The Next Generation of NBA Coaches
On the rare occurrence that I can persuade my friends and
roommates to take time out of their woefully busy lives and watch NBA
basketball with me, there are two things that I can count on:
1.
If at any point I relinquish control of the
channel changer then within seconds the TV will be tuned to one of our many HBO
channels or the History channel for some doomsday prepper reality show
knock-off, with the promise of only remaining on that station “During the
commercials.” And without fail, this promise is, of course, broken the moment I
am not paying attention, thus rendering my quest for basketball companionship
inept.
2.
During the “Wired” or “Mic’d Up” segment of the
broadcast when the coaches and token politically correct figurehead players are
wired for sound, the question of the actual merits of an NBA head coach will arise
and spark an ensuing debate. “Ok but really, what does a coach even do? He just
tells the players to play harder and rebound and play defense. But nobody even
plays defense in the NBA, so what does he do?” my colleagues ask in misguidedly
shrewd tones, their primary attention still half-focused on the happenings of
this week’s Junior Master Chef, or the general shenanigans of Jake the dog and Finn the human.
This question, snarky as it is, actually bears some
relevance.
“What does an NBA coach do?”
Perhaps a better, less sarcastic way to phrase this query is
to question the importance of a coach relative to the importance of his pieces.
Can a coach win without elite talent?
I mean, let’s be honest with ourselves here for a minute.
Erik Spoelstra is a fine coach and game manager, but do the Heat really need
him to win? Don’t you think LeBron and any given collection of four other
living organisms could be as successful? Any basketball mind with a shred of
common sense would be quick to tell you that Gregg Popovich, one of the great
coaches of all time, is better than Spoelstra. And yet when the clocked chimed
midnight on last season’s NBA finals it was Spoelstra’s squad that was getting
fitted for a ring.
So who is more important, the coach or the player?
That question is a valid one that is basically the
fundamental divide for how team’s are constructed. GM’s who value the X’s and
O’s and tactics of a strict, disciplined coach tend to build their teams
through the draft or through system-based free agent recruiting. Currently, the
prime example of this management philosophy is the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers
built the foundation of their squad through the draft with players like Paul
George and Roy Hibbert, and have shored up the rest of the roster with pieces
that fit the defensive puzzle of Frank Vogel’s philosophy. Now that the Pacers
have had time to grow and develop chemistry as a unit they have emerged as the
early leader in most editions of let’s-be-honest-it’s-way-too-early-to-tell NBA
power rankings.
The San Antonio Spurs are the iconic, shining example of
this ploy at work. Their entire philosophy is based on finding and developing
players who play complete all around games and compete, devoid of egotistical
inspirations.
And yet, when the clocks struck midnight on last season’s
finals… well, you get the point.
It is hard to make the case that either philosophy (that the
coach and scheme is superior or that a stud-alpha-male player driven team is
more poised for success). Logic suggests that building a team organically with
a strong coach that emphasizes the completion of the little things is the
better way to go. But if that is the case then why does LeBron have two rings
in the last two seasons?
The direction the NBA is taking right now, especially with
all of the new rule changes (really they are more like new rule enforcements)
that favor the free flowing, pick up style of basketball that encourages the
use of isolation tactics and one-on-one situations. In this new league, where
any form of physicality is a foul, teams that feature one or two premiere guys
that are often asked to do everything themselves (the Heat, the Knicks, the
Bulls, both LA teams, the Nets, my beloved Thunder, etc.).
This is the effect of the era of The Big 3 concept that a
team only needs three key pieces to be successful.
What this means is that the general structure of NBA
competition is imminently going to change, which I believe means that the
fraternity of NBA coaches are destined for a sexy makeover.
The hire of Jason Kidd was a surprising one to a lot of
people last summer, myself included. Sure Kidd made sense as a head coach at
some point, but fresh out of the league? It seemed too soon, and the Nets have
been disappointing this year, which has given haters of the initial signing a
bit of a soapbox to boast their point.
But the more I think about it, the more I think this will be
the next growing trend.
The players that my generation grew up watching are past the
point where we can call them “aging” and have reached their twilight
years. The favorite legends of my
generation, like Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Shaq, Vince Carter, Allen Iverson,
etc. are all reaching or have reached the end.
"If I was the coach we would never have practice!" - The Answer
But as one story ends, another is written.
Once this generation of NBA stars steps away from the game they will be the first in line to join the NBA coaching ranks. Former greats
are safe, notable hires for franchises looking to make a splash that often sit
well with fan bases because the name leading their team is a recognizable one.
But more so, it is smart for teams because a coach that is freshly removed from
the game is more likely to connect with current players easily and is more in
touch with the rigors of the game as they currently stand.
So which former great will make a great head coach? More
importantly, what does a coach even do?
Here is my prediction for some future hires that could be
made in the next two or three years:
1.
Tim
Duncan to San Antonio
Popovich is nearing the end as a coach. Not
that Pop doesn’t have the mind for the game anymore, because obviously that
isn’t the case, it is just that he is a year or two away from losing the
foundation of the team he built so long ago in Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu
Ginobli. Who better to fill the void that Pop leaves than the player who
brought him so much success and has stood by his side for over a decade.
The concern with Duncan is that he lacks
the fire that is needed to inspire players to play to their potential, but he
accounts for that by carrying the respect of every player in the league on
account of he’s maybe the best power forward ever. The Big Fundamental would be
able to turn any team he inherited into a machine that is built on defense and
does the little things right, just like his mentor.
2.
Steve
Nash to Phoenix Suns
Nash’s court vision is a gift that cannot
be taught. Even in the dwindling years of his career, Nash still knows what is
going on everywhere on the floor. Maybe his body is getting incapable of
executing the way it used to, but the eyes and mind are what have kept him
around and performing at a high rate for so long. Nash’s mentor for much of his
career was Mike D’Antoni. D’Antoni had a checkered resume as a coach, but his
offensive prowess is unquestioned.
Despite being the team Nash will be most
remembered by, Phoenix is tactically a great fit for Nash, who will likely be a
hot coaching commodity. The Suns have a very young roster that is already
showing a lot of promise. They are young and are preparing to get even younger
with this year’s mega draft.
A young, talented team with a young
coaching mastermind is a formula to be feared. Nash may not win his ring as a
player, but with that nucleus he may be able to put a rock on his finger as the
headman.
3.
Kevin
Garnett to Minnesota T’Wolves
It may be easy to dislike Garnett as a
person, but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone with a negative thought on
his fire and passion as a player and competitor.
A Garnett coached team would be comprised
of high-energy players that bully other teams on the defensive end of the floor
and lead the league in rebounding, technicals, and emotional outbursts.
The Timberwolves appear to be moving in the
right direction as a franchise right now, but that is a double-edged sword. If
the team begins making the playoffs but failing to succeed once they are there
then the front office will not hesitate to pull the plug on Rick Adelman
because they know that the Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio window is open now but
won’t be forever.
Bringing in a former great is always a good
call, and not many were better for Minnesota than Garnett.
Boston would make sense except they already
seem content with Brad Stevens as their coach of the future, who from all
accounts I have heard is rapidly becoming a favorite in Bean-Town for the full
tank-mode C’s. So Garnett to Boston is likely not an option.
4.
Chauncey
Billups to Detroit Pistons
Mr. Big Shot returned to Motor City this
year, which figures to be one of, if not the last Billups plays in the NBA.
Billups had a tremendous career for a guy
who started his career by playing for five different teams in his first seven
seasons. He is known for his knack for making clutch baskets, but Chauncey’s
real legacy is going to ultimately be a guy who is regarded as one of the best
teammates and leaders to sport a Pistons uniform.
The Pistons fall somewhere in between
Phoenix and Minnesota in terms of the budding urgency of the organizations.
They have money invested in several key pieces, like the enigmatic Josh Smith,
but they also have key young pieces that they are still in a position to build
around in Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
The one roadblock for Billups return to
Detroit as a coach would be that the core of this particular Detroit team is
big-man oriented. The franchise has committed to building around Drummond and
Monroe, featuring their frontline as the faces of their franchise. Because of
this, they may be inclined to go after a big man to mentor the young faces.
Rasheed Wallace was brought in as a coach
in the offseason for this exact purpose, but it is hard to imagine Rasheed
Wallace as a head coach.
5.
Derek
Fisher to LA Lakers
Admittedly, this prediction is a total shot
in the dark. But Fisher is a journeyman point guard who has quietly built one
of the most outstanding resumes in NBA history.
Fisher has been to the playoffs more times
than he can probably count and has won more finals than almost anyone.
Say what you want about him as a player but
Fisher is a leader and a winner and clearly has the respect of every team that
he plays for. Having played alongside superstars his whole career makes him
attractive for a team like LA who is constantly looking to bring in the biggest
and brightest names for the sake of bringing in the biggest and brightest names
available.
Fisher is a known entity in LA and would be
an immediate fan favorite because of his legacy there.
It helps, too, that he learned under the best
coach of all time in Phil Jackson.
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