Stotts Steps Down

[Ron Swanson]

Because it takes away the biggest potential fallout here (that Griff's an authoritarian coach who rubs even his own staff the wrong way), and places the narrative more towards Giannis just wanting his guy who he feels more comfortable with. I liked the hire but I think people were and especially now are going a bit overboard with treating Stotts like he was some savior for the offense. You've got Damian Lillard and Giannis. Not to mention Khris, Brook, and a host of other shooters and playoff tested veterans. This shouldn't be complicated.

I don't think anyone thinks our offense will be bad. But will we be able to maximize it? We're counting on our offense carrying us to a title and the margins could matter here. There's a difference between us having the best offense in the NBA and something like 4th or 5th

Were we going to be able to tell before the playoffs regardless of if Stotts was here? Great schemes and depth win you regular season games, but supremely talented offensive players and defense win you championships. The former we have in spades at this point, and the latter was always gonna depend on how good of a coach Griffin is anyways.

[Chad34]

If this is Griffin, not a good look, and doesn't inspire confidence that he's secure in his own abilities

[Daver]

Steve Nash seems like a good idea at this point. Maybe he can bring in the table what Stotts did without the ego and more hunger to prove himself.

Yeah.. actually. I'd say we need a former player with some energy/fire -- for the players to listen. But it probably has to be a study hard, attack weaknesses type for AG.

AG did say that numerous times in his interview that be wants to attack weaknesses wants to know the other team better than they do.He made some great refreshing comments.As a HC he has a right to hire /fire anyone.I mean we want MLF to fire his assnut DC juat saying if stotts want hired and AG went with someone else who ran a great O no onw would be questioning AG.Who the hell knows if players complained about the O

[Ruben Quevedo]

If this is Griffin, not a good look, and doesn't inspire confidence that he's secure in his own abilities

It might mean the opposite: he's so confident and sure of his own abilities that he wasn't going to compromise with a well-respected and experienced coach.

[-Jragon-]

If this is Griffin, not a good look, and doesn't inspire confidence that he's secure in his own abilities

I'd wait for more info before dealing with that instead we should be focusing on who WILL fit. Who can we get? Can we sign bench coaches with lesser roles from other teams or are they off limits?

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

My theory is that once Dame arrived AG was worried Stotts would take over the team by the end of the season and he’d be kicked aside. AG made a preemptive power move and took away Stotts power.

[Insert Succession theme]

That's possible. I would assume that the Bucks acquiring Dame might have possibly created some friction between AG and Stotts.

Maybe there were some philosophies that AG wanted that Stotts disagreed with and Stotts was like, I coached Dame for 9 years, I know what I am doing, I'll run the show on offense.

AG being the head coach would probably take offense to that and that created the friction. Just my theory.

all possible no question but youd expect these types of frictions would have taken months even years to develop.

not to mention exactly how insecure would you have to be to act in that way if youre AG.

im still going to stick to the simplest reason considering how abrupt and sudden and unprecedented this resignation was. that it was all on stotts. seems the most likely to me he knew he was the smartest person in a ship of fools and he didnt want anything to do with tanking one of the greatest pairings, on paper, of all time.

id suggest hes spent the entire camp flummoxed and after the okc game reflected for a day and said i gots to gtfo

[ReasonablySober]

My theory is that once Dame arrived AG was worried Stotts would take over the team by the end of the season and he’d be kicked aside. AG made a preemptive power move and took away Stotts power.

[Insert Succession theme]

Not really an implausible conclusion to draw.

[H2tObes]

If this is Griffin, not a good look, and doesn't inspire confidence that he's secure in his own abilities

It might mean the opposite: he's so confident and sure of his own abilities that he wasn't going to compromise with a well-respected and experienced coach.

This is the more likely thing, AG has been doing this 2 decades as well you gotta remember. Egos get in the way in the professional world.

[Karsenmitsche]

Even though it sucks losing the guy running our offense. Whatever offense AG + other assistants put together can't be worse than Bud's "play random".

We were the #1 scoring offense in the league 3 years in a row under Bud. Even last season with all of our injuries we finished top 10 (and we were #1 in the postseason, our scoring defense was last).

If our offense could be top #10 under Bud's play random philosophy, imagine how good our offense could be with even just a decent offensive minded coach who brings some structure and doesn't allow Giannis to have 1-9 nights from 3.

That's why I was excited about Stotts, and then we got Dame. So much for that now.

When are we going to stop talking about play random. All it meant was to play unpredictable offense. Give the best players in the world the same look multiple times and they will exploit what you’re doing.

[Chad34]

If this is Griffin, not a good look, and doesn't inspire confidence that he's secure in his own abilities

It might mean the opposite: he's so confident and sure of his own abilities that he wasn't going to compromise with a well-respected and experienced coach.

yeah, obviously total speculation. Really hard to know unless something leaks. Every time Dame and others brought up Stotts I wondered if that would bother Griffin.

[H2tObes]

1 silver lining is that I'm happy if there was a problem between the 2, it's good it was snuffed out before the season starts. Don't need this drama midseason at all, that could've been true disaster

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

Because it takes away the biggest potential fallout here (that Griff's an authoritarian coach who rubs even his own staff the wrong way), and places the narrative more towards Giannis just wanting his guy who he feels more comfortable with. I liked the hire but I think people were and especially now are going a bit overboard with treating Stotts like he was some savior for the offense. You've got Damian Lillard and Giannis. Not to mention Khris, Brook, and a host of other shooters and playoff tested veterans. This shouldn't be complicated.

I don't think anyone thinks our offense will be bad. But will we be able to maximize it? We're counting on our offense carrying us to a title and the margins could matter here. There's a difference between us having the best offense in the NBA and something like 4th or 5th

Were we going to be able to tell before the playoffs regardless of if Stotts was here? Great schemes and depth win you regular season games, but supremely talented offensive players and defense win you championships. The former we have in spades at this point, and the latter was always gonna depend on how good of a coach Griffin is anyways.

i was expecting our offense to look the way it did in year one with Bud. Explosive and dominant.

Combine that regular season dominance with older and wiser and steadier players executing it..... and it would translate to the playoffs

[buckboy]

Bring me D'Antoni

[MVP2110]

Because it takes away the biggest potential fallout here (that Griff's an authoritarian coach who rubs even his own staff the wrong way), and places the narrative more towards Giannis just wanting his guy who he feels more comfortable with. I liked the hire but I think people were and especially now are going a bit overboard with treating Stotts like he was some savior for the offense. You've got Damian Lillard and Giannis. Not to mention Khris, Brook, and a host of other shooters and playoff tested veterans. This shouldn't be complicated.

I don't think anyone thinks our offense will be bad. But will we be able to maximize it? We're counting on our offense carrying us to a title and the margins could matter here. There's a difference between us having the best offense in the NBA and something like 4th or 5th

Were we going to be able to tell before the playoffs regardless of if Stotts was here? Great schemes and depth win you regular season games, but supremely talented offensive players and defense win you championships. The former we have in spades at this point, and the latter was always gonna depend on how good of a coach Griffin is anyways.

We need to be able to maximize the offense in the playoffs especially.

[buckboy]

[url][/url]

Someone's ego couldn't handle Stotts either way it was enough for him to leave which isn't a good look.

id suggest its the first time in the history of the league that a lead assistant with a decade of head coaching and playoff experience has ever bailed on a rookie head coach before a season has even started.....and lets not kid ourselves here.... for not wanting to be a part of what he perceives is an oncoming trainwreck

the fact he would rather, and intends to.... coach somewhere else and leave this roster without even making an attempt....is a massive indictment against AD. its literally a statement.... stotts sent a missile and clearly hopes to not harm his career. the timing makes that obvious.

Yup

Or maybe he just thinks AG is a dick since we're speculating.

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

Or maybe he just thinks AG is a dick since we're speculating.

either a dick or a dork. either of those options. if you cut all the bullcrap its literally one of those two

maybe considering the abruptness and how unprecedented the timing it would even have to be both

[skones]

If this is Griffin, not a good look, and doesn't inspire confidence that he's secure in his own abilities

It might mean the opposite: he's so confident and sure of his own abilities that he wasn't going to compromise with a well-respected and experienced coach.

Which is fine, but I think it's difficult to look at this in any other way, than communication style being a problem. Given that Stotts has been around this league for 30 years as a top assistant, as a head coach, the onus was on Griffin to make this work. I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to Stotts in this situation given what we know about his abilities and communication style.

You're a first time head coach, you have a great offensive mind on your bench, and you butt heads? C'mon man.

[greekbuck34]

Giannis has said on his interviews that if he needs to set 50 screens for Dame he will do it as long they let Dame be Dame over and over again.
People saying that Giannis demanded to take the ball off the hands of Lillard based on a preseason game without 3 of our starters and with Lillard looking so rusty that he couldn't even make his FTs are beyond stupid.

Scotts and AG couldn't get along so they split. Better now that we can replace him than in mid season.
He is Scotts btw not the 2nd coming of Greg Popovich relax...

[skones]

Giannis has said on his interviews that if he needs to set 50 screens for Dame he will do it as long they let Dame be Dame over and over again.
People saying that Giannis demanded to take the ball off the hands of Lillard based on a preseason game without 3 of our starters and with Lillard looking so rusty that he couldn't even make his FTs are beyond stupid.

Scotts and AG couldn't get along so they split. Better now that we can replace him than in mid season.
He is Scotts btw not the 2nd coming of Greg Popovich relax...

My general thought is that it's easier to replace mid season with a coach on staff than letting your offensive architect walk a week before season begins as you've already gone through the bulk of your TC and preseason. Switching up your entire offensive philosophy at this point seems pretty late for an upheaval.

[StickeeFingaz]

Apparently Windy said it was an arranged marriage by the Bucks to bring Stotts in with Griffin.

I’d think Griffin has someone in mind to come in and replace Stotts right away.