The Coaching Search Notebook
The NBA coaching carousel continues this offseason as teams like the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers have already hired new head coaches to lead them into the 2011-2012 season. Two teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks, are yet to back their current head coach leaving the team in state of limbo.
Mike D’Antoni, head coach of the Knicks, is reportedly meeting with owner James Dolan this week to discuss his future with the team. While Kurt Rambis of the ‘Wolves, recently expressed his frustration over his uncertain job status. With the recent announcement by the Golden State Warriors that former NBA point guard and current television analyst Mark Jackson will take over the head coaching duties, there remains only three teams without a head coach: the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and Toronto Raptors.
Detroit Pistons
With the sale of the Detroit Pistons finally complete, President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars has been allowed to get back to business as usual, and his first order of business was to fire head coach John Kuester. Kuester failed to mesh the remnants of the glory days, when the Pistons earned a championship in 2004 and six straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, with the new players that Dumars had drafted or brought in via free agency.
Moving forward, the Pistons will most likely be looking for a strong personality able to hold the veterans accountable, players like Richard Hamilton and Ben Wallace, while not alienating them from the team the way Kuester did. It will also be important for the Pistons’ next coach to develop young talent as well. The team is in a rebuilding mode and it’s vital to the team’s future that Greg Monroe, Austin Daye, and whomever the Pistons select with the eighth pick in this year’s draft get a chance to develop and become cornerstones for the future.
Several names have already been linked to the Pistons, including Milwaukee Bucks’ assistant Kelvin Sampson, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant and former Pistons’ player Bill Laimbeer, and former Atlanta Hawks’ coach Mike Woodson. Neither Sampson nor Laimbeer have any NBA head coaching experience, but Laimbeer has had success in the WNBA where he led the Detroit Shock to three League Championships; he’s spent the last two seasons as one Kurt Rambis’ top assistants.
Woodson was let go from the Hawks after the 2009-10 season despite winning 53 games, earning a third consecutive trip to the playoffs, and a spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second straight season. Woodson has managed veterans like Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby as well as help develop young players like Al Horford and Josh Smith. Of the candidates linked to the Pistons, Woodson appears to the best fit. He’s dealt with veterans and young guys and improved his win total in each of the six seasons with the Hawks, including those 53 wins in his final season in Atlanta, Laimbeer and Sampson can’t say the same.
Indiana Pacers
President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird and GM David Morway are keeping their head-coaching search very quiet. There have been no confirmed reports of the Pacers meeting with anyone outside of the organization, although Rick Adelman has been linked to the position.
One thing that is clear, interim coach Frank Vogel is the front-runner and since there is no news out of Indiana to the contrary, it’s likely Vogel will eventually be given the job. He took over after Jim O’Brien was fired during this past season and led the Pacers to the playoffs for the first time since 2006, where they fell to the Chicago Bulls in 5 games.
There is no shame in losing to the Bulls after they amassed the league’s best record and had the MVP and Coach of the Year on their team. In fact, Vogel had his team playing a championship level defense that frustrated the Bulls the entire series. Vogel’s stint as interim coach proved he has the players trust and deserves a chance to try and guide this team to the next level.
Toronto Raptors
With Jay Triano being pushed upstairs into the front office, team President and GM Bryan Colangelo has said his next head coach will need to be defensive minded with a track record of success in the NBA.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Two current assistant coaches have been linked to the Raptors vacancy, Dallas’ Dwane Casey and Boston’s Lawrence Frank. Casey worked as an assistant coach for the Seattle Supersonics for 11 seasons before being hired as the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2005. Casey coached the ‘Wolves from 2005 until he was fired in January of 2007, despite being in the thick of the playoff race.
Frank was the head coach of the New Jersey Nets from January 2004 until November 2009. He led them to four straight playoff appearances including three trips to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and won the Atlantic Division twice. After being fired by the Nets during 2009-10 season, Frank joined Doc Rivers’ staff in Boston, replacing Tom Thibodeau as the team’s lead assistant coach.
Few candidates have the playoff pedigree and the ability to hold a team accountable on the defensive end as well as Frank does. If there is one thing the Raptors need it’s a coach that will preach defense; the Raptors gave up over 105 points per game, good for fifth-worst in the league this past season.
The top coaching candidates are starting to fill the open positions with only three vacancies remaining, but there are veterans still available who have a proven track record of success during the regular season and the playoffs. Guys like Lawrence Frank and Rick Adelman should be at the top of any team’s list if they are serious about making the playoffs.
If a team is looking to rebuild or isn’t interested in paying the type of salary a veteran coach can demand, there are assistants out there like Bill Laimbeer and Kelvin Sampson that are just waiting for their first opportunity. With so many candidates vying for only three positions, it’s up to the owners and GMs to find a personality that will mesh with their team and their players.
Have questions for Mark Nugent? Be sure and drop by HOOPSWORLD on Wednesdays at 5PM Eastern for his weekly basketball chat.
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