Is your coach getting the most out of your team?
Moderators: bwgood77, zimpy27, infinite11285, Clav, Domejandro, ken6199, bisme37, Dirk, KingDavid, cupcakesnake
Is your coach getting the most out of your team?
- Schad
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 58,580
- And1: 18,065
- Joined: Feb 08, 2006
- Location: The Goat Rodeo
-
Is your coach getting the most out of your team?
Anecdotally, it seems that most fans around the league are unhappy with their head coach. Obviously, there are a few notable exceptions...no one is clamoring for Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich to exit stage right. But I'm curious as to the overall breakdown.
Post your team, answer, and an expression of your love/frothing hatred for your coach, if you so desire.
Post your team, answer, and an expression of your love/frothing hatred for your coach, if you so desire.

**** your asterisk.
- DelaneyRudd
- Senior Mod
- Posts: 104,541
- And1: 9,469
- Joined: Nov 17, 2006
-
- AdamTheGreek
- RealGM
- Posts: 41,451
- And1: 2,571
- Joined: Dec 30, 2006
- Location: Orlando, FL. Thinking of Greece.
-
Stan Van Gundy is a god. 

Bluesky: @adampapageorgiou.bsky.social
Penny & Pops Podcast (Orlando Magic): https://soundcloud.com/137665379
Penny & Pops Podcast (Orlando Magic): https://soundcloud.com/137665379
- Basileus777
- General Manager
- Posts: 7,822
- And1: 2,051
- Joined: Jul 13, 2007
- Location: New Jersey
-
- Texas Longhorns
- Banned User
- Posts: 4,005
- And1: 3
- Joined: Jan 08, 2008
- Location: Cockrell School of Engineering
- Contact:
- GYBE
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 9,000
- And1: 358
- Joined: Feb 14, 2005
- Location: Kanada
Well...with Doc Rivers, it's hard to say no. But just as much credit should go to the coaching staff he's hired, most notably Thibodeau. He's great at getting effort and intensity out of his roster, but his history of in-game strategies and rotations leave a lot to be desired.
There's no reason to look for another coach. But if he left and Thibodeau took control, I don't think there would be THAT much of a difference.
There's no reason to look for another coach. But if he left and Thibodeau took control, I don't think there would be THAT much of a difference.
-
- Banned User
- Posts: 6,570
- And1: 7
- Joined: Sep 14, 2006
- Harry Palmer
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 42,862
- And1: 6,366
- Joined: Sep 16, 2004
- Location: It’s all a bit vague.
With these things you basically get 3 categories:
1) The smallest cat, in which the likes of Phil Jackson, Riley and Popovich reside, ie the kind of coach that is so universally respected as to be immune from the normal scapegoat pattern for coaches.
2) The 'hot year' guys, a la Adleman or Scott for this year, who are enjoying a very temporary reprieve from the norm and who will be castigated a la former hot year guys like Frank and JVG in time. This almost never lasts longer than one season.
3) Everyone else.
It's the norm. Teams invest a lot more in players than coaches, and fans follow suit with their emotions. It's so much easier to believe that your team is comprised of All Stars but for the interference of one easily replaceable coach than to consider the fact that the below-your-expectations performance of the team and/or player you root for is actually just a reflection of it's/his talent level.
1) The smallest cat, in which the likes of Phil Jackson, Riley and Popovich reside, ie the kind of coach that is so universally respected as to be immune from the normal scapegoat pattern for coaches.
2) The 'hot year' guys, a la Adleman or Scott for this year, who are enjoying a very temporary reprieve from the norm and who will be castigated a la former hot year guys like Frank and JVG in time. This almost never lasts longer than one season.
3) Everyone else.
It's the norm. Teams invest a lot more in players than coaches, and fans follow suit with their emotions. It's so much easier to believe that your team is comprised of All Stars but for the interference of one easily replaceable coach than to consider the fact that the below-your-expectations performance of the team and/or player you root for is actually just a reflection of it's/his talent level.
War does not determine who is right, only who is left.
-attributed to Bertrand Russell
-attributed to Bertrand Russell
- Schad
- Retired Mod
- Posts: 58,580
- And1: 18,065
- Joined: Feb 08, 2006
- Location: The Goat Rodeo
-
High 5 wrote:This would be an interesting poll for each team board and then compiling the results.
Agreed; that's why I was hoping that most people would indicate the team/coach for which they are casting the ballot.
To make my position clear, I'm of the opinion that there are three general skills that one might hope for from a head coach: as a tactician; as a motivator; and as a developer of talent.
There are very few (if any) coaches who really do all three; even many of the best coaches leave the teaching aspect to their assistants. And as with GYBE's example (or with Jackson/Winter), there are many more who rely on their assistants for tactical advice.
My thought is that there are probably 6-7 really good coaches in the league, an equal number of decent ones whose abilities barely cancel out their negatives, followed by a whole bunch of mediocrity (and in tier four, Isiah Thomas).
Unless one's team is at the very top of the heap (like Doc Rivers this year), those decent/mediocre coaches are always going to be on the hot seat...everyone wants one of the top guys, but there are only so many to go around. As a result, teams get into the practice of hiring/firing coaches with little reason beside 'we needed a change', only to bring in an equally mediocre coach.
Edit: thanks Harry, you basically stole my premise while I was typing this out.

**** your asterisk.