Head Coach thread (4 Viewers)

[Scalma]

should this really matter? we're making a hire on how easy/difficult it will be to fire them?

I didn’t say it mattered in the hiring process, but your idea that she will be held to the same standard as everyone else is pretty naive. Could you imagine the PR nightmare if she was fired after one season? The teams performance wouldn’t even matter, you would see an outrage that would never happen if it were D’Antoni or any other man.

 

[UKRAINEFAN]

I think the interviews will be very big in deciding who to hire. Whoever puts in the hard work to come up with specific plan on how to make the Blazers a better team; how to utilize certain guys better; especially how to improve the defense. Who they can bring in with them to help coach.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I thought one of the first qualifications that was listed in the beginning was head coaching experience. Seems like D’Antoni is the only guy who fits that criteria.

That makes me sad

 

[Hoopguru]

Hallelujah, I'm not the only old geezer in here.
I remember gas wars in Portland when a gallon went for less than 20 cents and you got a free glass and they would check your tire pressure, battery, radiator and fill your windshield washer with fluid and wash your windows. I could fill my tank for less than $3 and get a car wash at the same place for a buck.

In HS I worked part time at a gas station if I wasn't playing ball, Friday/Saturday was a great night to meet chicks while at work and I always got off at 10 or 11p.

 

[Phatguysrule]

Can I have an example?

Gosh just a few off the top of my head... Called Oden being a bust and not focused at least a year before we even won the lottery, called Roy's degenerating knees years before we all knew about it. Called Warriors excellent front office and working environment leading to multiple championships when we were all making fun of run and gun. Called Aldridge leaving, and I believe specifically called him going to San Antonio 2 years before it happened. Shared a lot of info about Kevin Pritchard and his habits that turned out to make a lot of sense after he was fired the way he was.

There's more, I'm sure, but he's been consistently legit.

 

[Scalma]

People need to read Gasol's article about why Hammon is so deserving of a HC job.

Pau was actually on the team.

Read it.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/pau-gasol-becky-hammon

You can't fake this.

PR, Gasol is very good at it.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I think the interviews will be very big in deciding who to hire. Whoever puts in the hard work to come up with specific plan on how to make the Blazers a better team; how to utilize certain guys better; especially how to improve the defense. Who they can bring in with them to help coach.

And potential assistant coaches. All of the candidates listed have flaws. Either no HC experience or not a defensive bone in their body. If they get in front of me, they’d better not only Kay out their plan for both ends of the floor, but potentially who they want to bring it to assist them

I’d still like to see Darvin Ham, David Vanterpool, johnnie Bryant, Ime Udoka and Charles Lee be interviewed

 

[Phatguysrule]

i just posted links of about a half dozen players and coaches IN THE SPURS ORG going out of their way speak about her credentials as head coach.

sorry, while i appreciate the rumors, they don't hold as much weight to me as actual quotes from real people (who frankly have 0 incentive to go our of their way to speak so positively). Read what @calvin natt posted about players ignoring her and read the quotes I've bolded. which do you believe?

I'm still all in on Becky. not swayed by anonymous rumors, especially those that are so much in contrast to everything people said in real life.

Awesome. It doesn't really matter what you believe, I just can't let a guy whose been so reliably accurate be disparaged without backing him up.

I have no doubt he is telling the truth, and I have no doubt he is well connected. I appreciate him sharing with us.

There could be a hundred reasons why people would write those great things about her, including that they may believe it, or they want her spot on the Spurs bench.

We just don't know.

 

[Scalma]

The truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Maybe she started off her coaching career and was hard working and great and then got lazy and big headed as time went on and her profile increased. That’s a pretty common thing that happens with humans lol. Not saying that’s what happened cuz what do I know, but I’m not dismissing it either.

 

[illmatic99]

The truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Maybe she started off her coaching career and was hard working and great and then got lazy and big headed as time went on and her profile increased. That’s a pretty common thing that happens with humans lol. Not saying that’s what happened cuz what do I know, but I’m not dismissing it either.

perhaps that's true.

i just hope neil et al do their due diligence. a lot of decisions takes appear impulsive (and he seems to be blindly loyal to his guys)

 

[THE HCP]

Sorry. calvin natt has shared too many things that nobody "unconnected" would know. and they always turn out to be legit. I literally can't remember even one BS story from the guy in what must be 15-20 years.

Doesn't matter to me if you trust him, but there is no doubt in my mind about the validity of these claims.

You sure? I swear I’ve seen him post a couple blurry pics!

 

[wizenheimer]

This sounds optimistic. She’ll be put on a pedestal just because she’s a woman. An overcorrection, if you will. Her leash will undoubtedly be longer than a mans.

lol...the last man's leash was 9 years long

 

[Jax_Tiger]

I really don't get this mentality.

The novelty factor with Becky will last a couple weeks. Month max. then it's all about her merits coaching basketball.

First, even if that is true, and I'm not saying it is, this team will be distracted for the rest of the off-season, the pre-season, and the first month of the regular season. Interviews, post-game questions, will all revolve around Hammon. This is not the right situation for her. Let her get in a low pressure situation where the team is rebuilding. She can handle the media circus without the pressure of winning NOW. Imagine the set back for women coaches if the team doesn't make the playoffs when they are expected to contend in the West? She needs to go somewhere where she can cut her chops without the pressure of winning a chip for Dame, and she can win with something she built. Even if she makes the playoffs with the Blazers, they will say she was handed the keys to a finely tuned sports car. Obviously, if she leads them to the finals, then it would be considered a successful hire.

Second, the Blazers need to attract free agents who want to go to a championship team. How many perspective free agents would turn down the Blazers because they don't want to deal with the media circus, either? Some may not want to play for a woman head coach. I don't know. It is a risk.

The Blazers are at a crossroads and have one more shot to build a championship team with Damian Lillard, who is a once in a generation player for a franchise and nearing the end of his prime years. They do not need to do this, now. They should not do this, now. Maybe when Dame is gone and the Blazers are rebuilding.

It will be a circus, and I am going to disagree with you - the circus will last longer than a month. Everything she does will be a first. If the Blazers make the playoffs, it will start all over. First woman to make the playoffs. How is she going to do under pressure? How will the players respond to her? What's it like playing for her? Do the players respect her? All of the questions that were asked in the first week of the season will be repeated as the size of the media contingent doubles and triples for the playoffs.

 

[wizenheimer]

Second, the Blazers need to attract free agents who want to go to a championship team. How many perspective free agents would turn down the Blazers because they don't want to deal with the media circus, either? Some may not want to play for a woman head coach. I don't know. It is a risk..

Portland isn't going to have cap-space this summer. It very likely won't even have the full-MLE. All it will have is the tax-MLE. That's less than 6M dollars. Blazers won't have a pick of all-star level free agents for that kind of money. They won't have a pick of starting level players. The best they can hope for is some role-player that will slot into the lower end of the rotation. They won't be losing some gem of a player because the new head coach has a vagina

 

[Natebishop3]

Right now I'm especially sensitive to any kind of negative rumors or opinions about ANY of the candidates because it took SO long to get rid of Stotts. Dame only has 5-6 years of being at this level. We can't afford to waste 2-3 years on a whiff. I really like Becky Hammon, but the rumors that Calvin said do scare me. It feels like I just got out of a bad relationship and now I'm afraid to commit.

 

[illmatic99]

First, even if that is true, and I'm not saying it is, this team will be distracted for the rest of the off-season, the pre-season, and the first month of the regular season. Interviews, post-game questions, will all revolve around Hammon. This is not the right situation for her. Let her get in a low pressure situation where the team is rebuilding. She can handle the media circus without the pressure of winning NOW. Imagine the set back for women coaches if the team doesn't make the playoffs when they are expected to contend in the West? She needs to go somewhere where she can cut her chops without the pressure of winning a chip for Dame, and she can win with something she built. Even if she makes the playoffs with the Blazers, they will say she was handed the keys to a finely tuned sports car. Obviously, if she leads them to the finals, then it would be considered a successful hire.

i dunno, maybe it's just me. but i don't see all this as necessarily a bad thing. this sounds like more of your preference, tbh.

Second, the Blazers need to attract free agents who want to go to a championship team. How many perspective free agents would turn down the Blazers because they don't want to deal with the media circus, either? Some may not want to play for a woman head coach. I don't know. It is a risk.

then we don't want those guys here anyway. by nearly every non-anonymous account, her credentials are well respected.

The Blazers are at a crossroads and have one more shot to build a championship team with Damian Lillard, who is a once in a generation player for a franchise and nearing the end of his prime years. They do not need to do this, now. They should not do this, now. Maybe when Dame is gone and the Blazers are rebuilding.

if she is the best interview and her background checks out, what exactly are you afraid of? she has far more coaching experience than billups/barry/staley/etc. MDA is the only one with more.

It will be a circus, and I am going to disagree with you - the circus will last longer than a month. Everything she does will be a first. If the Blazers make the playoffs, it will start all over. First woman to make the playoffs. How is she going to do under pressure? How will the players respond to her? What's it like playing for her? Do the players respect her? All of the questions that were asked in the first week of the season will be repeated as the size of the media contingent doubles and triples for the playoffs.

again, i would welcome this.

 

[illmatic99]

Surprised this isn't in Portland:

 

[illmatic99]

reading tea leaves, this is probably the top 3 list

 

[Scalma]

Surprised this isn't in Portland:

this is kinda what I’m talking about. You would never see this type of shit for any male coach, and if you did it for sure wouldn’t be for an assistant.

 

[Scalma]

hopefully we get a resolution sooner than later, even if they can’t officially announce it until later.

 

[illmatic99]

this is kinda what I’m talking about. You would never see this type of shit for any male coach, and if you did it for sure wouldn’t be for an assistant.

i dunno, i'm apathetic towards it. Fans and social justice warriors do what they do, but NBA teams (especially in Boston or Portland who are in win-now mode) aren't making social justice hires. they're gonna be on merit alone.

both Stevens and Olshey would get crucified if they did something like that just to advance a social cause, especially considering how hot their seats appeared to be.

 

[julius]

this is kinda what I’m talking about. You would never see this type of shit for any male coach, and if you did it for sure wouldn’t be for an assistant.

Yeah, you never see billboards about male players playing for a team.

 

[BigGameDamian]

 

[AldoTrapani]

 

[Scalma]

Yeah, you never see billboards about male players playing for a team.

Yeah because players = coaches. Get lost.

 

[B-Roy]

Do assistants usually interview while still in the playoffs?

 

[Scalma]

Do assistants usually interview while still in the playoffs?

I don’t think it’s uncommon. I know for a fact it happens in other sports.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Would just be an awful hire

 

[julius]

Yeah because players = coaches. Get lost.

Ok.

 

[Kano John]

Hallelujah, I'm not the only old geezer in here.
I remember gas wars in Portland when a gallon went for less than 20 cents and you got a free glass and they would check your tire pressure, battery, radiator and fill your windshield washer with fluid and wash your windows. I could fill my tank for less than $3 and get a car wash at the same place for a buck.

Don't forget about the S&H green stamps! LOL