Coaching search

[1 Eye Jack]

I don’t see it’s been mentioned much because we haven’t let go of Billups yet, but I think we’d be better off making a coaching decision by all star break.

I like Tiago and like his system but huge risk with no NBA head coaching experience. Lots of things I like about him so wouldn’t be upset with this system moving forward but if he’s not the coach then 99% chance we go back to playing slower pace. That completely changes what we should be working on this year. It also has huge affect on personnel decisions.

1. Bench is horrendous with no shooting besides Grant. Obviously we get Dame back next year so that helps but if this is the system we need better 3 and D guys. Open floor up for drives and kick outs.
2. If this style of play then Clingan doesn’t fit at least as starter
3. If you switch coaches it gives players chance to learn new system this year in development year and you don’t waste half of next season learning new system
4. Also making a decision this year gives you a chance to hire a coach before other teams.

Agree or disagree? Any coaches out there you’d want over Tiago (assume no chance Billups is back)?

 

[Hoopguru]

Rajon Rondo - young guy, always played to win, defense minded, teacher of the game, fire in his belly still. He's been assisting the Bucks last couple years. He will be a coach eventually.

 

[Phatguysrule]

I'm fine with Splitter. That's the kind of guy I would have been looking to hire anyway (not a retread).

Give him the job and then give him enough talent.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Nothing like pissing our new soon to be owner by starting a coaching search before he takes over the team.

But yes, I expect our new owner to replace the coach and GM.

 

[BassPlaya]

I don’t see it’s been mentioned much because we haven’t let go of Billups yet, but I think we’d be better off making a coaching decision by all star break.

I like Tiago and like his system but huge risk with no NBA head coaching experience. Lots of things I like about him so wouldn’t be upset with this system moving forward but if he’s not the coach then 99% chance we go back to playing slower pace. That completely changes what we should be working on this year. It also has huge affect on personnel decisions.

1. Bench is horrendous with no shooting besides Grant. Obviously we get Dame back next year so that helps but if this is the system we need better 3 and D guys. Open floor up for drives and kick outs.
2. If this style of play then Clingan doesn’t fit at least as starter
3. If you switch coaches it gives players chance to learn new system this year in development year and you don’t waste half of next season learning new system
4. Also making a decision this year gives you a chance to hire a coach before other teams.

Agree or disagree? Any coaches out there you’d want over Tiago (assume no chance Billups is back)?

1. Disagree & agree. I like the bench...they're currently being starters. So now because they're being asked to be starters, that will pay dividends in the long run. Picture our team fully healthy. Picture what the bench will look like then. But as far as shooting, I feel like this team has the worst shooters in the league top to bottom.

2. Sort of agree....but this is the year they design around him. Right now just trying to assemble a lineup to compete night in and night out. Perhaps some returning players and a consistent starting lineup will allow that to happen.

3. Agree....however, the unsaid jewel here is the growth benefit of continuity. New coach will mean new assistants. We have a lot of young players that might regress with yet a different coach this season. Split was already familiar. I think they played the right card on this one so far.

4. Agree. That said, which coaches are available, depends on the time of the year as well.

 

[GoZers]

I think Mike Malone is a good coach. Not exactly sure what happened in Denver, but assume its not good, so its a red flag.
Taylor Jenkins did a good job in Memphis with a roster full of challenging personalities. Not sure who could last any longer there. The current guy is running out of time already.

But I would take a chance on Chris Quinn. Entire coaching exposure is under Erik Spoelstra, and the Heat. Younger, relatable, smart guy who will be a HC eventually. Role player in NBA which I actually like more than a star (Rondo).

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Micah Nori would be my #1 target

 

[GoZers]

I'll never understand why organizations, who are willing to throw huge dollars at some suspect players, won't call a guy like Spoelstra and give him the farm for leaving Miami. $20M? $25? They throw that money at Jerami Grant types but not a great coach who influences the future and wins a whole lot more? Theres no coach salary cap.

 

[riverman]

Spoelstra's house just burned down...he might want to come home to the rain now.

 

[BassPlaya]

Spoelstra's house just burned down...he might want to come home to the rain now.

That whole thing just gives me the shivers.

 

[dviss1]

Nothing like pissing our new soon to be owner by starting a coaching search before he takes over the team.

But yes, I expect our new owner to replace the coach and GM.

I hated Cronin at first. I literally boycotted the team for 2 years because of his actions and Jody's inaction.

That said, IMO he fixed everything he broke. He was new at his job and had some crazy decisions to make.
I think he's established a core of young players that have tons of potential. Bringing back Dame IMO gave us a 2 year window to attempt to compete.
Which is the exact thing that I wanted.

I'd keep him on.

But DEFINITELY hire a new coach and Mike Malone should be at the top of the list.

 

[dviss1]

Spoelstra's house just burned down...he might want to come home to the rain now.

Mannnnn I would love this so much...

 

[PCmor7]

Are the Blazers even allowed or in a position to make a coaching change?

Chauncey was suspended by the league while his legal entanglements get untangled. He's fighting this, claiming his innocence.

It might not be legal to fire him under the circumstances even if the Blazers wanted to do it. I believe NBA coaches are part of a union, even if there wasn't a clause in the contract to cover something like this. If they fired him and he winds up winning his case, conceivably he could sue the team for a lot more than he's being paid now.

 

[Everything Beagle]

We’re not going to get a new coach. We have a head coach at home.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

What coach do you think would've done better with the players available? (Other than possibly Spo, whom the new owner needs to offer a Pat-Riley-to-the-Knicks/Heat type deal.)

 

[HailBlazers]

Mannnnn I would love this so much...

Moving from Miami not so much...

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Are the Blazers even allowed or in a position to make a coaching change?

Chauncey was suspended by the league while his legal entanglements get untangled. He's fighting this, claiming his innocence.

It might not be legal to fire him under the circumstances even if the Blazers wanted to do it. I believe NBA coaches are part of a union, even if there wasn't a clause in the contract to cover something like this. If they fired him and he winds up winning his case, conceivably he could sue the team for a lot more than he's being paid now.

Interesting if true this could be tied up for a couple of years. That would really tie our hands and force us to most likely stick with Tiago. I like Tiago but tough to know how good he’s going to be without our normal rotation guys playing. No coach looks good with their bench playing more minutes than starters

 

[SlyPokerDog]

A couple of things to remember.

While Splitter is acting head coach, he is still running Chauncey's system and using Chauncey's staff. I have no idea how Splitter coached in France, but he could have a very different philosophy.

Also, personnel decisions have been made to fit the type of ball Chauncey wants to run.

Is it fair? Is Splitter a good coach? Hell if I know.

What I do know, is that this offseason, we either have to promote Splitter or hire a completely new coach. Either give Splitter a chance to build a staff his way or say goodbye to everyone on the coaching staff.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Get Mike Malone

 

[PCmor7]

Interesting if true this could be tied up for a couple of years. That would really tie our hands and force us to most likely stick with Tiago. I like Tiago but tough to know how good he’s going to be without our normal rotation guys playing. No coach looks good with their bench playing more minutes than starters

If the case was going to last more than a year, then my guess is what would happen is the Blazers and Chauncey's agent would get together and they'd negotiate a buyout. Then both sides would spin it as "It was a mutual decision blah blah blah Chauncey needed to concentrate on legal issues and didn't feel it was fair to the team blah blah blah."

And, yeah, you absolutely can't grade Splitter on this. If he made some really egregious coaching moves, maybe, but it's a month coaching someone else's system when he didn't think he'd have to with half his roster currently out or questionable and the team still has been competitive, so I haven't seen anything that makes me think he's deserving to get sacked.

 

[Cugel]

So is the idea he has to be following Billups’ recipe because Billups is still the head coach until fired ?

 

[kjironman1]

Can they even start looking until the sale is final? Most of the candidates that are assistants with other teams you have to get permission first so I'm not sure starting a coaching search yet is a good idea. Just run with Splitter and see what you got at this point.

 

[wizenheimer]

Are the Blazers even allowed or in a position to make a coaching change?

Chauncey was suspended by the league while his legal entanglements get untangled. He's fighting this, claiming his innocence.

It might not be legal to fire him under the circumstances even if the Blazers wanted to do it. I believe NBA coaches are part of a union, even if there wasn't a clause in the contract to cover something like this. If they fired him and he winds up winning his case, conceivably he could sue the team for a lot more than he's being paid now.

the league made the first move by placing Billups on immediate leave. I think his salary is being witheld by the Blazers which might be a tactical mistake....maybe. NBA coaches are part of a union but it seems more like a quasi union and is not part of the CBA like the player's union

as far as I know, a team can fire a coach at any time for no cause. They just have to pay the balance of his contract. But again, if they are withholding his salary that might complicate things a bit

personally, setting aside the poker scandal, it sure sounds like the FBI has recorded Billups giving inside information about Blazer injuries to a gambler and his associates. Un-indicted co-conspirator #8. If true, that would seem to be more than enough to fire with cause

 

[SlyPokerDog]

We might know more on Monday. That's when Chauncey appears in a NY court.

 

[PCmor7]

the league made the first move by placing Billups on immediate leave. I think his salary is being witheld by the Blazers which might be a tactical mistake....maybe. NBA coaches are part of a union but it seems more like a quasi union and is not part of the CBA like the player's union

as far as I know, a team can fire a coach at any time for no cause. They just have to pay the balance of his contract. But again, if they are withholding his salary that might complicate things a bit

personally, setting aside the poker scandal, it sure sounds like the FBI has recorded Billups giving inside information about Blazer injuries to a gambler and his associates. Un-indicted co-conspirator #8. If true, that would seem to be more than enough to fire with cause

You could be right. I don't know absolutely, but here's why I think it might not be that simple.

There are a couple of reasons that withholding his salary probably could be legal. If he pleads to a lesser charge or is found guilty, the team almost certainly has some kind of public behavior clause that are standard with a lot of people in professional sports and say he breached that and use that as a reason not to pay him. The league suspending him effectly puts Chauncey in limbo and would have him likely on some kind of suspended list that both protects the organization and the individual, but, if Billups was exonerated, the Blazers almost certainly would have to give him back pay.

I'm pretty sure you are right about being able to fire for no cause, but this might be one of the few exceptions because it was league mandated and based on allegations rather than something actually proven to have happened, and even a weak union can make a lot out of that. What we're told the FBI has or does not have isn't really material, as we've seen all over the country right now that arresting people even without cause and spinning facts and then being shown to be wrong is a thing, and I know from personal experience that happens at all levels of law enforcement. The outcome will be all that matters unless both sides decide to part ways.

Even if Chauncey breached a behavior clause, I'd suspect it would lead to a severance settlement. Billups probably would sue and neither side would want to go to court and risk all or nothing when the money involved is a pittance in the budgets of professional sports business.

 

[Chris Craig]

There are two things that will keep Tiago as I get in till the end of this season. The first is that Chauncey's trial probably won't be concluded before the end of the season, if not close to the end of the season. There will be many continuances before his attorney is ready for the trial to happen. The Blazers likely won't want to fire him until a verdict has been reached to avoid being sued. Though they could come out and state how big of a distraction this is for the team and either ket him go officially or work a deal with him to step down.

The other element that will Tiago around till the end of the season is the sale of the team. Nothing will happen with coaching until after the Blazers sake has been finalized. While that will likely happen by early next year, with all of the injuries and everything withstanding, the new owner might want to wait out the season and then make moves during the summer to find a new coach.

I like Tiago, but he has no control over this team. He basically just does rotations (and he rotates players out a lot more often than Chauncey did. This can help keep players fresh, but it also stops the team from finding any consistency on the court as players aren't in long enough to find a groove with each other). I don't see him doing much coaching outside of rotations. At the end of the Bulls game it was Bjorkgren giving instructions to players on what to do and not Tiago. Tiago seems a bit lost, but maybe that's also to be expected. He has never been a HC before. Tiago just seems to let players play and doesn't get on them or hold them accountable. I also know it's a far different look out there with so many injuries.

If you steal a guy like Spo, you do it. I don't see that happening, but it would be awesome. I think you have to go after Mike Malone. Taylor Jenkins would be good too, and there also some assistants behind some of the best, that will be good HC choices. A search will eventually happen. It's just a matter of when and the Blazers aren't in a rush to commence that search.

 

[Chris Craig]

We might know more on Monday. That's when Chauncey appears in a NY court.

Eh, it will just be an appearance and a continuance. His lawyer(s) will probably say they aren't ready yet and another court date will be set for early next year, probably late January, early February to return and see if everyone's ready. Then an actual trial date will be set.

 

[wizenheimer]

You could be right. I don't know absolutely, but here's why I think it might not be that simple.

There are a couple of reasons that withholding his salary probably could be legal. If he pleads to a lesser charge or is found guilty, the team almost certainly has some kind of public behavior clause that are standard with a lot of people in professional sports and say he breached that and use that as a reason not to pay him. The league suspending him effectly puts Chauncey in limbo and would have him likely on some kind of suspended list that both protects the organization and the individual, but, if Billups was exonerated, the Blazers almost certainly would have to give him back pay.

I'm pretty sure you are right about being able to fire for no cause, but this might be one of the few exceptions because it was league mandated and based on allegations rather than something actually proven to have happened, and even a weak union can make a lot out of that. What we're told the FBI has or does not have isn't really material, as we've seen all over the country right now that arresting people even without cause and spinning facts and then being shown to be wrong is a thing, and I know from personal experience that happens at all levels of law enforcement. The outcome will be all that matters unless both sides decide to part ways.

Even if Chauncey breached a behavior clause, I'd suspect it would lead to a severance settlement. Billups probably would sue and neither side would want to go to court and risk all or nothing when the money involved is a pittance in the budgets of professional sports business.

I'm sure you're right that it's not a simple situation currently. From Google:



that sure seems to imply this was action by the league: placing him on leave, and withholding his salary. The Blazers may have an out by saying they are just following the NBA's direction. Which might mean that if Billups is acquitted (unlikely considering the 97% conviction rate from charges brought by FBI?), his legal grievance might be with the NBA rather than Portland. But it's possible that the Blazers may have initiated some of this

I'd say Chauncey is in deep shit. He's charged with Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Money Laundering Conspiracy. Knowing that the Feds have over 5000 intercepts from their authorized wiretaps over a 5-7 year period almost certainly means they have recordings of Chauncey saying and doing sketchy stuff; maybe dozens of recordings

I read an 'analysis' from an attorney who has worked RICO cases. He said, with the 'mafia families' involved in these two cases he would not be surprised at all if at a later date the DOJ adds RICO charges to the mix. And Chauncey is essentially named in both the poker and gambling cases leaving him very exposed

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Eh, it will just be an appearance and a continuance. His lawyer(s) will probably say they aren't ready yet and another court date will be set for early next year, probably late January, early February to return and see if everyone's ready. Then an actual trial date will be set.

It could also be more charges and more defendants. It could be charges dropped against defendants who have decided to cooperate. And the scary one, the government could announce this is now a RICO case.

 

[GoZers]

There's no way the League expects the Blazers to just be in Head Coach limbo for a year or possibly more. Between trial and additional charges potentially, this will drag on for a long time (in NBA terms). The team has to move on. He isnt coming back, everyone knows this. If its a combination of buyout and/or termination of contract, something has to happen. Then they can decide on Tiago. So far, even though this is a crap situation for him, he hasnt exactly shown anything that provides much optimism for keeping him.