got a D+. That's ridiculous. He deserves an A.
     
  9. 7Goat

    7Goat BBW Hip-Hop Head

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    I laugh at Larry Brown...pretty accurate IMO, except maybe Brian Hill, but it's all good.
     
  10. Regulator

    Regulator BBW Member

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    Eddie Jordan should be an F+Look at that team. Just look at it. Full of stars.Ok, he doesn't know anything about positions and starting lineups. The Wizards usual lineup is PG Arenas, SG Jeffries, SF Butler, PF Jamison, C Haywood. Jeffries is 6'11, come on now... Recently E. Thomas got the start at center, and Daniels played point while Arenas played the 2 guard. Jeffries now started at SF twice, and in those 2 games he got a double double both times. Not starting Daniels until Butler got injured was dumb. He is one of the smartest players in the league, and Arenas is more of a SG anyways. Rookie PG/SG Donell Taylor is goooood. Everytime he's on a roll, Eddie Jordan takes him out of the game. Rookie PF Andray Blatche is also goooood. He never plays. Eddie Jordan calls time outs on fast breaks, or wastes them, then wonders at the end of the game while their game is so sloppy. I don't see how the Wizards are only 39-39. They should be at least 50 and 28.EDIT: Also, Thomas started the last 7 games, and they're 2-5......
     
  11. Diesel

    Diesel BBW Member

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    Pat Riley has done an amazing job. Since Riley took over the Heat are around 66% winning rate. That seems pretty good to me. I'll look up the actual record soon. Not to mentione he has to put up with all those egos.Under Pat Riley: 40-17Under Stan Van Gundy: 11-10Riley has been pretty damn good.
     
  12. Heatfan32

    Heatfan32 BBW Elite Member

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    I think Skiles deserves a B or A possibly,that team is loaded on rookies and there in the playoffs so far so well done for him,now for the Wizards,they deserve there record,they have no big men/a real center.
     

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