The Coaching Thread/SF76 Update: Page 54

[PhilasFinest]

Once again... Idont really see how Mitchell is a "retread".

His teams in tornoto aside from a young chris bosh were NOT that talented. He got the most outta them IMO and that 47 win season should be a credit to his coaching.

Collins had jordans bulls and hills pistons.
Avery had dirks mavs
Jordan had the arenas Jamison butler prime trio
Scott had the Kidd Carter rj Martin nets and cp3 Chandler west hornets

there's some coaches who have been re treads with solid teams and failed to deliever.

Mitchell had the young Bosh raptors with a undeveloped no defense Bargs. An overrated no D calderon and that's it.

Aside from Laimbeer... I think Mitchell should be a serious candidate for our vacancy.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Well i'm willing to "ACCEPT" Sam Mitchell as our head coach if we go there. I don't see how he is a retread either, seeing how his only other head coaching job in the NBA was at Toronto. I can see the argument from both sides and it does worry a little bit because we do not have a Chris Bosh on this team or even player close to his stature. I consider Bosh to be in the top 10 status in the NBA and at this point I think he's passed up Tim Duncan, and even Dirk Nowitzki. He is one of those players that can dominate a game by himself regardless of the level of talent surrounding him. One of those players that if you have on your team you are never out of a game. We don't have a player like that so in a way I think this is a tougher challenge for a Sam Mitchell to come step into. We do have the draft coming up and may be able to luck out with a top notch player from it. There is also room for improvement in Holiday, Young, Speights, and even Lou Williams and Iguodala to a certain point. I'll take Mitchell over any other candidates so far "except" Laimbeer who is my personal favorite.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

quote="philly10"

Dear Sir,

I come to this board in the quest for knowledge. Everyday I, myself make it a point to learn something new. The day I have failed, will be the day I have passed away. However, I do not follow blindly, I have the desire to know how or why.

I apologize that my desire to know how or why someone would come to a certain conclusion would cause such a great commotion. Personally, after the excellent arguments set forth by Mr. Guilty Party and Mr. Moore (and my own research) I believe that Mr. Laimbeer and Mr. Casey to be my two top candidates, in addition to Mr. Collins. I believe these individuals would possibly provide a quicker turnaround to respectability than some others. If Sixers management would choose to totally rebuild this team and go in a totally different direction, I would be very comfortable handing the reigns over to Mr. Woodson, who has done an amazing job under difficult circumstances in Atlanta.

Thank you very much and have a nice day.

Dear Sir,

What are you flying on or traveling in on your quest for knowledge?
Your apology has not been excepted on my end at all. Atleast not until you stop with the sarcastic replies. Also I have to vehemently disagree with you on the idea of us hiring "Mr. Woodson". In fact I think he sucks as a coach and should be fired immediately. I don't think he's all that "glorious" of a coach at all. I also fail to see his difficult circumstances in Atlanta...Please explain them if you would. Having high draft picks over the last eight years, and signing a Joe Johnson are hardly difficult circumstances in my opinion. Atlanta is underachieving if you ask me.
Gee I can't wait for your next response. I'm sure it will be "quite extraordinary" and grammatically correct with perfect puncuation formatted for MLA style. Please use your little brown to overlook any possible errors you might construct from here on out or I will be forced to correct them. Thank you for being so polite as well, i'll have to invite you over for tea time someday.
Cherrio...

Thank you so kindly dear sir, and have a glorious day.....

So you didn't except it, but did you accept it? Or expect it?
Okay, I couldn't resist. It was the spelling more than the puncuation.

But back on topic, oh yeah, and I'm not on board with Woodson. I didn't understand the Laimbeer at first, but the more I hear the more I am getting on board. Would be curious about Thibs, based on the praise he gets he might be my first choice still. And I definitely think any coach selling a quick fix better be lying to get hired or we are in for disaster. Then again, maybe that is what we need: a year of Eddie Jordan 2.0, another high draft pick, and then a new GM and coach...

Good catch man, i've totally fixed it...
Thank you so kindly dear sir,.......and have a glorious day

[HartfordWhalers]

Punctuation was my other catch. Off topic, but firefox has spell checker built in. Not sure what makes someone type stuff like good sir, etc, but avoid that browser...

On topic, anyone else feel there is motivation to hire someone not available/considered last year, thus avoiding making that hire look worse?

[The Guilty Party]

1- Philly10 referred to me as "Mr. The Guilty Party"... that made me laugh and now he's won me over. This board could use some politeness.

2- Well, I hate hearing that the Laimbeer interview was just "ok". That doesn't give me much hope that he'll score a 2nd interview or *gulp* the job.

The worst part about this whole coaching search is the fact the GM who is conducting it could still be fired. In other words, what the hell is going on? Are we just wasting our time reading about this right now? The Flyers look to be forcing a game six in their series, does that mean that if the Flyers should somehow go on to play in the Finals that we won't know about the future of our GM until mid-June?

This ownerships sucks some serious balls. They aren't cheap but they just don't seem all that concerned about the coach or who is selecting that coach. If ES is going to be here, why not leak a vote of confidence for him. Instead, every columnist and talk radio host seems to believe it's STILL 50-50 he's not here next year. Are they waiting on Brown? Are they waiting on Pritchard? I hate that I think WAAAAAY more about the state of this franchise then the jerks who have a financial stake in the team.

[The Guilty Party]

was told that Sam Mitchell was VERY impressive in his interview and they are very high on him.

Laimbeer interview was just ok.

Havent heard about today's yet....but consider Mitchell the leader in the clubhouse at this point with more interviews still to come.

Thanks for the update SF76. Of the other guys who have also been interviewed (Collins and Johnson), do you think either of them are in the running still?

I hope you can check in to let us know how the talks with Marjerle and Williams went. Is Larry Brown still a possibility?

[Philly KDub]

I honestly think interviews are overrated. Sure, they are important if you want to hire people but you can't really base everything on interviews. Some guys will give great interviews but they may turn out to mediocre coaches. Some people aren't just that good at giving interviews but their record speaks for itself. I think Liambeer deserves a chance because his track record speaks for itself.

Mitchell probably has a considerable advantage over Liambeer due to his experience coaching in the NBA. I would be happy with either guys.

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

was told that Sam Mitchell was VERY impressive in his interview and they are very high on him.

Laimbeer interview was just ok.

Havent heard about today's yet....but consider Mitchell the leader in the clubhouse at this point with more interviews still to come.

Thanks for the update SF76. Of the other guys who have also been interviewed (Collins and Johnson), do you think either of them are in the running still?

I hope you can check in to let us know how the talks with Marjerle and Williams went. Is Larry Brown still a possibility?

The LB rumors have no credibility outside of him being tired of Charlotte. And to be honest, he might be tired of coaching alltogether. I mean, where's he gonna win a ring? Here? Hell no. Atlanta? I don't think anyone could do a better job then Woodson.

LB is either going to try and stick with Charlotte or retire from coaching.

[PhillyFan]

Based on years of watching Raptors basketball, here are few things about what I see of Sam Mitchell:

1) Yes, he has the attitude and doesn't take **** from anyone. Watch his interviews with the Toronto press and you'll see why. However, he is known to crush the confidence of the mentally weaker players such as Andrea Bargnani or Joey Graham. Yes, you can say they aren't very good players to begin with. But Sam Mitchell is not a guy who adjust; either you suck it up or you will end up feeling like you're the worst basketball player in the league. Perhaps you can argue this is what our roster needs, but we will have to see...

2) Again, you can argue he was given a weak roster. But I beg to differ. The year the Raptors had that turn around, I would attribute more to the players than the coach. TJ Ford/Jose Calderon formed 1 of the league's more dangerous point guard combo plus a strong 2nd unit is a major factor for the turnaround. Of course, you can argue Mitchell pushed Bosh really hard and it paid dividends when Bosh elevated his game that year. But, he also turned into a mid-range shooter who rarely drives to the basket. When you watch them...the majority of their baskets do not come from driving to the basket or scoring inside. Most of the baskets came from TJ Ford breaking down the defense and dishing it out to players camping out at the 3 point line for a long range shot (Anthony Parker, Andrea Bargnani, and sometimes even Chris Bosh). Mitchell's rotations and in-game adjustments are also questionable...for example, he would put Bargnani on small forward - 1 of the major reason they got killed by the Nets during the playoff series.

3) What Sam Mitchell has to offer, I don't see why Laimbeer can't do the same. Even though he only did it in the WNBA, Laimbeer did lead the team to several championships. Plus, Laimbeer will probably come cheaper than Sam Mitchell...

All in all, if Mitchell gets the job, I can't see him doing any better than Eddie Jordan. Unless he worked on his X's and O's during the time he is off...he will just be a hard nosed motivator who ultimately cannot adjust his game plans during clutch time.

[freshie2]

Still not preferring Mitchell over Laimbeer. You think about the personality, the competitive drive, the style of play, and the success Laimbeer has had, and it is a pretty clear choice to me. His personality may wear on players over time, but if he has a 5 year run with a few conference championship appearances, you can live with him ticking a few players off.

[sixerfan1976]

I think its Mitchell #1, Collins #2 and maybe Dwayne Casey #3(when he gets back involved in the process).

I dont think Majerle or Monty are serious canidates.

I expect Budenholzer to be interviewed this week.

I think Brown is a very long shot. Thats been overblown in the media.

[ankle420breaker]

I think its Mitchell #1, Collins #2 and maybe Dwayne Casey #3(when he gets back involved in the process).

I dont think Majerle or Monty are serious canidates.

I expect Budenholzer to be interviewed this week.

I think Brown is a very long shot. Thats been overblown in the media.

re-tread, re-tread, re-tread. With none of the unknowns as part of the equation. This reeks of Stefanski just playing it safe to try and save his job.

[sec-106]

I think its Mitchell #1, Collins #2 and maybe Dwayne Casey #3(when he gets back involved in the process).

I dont think Majerle or Monty are serious canidates.

I expect Budenholzer to be interviewed this week.

I think Brown is a very long shot. Thats been overblown in the media.

SF, is there any chance one of these 3 get hired, ES is fired and DiLeo takes over as GM?

Collins would be major $$$ commitment, so would ES want that type of coach ready to take on more power?

As always, thanks for the updates.

[tk76]

Next year is all about low expectations. But I don't know if I can get them low enough to support another year of a lame duck coach/GM. I mean do we even want a retread to have much success with this roster and preserve the status quo. And we might even see Stefanski trade away the pick for a vet.

Things are ugly now, but they actually could be worse. I'd say wasting this pick and having a 35 win season where Stefanski talks of playoffs would be worse. I might start on some AI-like tirade about "playoffs." As in Playoffs, this team should not be talking playoffs. They should be talking about getting a superstar on the roster BEFORE they try and get back in the playoffs.

[Hipster Doofus]

God, no Mitchell.

Ed Stefanski, you Humpty Dumpty-looking idiot, you're making the same freaking mistake as last year with EFJ.

I can't bear to hear Mitchell's post game conferences of explaining a loss "We just couldn't make any shats tonight. No shats. We took em, but we just couldn't make em. The other team made more shaaaaats."

Just hire freaking Boston's or San Antonio's assistants. Get some new blood, some people who've been working behind a coach like Popovich for all these years, soaking up the knowledge, and just waiting for a head coaching position to show their talents.

Tired of these half-assed, old coaches with the same philosophy/mentality.

[sixerfan1976]

Stefanski isnt going anywhere.....he is being given this last chance to make things right.

[HartfordWhalers]

Stefanski isnt going anywhere.....he is being given this last chance to make things right.

Which is what creates the incentive to trade away the 6th pick and try and win now with a proven vet and a proven coach.

But it doesn't make it in the franchise's long term interest.

And it doesn't make it more in the fans' interest. We want something new and with promise; not something that is safe but we know is not getting us where we want to go.

[Soren]

in their minds what is right though? Treading water in the east on our way to a low seeded play off birth? This team IMO is in no position to worry about winning now and it frightens me to think we are plowing forward trying to get this ragtag roster into the the playoffs.

[Kobblehead]

Oh god, we better not trade the 6th pick for a veteran. I wouldn't mind packaging the 6th pick and Brand to a team willing to eat the salary, however.

[GameChannel]

Let me, for once and for all, squash all the misconceptions about Sam Mitchell. Being a Minnesota fan for years and having watched him coach the raptors as well, I can safely say that Mitchell is more of a player's coach than Avery Johnson. Bill Lambeer (sp?) I can't comment on since I haven't seen him coach first hand. Sure he is an assistant in Minny, but we all know how disastrous the past season in Minny has been. Anyways, back to Mitchell, a lot of people will point at his coaching record and tell you that he has more losses than wins. Fair enough, but you have to understand that the guy had two horrible teams at his disposal the first two years of his coaching career.

First Year - Rookie Head coach:
A year that was highlighted by the Vince Carter bitch-fest, Rafer Alston refusing to play since he didn't get enough plays run for him and crying in public, a young, green Chris Bosh, and a declining Jalen Rose. Vince faked injury and refused to dunk anymore and was eventually shipped out. The return didn''t improve Sam's resources in fact, only thinned the roster out even more as Mourning refused to report and only the useless Williams reported. Even then Mitchell managed a 33 win season, which, based on that roster was a major achievement!

Second Year:
A rebuilding year where the only vets were Jalen Rose, MoPete and Chris Bosh entering his third year. Mike "Never saw a shot he didn't like" James was the point guard with a rookie international player in Jose Calderon being the backup PG. What about the front court? Chris Bosh and Hoffa Freaking Aroujo! Plus a couple of rookies in Charlie V and Joey Graham. The team started 1-15 to no one's surprise as that roster was a bottom dweller on paper and on court. Still, raptors picked it up and actually had an outside chance of sneaking into the playoff picture at the all-star break. But to their bad luck, Bosh went down and so did any hope of a late season surge. They still finished with 27 wins considering their horrid start and Bosh sitting out for 12 games at a crucial point in the season. Oh and Jalen Rose was shipped out in a Salary dump after the all-star break as well. Considering the roster they had, I think they ended up with more wins that they deserved to.

Third Year:
9 New players, only 1 legit star in Chris Bosh surrounded by role players like TJ Ford, Jose Calderon, Anthony Parker, Garbajosa, Rasho, MoPete. A very green rookie in Bargnani. No second banana to speak of. Even then they won 47 games! 47 freaking games! The team played its heart out for Mitchell. If that's not good coaching, I don't know what is. As for the claims that Bosh kept shooting jumpers, listen to Mitchell's pressers/pre and post game comments from that year and Bosh's improved play inside, Mitchell kept harping on him to go inside and not settle and Bosh complied.

4th Year:
Bargnani hit the sophomore slump early in the season and never recoevered scoring only 10 ppg for the season. The raptors made no improvements in terms of their roster except for switching Delfino for MoPete. The team was expected by the fans, media and the GM to repeat its success from last year and in some cases, even do better than before! Raps got off to a good start, playing good basketball. TJ ford went down in Atlanta and many expected the team to falter. Jose Calderon stepped in and performed even better than TJ had and cemented his place in the hearts of the media and the fans alike as THE PG of the team going forward even generating All-Star buzz. Sure, Jose should be credited for the way he played but he has always credited Mitchell for making him the player he became since Mitchts fell was always pushing him hard and wanted him to play to his abilities. Then TJ ford comes back and all hell break lose. He takes the locker room hostage with his attitude and the team starts faltering. At the same time, Bosh goes down and missed 15 games in the season. Even then the raptors finish with a 41 win season in a much improved east where Boston became a Monster, Orlando improved, Atlanta made playoffs for the first time in years, Detroit was still winning games, Washington still had their big 3, Philly got back into the playoff picture. Although they got manhandled in the playoffs by Orlando, it was more due to the GM intefering with the coach's business wanting him to play Bargnani come what may. How else do you explain Bargnani's sudden inclusion in the starting 5 as a SF in the first game of the playoffs? From what everyone says, Mitchell always wanted to reward people who worked hard and Bargnani was no that.

5th year:
Raps start out hot, then JO goes down, Bargnani still sucks, Jose gets injured with Will Solomon as the team's new PG and the raps still have a 8-9 record in a much improved east when Mitchell gets fired. Triano comes in and even then the raps (his best raptors team ever assembled as per BC) finish with a 25- 40 record the rest of the way.

Mitchell is a hardass and that's exactly why his players respond to him. As for the mentally weak players, Bargnani and Joey Graham are prime examples of why they were no different under a different coach. Joey Graham is still a scrub and Bargnani has made no improvements since his early years except that Triano has gifted him minutes no matter how poorly he's playing on a given night. The result? Raps again miss the playoffs and Bargnani started getting lambasted by raptors faithful for being one of the worst defenders in the league who still keeps getting babied by the coach and the GM alike. Clearly Mitchell knew how to make things work with limited rosters and still managed to overachive. Hi smane was to win games, and he knew that if he has to win games, that has to come at the cost of softies like Bargnani and Graham. His share the ball philosophy will work much better than Avery Johnson's ISO based offence.

Give him a chance, he just may be able to improve the play of Speights like he did for Bosh, Charlie V, Garnett and he may be able to develop Holliday like he did Billups. It's no surprise tha KG and Billups still credit Mitchell for their development even till this day.