SI's Steve Assburner expects Wittman to be fired

[shrink]

My completely unsubstantiated theory is the the Wolves didn't fire Flip or Casey entirely based on the record, but because players had stopped listening to them, and because of this, there was no way for them to right the ship. Cassell and Sprewell had problems with management, and it seems to me Flip had lost patience with their refusal to play through minor injuries. A lot is made of Casey being fired with a 20-20 record, but I suspect Ricky and Blount weren't listening to them (I don't know about Mike James and McCants). When the #2 and #3 guys jump ship, the Wolves need to worry about Garnett, since he sees himself as one of the team.

The difference between losing and not listening to the coach may be a subtle distinction, because when the players stop listening to the coach, they generally end up losing. However, it explains why Wittman is still here after last season's 60 losses. Young players are more likely to keep listening through the losses than many vets, and it might mean Wittman keeps his job even if we're bad this season too. I should also add that I don't put the blame at Casey or Flip's feet -- some of the attitudes of the guys they had may have made coaching very difficult. However, if a coach loses his link with the team, then he can't do his job, so I don't begrudge the Wolves for firing the two.

[revprodeji]

^^good call

[TMo519]

I really like that post shrink.