Nate McMillan possibly added as an assistant

[GAME TIME]

Ken Berger ‏@KBergCBS
Mike D'Antoni expected to reach out to fellow USA assistant Nate McMillan as potential defensive assistant, league source tells @CBSSports.

[ROballer]

[Wreckus13]

I know he wasn't too good as a HC, how is he as an assistant?

[GAME TIME]

I know he wasn't too good as a HC, how is he as an assistant?

Dan Tony and McMillan were assistants on the Olympic teams McMillan has a great relationship with Kobe.

[WVSArtist]

That would be a very good idea.

[Kilroy]

GAME TIME

[TruSkool]

i don't know anything about mcmillan

[iamworthy]

Report: D’Antoni wants Nate McMillan as “defensive assistant”

This hire could well be a good one — but don’t think Nate McMillan is a defensive specialist.

No team of McMillan’s has ever finished in the top half of the league in defensive efficiency (points allowed per possession). His teams didn’t allow that many points per game because they played at a painfully slow pace (which makes this another odd pairing with D’Antoni). His team’s career defensive numbers are barely better than D’Antoni’s when you break things down by possession.

But now the pair of coaches would have Dwight Howard in the paint and solid defenders such as Metta World Peace and Kobe Bryant on the perimeter. They have the pieces to be good defensive team.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... assistant/

[oski24]

Zone defense. Worked against the Thunder/Heat in 11

[The Laker Kid]

Why the face? Is this hiring good or bad?

[EGame]

As a Blazer fan who comes in peace, unless something drastically changes, this signing will drive you nuts. McMillan is not as defensive minded as you may think. The Blazers would constantly switch on all screens, leaving Aldridge on the PG and some small guy on the screen setter. I remember games against the Mavericks, Dirk would set the pick and Aldridge would end up on Kidd/Terry, while our PG would be defending Dirk. That constantly happened throughout his time here and just isn't as good as you, media, or anyone may think. Just my two cents.

[Ckay]

Why not let it fly?

[Jukapuka]

I don't know... I've always liked McMillan. Seems like a good signing to me.

[BEazy]

At this point just do whatever management wants. Us fans have no power with these people. Just start winning games that is all i care about now...

[DEEP3CL]

I know he wasn't too good as a HC, how is he as an assistant?

Nate was a hell'va coach while he coached the Blazers. He brought that team back from the dead when they started to be known as the "Jail Blazers". He changed the culture up there, but we all know how they went out and a lot of that wasn't on Nate.

[DEEP3CL]

As a Blazer fan who comes in peace, unless something drastically changes, this signing will drive you nuts. McMillan is not as defensive minded as you may think. The Blazers would constantly switch on all screens, leaving Aldridge on the PG and some small guy on the screen setter. I remember games against the Mavericks, Dirk would set the pick and Aldridge would end up on Kidd/Terry, while our PG would be defending Dirk. That constantly happened throughout his time here and just isn't as good as you, media, or anyone may think. Just my two cents.

Not to be condescending or anything, but do you really know why the Blazers ran that "switching" system ? I know exactly why he did it, based on the personnel the Blazers had was a reason he did it. Plus if we're going to complain about switching hell it happens to Gasol a lot when we play the Clippers. Switching is truthfully dictated by the opposing team. It's up to the defense to recover, switching in some cases is good it just depend on the guys on the floor.

[GAME TIME]

who would you rather have Vinnie Del Negro or McMillan as your HC?

[Kalidogg24]

G ME TIME

[Shem]

In Seattle, Nate's teams ranked 24th, 24th again, 17th, 27th and 27th again in terms of defensive efficiency (the number of points allowed per 100 possessions, which normalizes for pace; a phrase that I seemed to be typing 20 times a day when discussing Nate's 2004-05 Seattle SuperSonics teams in various SI.com columns and message board appearances back then). In Portland, he worked up a 28th ranking, 26th in his second season in 2006-07, 17th, that 2008-09 run to 13th, 15th, and 14th. The Blazers dipped to 23rd overall in 2011-12, but that mark was both pumped up by 23 games of good work from interim coach Kaleb Canales, and obscured by the fact that McMillan's team had tuned him out by the second week of the season.

Not a sterling record. Not a good record, even. Actually, a pretty terrible record on that end, if we're honest, one that is possibly the worst defensive record of any available NBA coach -- Mike D'Antoni included. Nate McMillan has nearly 1,000 games as an NBA head coach under his belt, and he routinely turned in seasons that saw his teams amongst the dregs of the NBA defensive ranks. His best seasons were average, at best.

And he's the "defensive coordinator"? Because he did well to make life hell for opposing point guards 20 years ago?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball- ... --nba.html

[Father Time]