Could this successful retired coach be Lloyd Pierce's answer to Tex Winter?

_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #1 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:29 am

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Davey

Pierce came to the Hawks with a lot of talk about what a good developer of talent he is, and specifically was complimented regarding his ability as a defensive coach.

Somewhat expectedly (at least from my perspective), after two seasons, neither of those assertions have become proven science. In fact, for now, the evidence is very much mixed.

I'm one of those who is persuaded Pierce gets the full 2020-21 season as long as the team is a viable contender for a playoff spot. But if there comes a point at the 40 or 50 game mark that it is clear this team hasn't progressed to that degree after all, all bets are off, and I can easily imagine a HC with some pedigree replacing him.

But I like Pierce. I hope he succeeds, and I'd say that even if he were coaching another team, as long as it wasn't a conference competitor. So, I got to thinking, "What might he need at this stage from his staff that he doesn't seem to have?"

And the answer is, he doesn't have a Tex Winter. LP doesn't right now have that sage advisor that he can totally trust as his right-hand man. But theoretically, he does have a really good candidate in his and Steve Nash's old college coach, Dick Davey. Not sure he could coax the 78 year-old lifelong Californian to come work beside him. But it would be a welcome addition if he could.

Nathan2331 · Post #2 » by **Nathan2331** » Fri Jul 17, 2020 6:04 am

I'm not sure how Davey helps us now. He hasn't been coaching for 8 years, and scheme wise I don't know what he could offer us. Winter helped implement the triangle offense, we run similar stuff to what the rest of the league is doing. We're just not executing at a high level. That's not too say Pierce is infallible, but if we were to spend our cap space on good vets, I think we'd be a playoff team easy.

I also think it wouldn't have made sense to do that before though. Now that we know the baseline of what we have in Trae and John, our focus should next season should be integrating Capela and developing a secondary playmaker whether that is Reddish, Huerter or this years draft pick. I think we can accomplish that while competing for the 7 or 8 seed.

_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #3 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Sat Jul 18, 2020 3:08 am

I said "lifelong Californian," but I now stand corrected.

Per a podcast, I've learned that Davey lives in Hawaii these days, and spends his time playing golf when he's not doing some tournament (eg, Maui Classic) scouting work for some coaching friends.

_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #4 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Sun Jul 19, 2020 12:03 am

While much has been made of Winter's specific contribution to Phil Jackson-coached teams as being the installer and resident expert regarding the triangle offense, it bears mention... and is really the heart of the point of this admittedly-out-of-left-field proposition to hire Davey... that Winter first made a name for himself as a successful college coach, and Bulls GM Jerry Krause made him his first hire under the premise that Winter would be the "coach of the coaches." Just as there is something valuable to an otherwise-good roster of players to have that Vince Carter or other senior member, the assertion goes that the same could be said for an otherwise-good staff of coaches. Even better for Pierce would be having that older ear and voice on his staff that he, especially, has respect for and can-say-anything-to-each-other-and-get-away-with-it relationship. I doubt that a 78 year-old living in Hawaii is actually going to jump at the chance, but I also wouldn't be surprised. Listening to him talk, it's clear that his love of the game runs very, very deep, and assuming the best on the covid front (which of course, is a lot to assume), it's not inconceivable that he'd say yes to a one year go of it.

_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #5 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Sun Aug 23, 2020 10:26 pm

Maybe not a "successful retired coach," but maybe, at least, a former NBA coach with obvious ties to LP, and who can be a Winter-like confidante???

One evidently will soon be available.

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Post #6 » by **Jamaaliver** » Wed Aug 26, 2020 3:49 pm

I'd tke any of these guys as a senior voice on Lloyd's staff...or even as special advisor.

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jayu70 · Post #7 » by **jayu70** » Wed Aug 26, 2020 3:55 pm

Jamaaliver wrote:I'd tke any of these guys as a senior voice on Lloyd's staff...or even as special advisor.

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IIRC McMillan signed a 1 year extention

jayu70 · Post #8 » by **jayu70** » Wed Aug 26, 2020 3:57 pm

jayu70 wrote:
Jamaaliver wrote:I'd tke any of these guys as a senior voice on Lloyd's staff...or even as special advisor.

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IIRC McMillan signed a 1 year extention

Well damn....never mind. A lot can hapoen in 2 weeks.

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_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #9 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Thu Sep 3, 2020 2:19 pm

Well, well, well.

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Can we get a little Santa Clara rivalry going here?

_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #10 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Thu Sep 3, 2020 5:45 pm

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_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #11 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Fri Sep 4, 2020 12:36 am

https://nypost.com/2020/09/03/steve-nash-hired-as-nets-coach-should-not-come-as-big-surprise/

“He was fun to hang out with, fun to drink with, fun to converse with and fun to play with,” Pierce says.

“And what more would you want than that?”

Hmmm. Well. Funny you would ask. Evidently, there is something.

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Nathan2331 · Post #12 » by **Nathan2331** » Fri Sep 4, 2020 12:39 am

I was today years old when I found out Jason Kidd was black.

_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #13 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Sat Sep 12, 2020 2:44 am

Just saw this. Maybe it's not just idle speculation to think Brown end up being invited to LP's bench. When you think about it, ATL makes for a nice gig while awaiting whatever is next, given the anticipation for a significant bump in W/L% in 20-21.

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Post #14 » by **Jamaaliver** » Sun Oct 4, 2020 7:40 pm

Thoughts on AG as lead assistant to Lloyd in the future?

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kg01 · Post #15 » by **kg01** » Mon Oct 5, 2020 4:11 pm

I'm on board with him upgrading his assistants but I'd be more interested in Sam Mitchell than anyone else you've put forth.

_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #16 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Sat Oct 31, 2020 1:01 am

Brett Brown surely would have already been considered if he were viewed as a viable option. Not sure that there's a previous Nate McMillan connection either for Pierce or Schlenk... is there?

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Ah ha.... looks like McMillan and Pierce have been forging a friendship based on the Racial Justice committee work...

“Lloyd Pierce has been the driving force behind it,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan said of the Atlanta Hawks’ coach. “He sees what we need. We’re looking to partner with grassroots organizations in communities to meet with mayors and police chiefs and put words into action. This is a moment we have to take advantage of to push this country into a better direction.

“This all isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s going to take time, a commitment. It's an important step."

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2020/06/22/nba-coaches-form-committee-racial-justice-reform-including-mcmillan-popovich-kerr/3239332001/

Post #17 » by **Jamaaliver** » Sat Oct 31, 2020 2:20 am

Nate being added to the staff seems like a real boon to our team.

But it also stands to assume that if things go sideways and the team chooses to part with LP mid-season, we just hired Pierce's successor.

_s_t_u_r_t_ wrote:

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From Atlanta’s standpoint, it is never a bad thing to add an experienced perspective to the mix, and McMillan is highly respected in league circles. At this juncture, it remains unclear where this process stands, and McMillan could also choose to take a year off after parting ways with the Pacers in late August. The 56-year-old finished with a .574 winning percentage in four seasons with Indiana and, prior to that, McMillan was the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics for five seasons and the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers for more than six seasons.

Peachtree Hoops

_s_t_u_r_t_ · Post #18 » by **_s_t_u_r_t_** » Thu Nov 5, 2020 3:59 am

Though not actually hired yet apparently--it could mean nothing but none of the Hawks beat writers have tweeted anything saying its done (and I continue to monitor the old HS tweet newsfeed)--worth noting that McMillan's reputation as a defensive coach has some substance...

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jayu70 · Post #19 » by **jayu70** » Thu Nov 5, 2020 4:05 am

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D21 · Post #20 » by **D21** » Thu Nov 5, 2020 10:35 am

_s_t_u_r_t_ wrote:Though not actually hired yet apparently--it could mean nothing but none of the Hawks beat writers have tweeted anything saying its done (and I continue to monitor the old HS tweet newsfeed)--worth noting that McMillan's reputation as a defensive coach has some substance...

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It's exactly what I always thought about him, he's a good defensive assistant coach, more than anything else.
He also had some good offensive schemes while in POR (I remind we lost a game because of that where he used pretty much the same system in the fourth quarter for three or four times and scored on all)
But I always suspected his quality as head coach especially for developing players. For example, even if Batum he's not perfect, McMillan set him all his years as a 3pts corner shooter and defender. He has no right to do anything else, and was averaging around 1ast/game.
McMillan left and Batum was instantly averaging 4 or 5 ast/game with more impact on the offense.