The Coaching Thread/SF76 Update: Page 54

[Kobblehead]

The only guy I actually have respect for on that list is Byron Scott. And even he is a shaky coach. I remember him letting Pargo take control of the offense and shoot his team out of the playoffs in 2008. Note that Chris Paul didn't exactly demand control either.

[76STholder]

SF - thank you for the update. I will be really bummed out if they take Mitchell or another retread over Collins. Very. I would prefer an up and coming assistant but Collins is fine with me again with a future coach as an assistant.

I agree with others that Mitchell will be EJ2 next year. And I really do not think I can take another year of that at the Wachovia.

[corwin]

So, i think the thinking goes, we either try to bring some vets in, and let experienced players try to take advantage of the weakened condition of previous playoff teams and sneak in... or realize we are never going to be able to compete with ORL or the team that signs Bron + (lol Rose/Salmons/Bron/Bosh/Noah!) So if we're not going to be able to compete, lets move guys (Iggy, imo, is going to have his highest value this summer) and rebuild so in a couple years we're in a better spot.

I think the talent is there for the team to sneak into the playoffs (in a weakened conference) with our without Iguodala. I just can't factor in how the FO is thinking about Iguodala. With him, the team is capped out & can't fix the imbalance in the roster short of a lucky draft pick or trade. I agree with you in that I think he's our most movable asset & removing his salary will help in the future. In terms of dominant teams, I think LBJ moves on from Cleveland to play for a winner & I don't think the NYK have the talent on the roster to make them one. That's why I expect Chicago & the NJN to have the best shot at him. With LBJ, those teams will be hard to beat regardless of any trades or draft picks that come to the Sixers.

[Mojo7]

its still gonna come down to mitchell vs collins at this point unless we interview woodson which is still up in the air.

Avery johnson we like but he seems to really prefer NO, CHI and NJ over us.

Mitchell and Collins both have us as their #1 destination.

I think the chances of Mitchell are better than the media is letting on....but its about 50/50 right now....as we head into 2nd interviews. Like I said earlier..Dwayne Casey could be brought in as well.

Do we know what it is precisely they like about Mitchell. What type of philosophy did he put forth? I wonder if, like Alvin Gentry, did SMitch improve post-firing?

[Tension]

its still gonna come down to mitchell vs collins at this point unless we interview woodson which is still up in the air.

Avery johnson we like but he seems to really prefer NO, CHI and NJ over us.

Mitchell and Collins both have us as their #1 destination.

I think the chances of Mitchell are better than the media is letting on....but its about 50/50 right now....as we head into 2nd interviews. Like I said earlier..Dwayne Casey could be brought in as well.

Do we know what it is precisely they like about Mitchell. What type of philosophy did he put forth? I wonder if, like Alvin Gentry, did SMitch improve post-firing?

This is Gentry's first talented team he's had though. All his other teams were pretty garbage. Sam Mitchell is a candidate for ATL, so im hoping he lands the job there.

[Foshan]

lol yeah I'm really hoping:

- Mitchell- ATL
- Collins - Clv/NJ
- AJ - CHI

Mainly just so that we don't have to have any of them.

[bebopdeluxe]

If it's Mitchell versus Collins...if Stefanski is staying, it's gotta be Mitchell.

Can't imagine Collins/Stefanski working out...at all.

If it comes down to those two, and the choice is Mitchell/Stefanski, I will be so bummed. It would be another example of $$$ and Stefanski's amazing survival skills over the better coach.

Comparing that to, say, Collins/Pritchard...man, that just makes me ill.

[Rnd Mnd of Rbnd]

I don't get all the hate for Mitchell...

If we don't end up with Budenholzer, Thibodeau, or Liambeer (which it's looking like we will not), Mitchell is probably my next choice.

[Skates]

I really see no reason to make a coaching hire now before the lottery.

Get a top three pick and this team can and should change drastically and should be a more desirable coaching spot.

[bebopdeluxe]

I don't think they will hire anybody before May 18th....and I would be surprised if any of the top lottery teams hire somebody before the 18th.

[Foshan]

I don't think we hire anyone till the flyers are done.

I'd LOL if the day after the flyers are eliminated Stiff is fired.

The morning after elimination: Snider opens up his Daily News to see an article about Stiff... <thinks> heh, forgot he's still the coach. Fires him later that morning.

[tk76]

When I read about how well the Collins interview went, I just imagine a room with four old, bald white guys talking about basketball. It does not surprise me that Collins, Gene Shue, Stefanski and DiLeo are on the same page... but are they in touch? Sorry to express age or cultural bias, but don't you think there should be more one perspective in the room?

Of course they ultimate decision maker- Snider- only follows hockey FWIW.

[freshie2]

Would Eddie Jordan give you the cultural, age, racial balance you desire?? My bigger concern is that Stefanski is in the room at all.

From the candidates that are reportedly leading the charge, I think he's looking for someone with head coaching experience and a little bit more of a disciplinarian. Agree with that focus, but am not sure you throw Laimbeer out of the mix already (which is apparently the case).

[ChuckS]

[quote] "Would Eddie Jordan give you the cultural, age, racial balance you desire?? My bigger concern is that Stefanski is in the room at all."

I agree with the sentiments expressed, particularly the implication that we have competence in that room.

As an old white guy, I am somewhat saddened that some believe us incapable of recognizing change or making intelligent decisions, or claim that age makes us of one mind. Grams would always say: "two (ethnicity removed) and five opinions. That is often the case even with the aged and infirm. In fact I think old timers have a distinct advantage. Harry Truman said: "There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know." I am unsure if I would take that as an absolute, but I am also reminded of the young man who went away for four years of college and came back astonished at how much his parents had learned in his absence.

But trite adages aside, I think I understand what TK is saying. I believe the game is pretty much the same as it has always been, but good thinkers have come up with new "wrinkles". Some, like LB and Nate McMillan like the accuracy above all, slower tempo, popularized by Dean Smith, but now somewhat altered by the clock.

And, they are not really new, but others have modified the motion offense with variations like the Princeton and Triangle, that actually are just modifications of what Boston and everyone else ran in the 50's and 60's. D'Antoni and others like to shoot quick and often but Alex English's Denver team did that years ago.

Small ball has been popular recently, but in the dark ages that was very common because there were no seven foot small forwards. The pick and roll has been the bane of every defensive mind since the peach basket, but there still has been no perfect solution.

So, in summary, I prefer those somewhat older, but more steeped in the knowledge and history of the game, preferably with hands on experience, making the decisions best for the team, instead of others trying to re-invent the wheel while repeating the same old mistakes. But I am just playing percentages. I would gladly have young guys in the room if they were great basketball minds. There are child prodigies. I just hope that no one believes that the mind of a 50 or 60 year old is necessarily incapable of thought or expansion.

On the other hand, this effort could be a rationalization for my having the mind of a "dinosaur".

[doctor him]

I'm all for due diligence and making sure your bases are covered, but I think for the Sixers that time is rapidly passing. I know that none of the other teams looking for coaches have made a hire yet, but I think the Sixers are in a unique position of all the teams.

Of the teams looking for a coach the Sixers (and the Bulls to a great extent) have the "pieces" for improvement already on their roster. They have their "young talent".

To me...while I blame Jordan for a great many things, his greatest sin was not providing the proper direction, structure and accountability to improve for our "young talent". Going into this season we felt a whole lot better about Young and Speights in particular than we do now.

I'm not absolving those two in particular for having "uneven" seasons, but play time is over and it's time for both of them to grow up on the basketball court in a serious hurry.

With that in mind...we have maybe 3 and a half months before next season begins to rev up and every week counts now. Vets like Iguodala and Williams aren't excluded from this need of an actual offseason plan, but it's most crucial for the youngsters. Even Holliday who had a fine rookie season needs the direction so he doesn't drift over the summer.

If Collins is the front runner, then I say have your 2nd interviews this week and hand him the job so he can get to work. I liked the idea of Laimbeer, and Collins was down on my list, but if he's the guy then so be it.

By next Sunday...I want a coach on the job, because we don't have time to waste.

[BringBackKorver]

^^Agreed. I think we're just going through the motions until the lotto. Maybe they are seeing if we get Wall and someone like Avery wants to come in and be his mentor. Hopefully that isn't the case though; I want someone who is committed to the job regardless of where our pick falls.

[The Guilty Party]

Gonzo has apparently hopped aboard the Laimbeer Bandwagon...

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/six ... z0o6kwIzTy

There now appears to be a decent chunk of the fan base and now a media member or two pushing for the real Bad Boy to come to the City of Brotherly Love. I doubt any of this makes a difference but at least there is still HOPE.

[Mojo7]

IMO, we are waiting for the end of the Western Conference Finals, when Collins will be "available." They know they don't have to make a decision until then, unless they think they want to interview Thibs again(which they should, given BOS's standout defensive performance in the playoffs, since they are hyper-concerned with Buzz & all).

[HotSauce77]

Woodson would make a lot of sense.

[Sixerboy3]

Howard Eskin said tonight on Sports Final that 3 sources have told him that Philly is Doug Collins top choice and that the Sixers top candidate is Collins. Eskin thinks a deal will be done this week.