Inside Magic coach Steve Clifford’s player development philosophy (Robbins)

[Skin]

Do we want Steve Clifford to come back next season? Honest question

Honest question. Who do you want, knowing that very coach with pedigree will pass on job?

you look at development coaches who wenth through rebuild of teams like 76ers ( Brown), Hawks ( Pierce), Nets ( Atnkinson), Kings ( Dave Joerger), Suns ( Watson, Triano, Kokoškov) . They all get chewed and spit and most of roster faults are always, by default pinned to them.

Also non of them ever lands another coaching job.

What are you asking from that unnamed coach is to take team where 4 of future 5 projected starters are injury prone mediocrities to develop into strong playoff roster and contender, and only building block that you are betting that into are unnamed Orlando Magic 2021 draftee and maybe Bulls draftee. On top of that you are on team that most free agent don't consider "hot" and cap space situation isn't perfect to being with.

I mean, who is today second best Orlando Magic player? Terrence Ross? Is Isaac best? Guy with ACL tear who plays once every games at average? Who with any desire for long career will touch that team?

I want a guy who knows player development. A guy who teaches basketball and not just "implements his system". A guy who has won NBA championships. A guy who has won championships internationally. It's not secret, every time we have a new coaching search I bring his name up.

ETTORE MESSINA!!!

He keeps applying for HC jobs (CHA/MIL)... has never gotten his shot at being an NBA HC. ORL would be PERFECT for him.

[RookieStar]

Do we want Steve Clifford to come back next season? Honest question

Honest question. Who do you want, knowing that very coach with pedigree will pass on job?

you look at development coaches who wenth through rebuild of teams like 76ers ( Brown), Hawks ( Pierce), Nets ( Atnkinson), Kings ( Dave Joerger), Suns ( Watson, Triano, Kokoškov) . They all get chewed and spit and most of roster faults are always, by default pinned to them.

Also non of them ever lands another coaching job.

What are you asking from that unnamed coach is to take team where 4 of future 5 projected starters are injury prone mediocrities to develop into strong playoff roster and contender, and only building block that you are betting that into are unnamed Orlando Magic 2021 draftee and maybe Bulls draftee. On top of that you are on team that most free agent don't consider "hot" and cap space situation isn't perfect to being with.

I mean, who is today second best Orlando Magic player? Terrence Ross? Is Isaac best? Guy with ACL tear who plays once every games at average? Who with any desire for long career will touch that team?

I want a guy who knows player development. A guy who teaches basketball and not just "implements his system". A guy who has won NBA championships. A guy who has won championships internationally. It's not secret, every time we have a new coaching search I bring his name up.

ETTORE MESSINA!!!

He keeps applying for HC jobs (CHA/MIL)... has never gotten his shot at being an NBA HC. ORL would be PERFECT for him.

If he is all that as you said.. then how come he hasn't gotten that job yet?

[pepe1991]

Honest question. Who do you want, knowing that very coach with pedigree will pass on job?

you look at development coaches who wenth through rebuild of teams like 76ers ( Brown), Hawks ( Pierce), Nets ( Atnkinson), Kings ( Dave Joerger), Suns ( Watson, Triano, Kokoškov) . They all get chewed and spit and most of roster faults are always, by default pinned to them.

Also non of them ever lands another coaching job.

What are you asking from that unnamed coach is to take team where 4 of future 5 projected starters are injury prone mediocrities to develop into strong playoff roster and contender, and only building block that you are betting that into are unnamed Orlando Magic 2021 draftee and maybe Bulls draftee. On top of that you are on team that most free agent don't consider "hot" and cap space situation isn't perfect to being with.

I mean, who is today second best Orlando Magic player? Terrence Ross? Is Isaac best? Guy with ACL tear who plays once every games at average? Who with any desire for long career will touch that team?

I want a guy who knows player development. A guy who teaches basketball and not just "implements his system". A guy who has won NBA championships. A guy who has won championships internationally. It's not secret, every time we have a new coaching search I bring his name up.

ETTORE MESSINA!!!

He keeps applying for HC jobs (CHA/MIL)... has never gotten his shot at being an NBA HC. ORL would be PERFECT for him.

If he is all that as you said.. then how come he hasn't gotten that job yet?

Most nba coaches don't develop players and it's not even their job. You have developmental coaches for it.
Coaching job it to put winning product on the floor, control egos, keep people accountable and have basketball system that fits personell.

At least that it should be.
But in nba it's simply not case. Compared to let's say soccer top tear coaches, coaches simply don't have name value other than few ( Pop,Doc, Spoelstra ) maybe Kerr & Stevens, in past there are like 10 coaches that had strong enough personality & reputation that make it possible for them to impose their will on stars. Brown, Jackson, Pop,Daly, Riley, Auerbach...
But most nba teams hire coaches to be exstended hand of best player. So this guy from start has no authority, players don't respect him and therfore he does not have strong enoug support to implement big changes.
Another big issue is that nba coaches are not "menagers" like again, it's case in soccer. They don't build rosters so players don't feel gratitude for getting contracts & making roster for that coach.

Another huge issue is that front offices more often than not, don't like to hire strong-minded coaches, because they want to feel like "boss" and having somebody who's presence won't override their authority over team empowers them even more.

How da hell will John Hammond have authority over Messina? How da hell will John Hammond have authority over any experienced, established coach? Just imagine going into argument between those two. One never passed first round of playoffs despite being GM for 15 years ,other was headed to basketball Hall of Fame for things he did in period between 1980 and 2000, and last 21 years he just keeps adding flavors to his name to make that Hall of Fame board nicer,bigger, more impressive.

Perfect coach for most nba teams is Scott Brooks. Shy, dumb as bricks, knows nothing about basketball , has no Xs and Os strategy, probably gets beat up by his wife and dog every day but when you try to sell illusions, you just say he was coach of 3 hall of famers when they were baby. Like Durant, Westbrook & Harden wouldn't become Hall of Famers even if Nazr Mohammed was their coach/player. GMs love him because he is so easly pushed around, superstars love him because Beal,Harden, Durant, Westbrook, whoever, will get 35% usage rate because he has no authority and fans love to hate him because he is perfect scapegoat and shield from any critic about players.

[pepe1991]

perfect example of stupidity of nba coaching and how meaningless it become:
Terry Stotts

So guy was told before he even made playoffs, that he will be fired if they don't make deep playoff run.
In same time Blazers top 3 best players are by default top 3 worst defenders. And 4th best player, Melo, is the worst team defender.
On top of that, main star signed megamax and gets all excuse for "being loyal" despite him only being loyal to his bank account, because by being "loyal" he got 4 years, $196 000 000 contract.

So "hero" here is guy who eats up 42% of cap space, in salary restricted league, team can't add any actual talent because he also imposes his "loyality" over team and forces them to keep his BFF McCullum, who also makes $31Ma year, esencially, eating 70% of cap space. But perdo, fault guy and blame-on guy is head coach that makes like $4M that are not even counted against cap and who workes under impossible conditions and unbalanced roster that can't defend anybody.

Why? Becaue Lillard is "star", 12 years old get wet pants watching their 6'1 chucker make 1 buzzer beater per season that will make espn highlights reel, and other 15 games that he ruined, including all playoff runs, especially being dwarfed by Lakers, simply won't be showed on highlights.
But after they got bounced in playoffs (again, and again) this year, hot take will be " Lillard should ask to be traded to Lakers".

[GelbeWand09]

perfect example of stupidity of nba coaching and how meaningless it become:
Terry Stotts

So guy was told before he even made playoffs, that he will be fired if they don't make deep playoff run.
In same time Blazers top 3 best players are by default top 3 worst defenders. And 4th best player, Melo, is the worst team defender.
On top of that, main star signed megamax and gets all excuse for "being loyal" despite him only being loyal to his bank account, because by being "loyal" he got 4 years, $196 000 000 contract.

So "hero" here is guy who eats up 42% of cap space, in salary restricted league, team can't add any actual talent because he also imposes his "loyality" over team and forces them to keep his BFF McCullum, who also makes $31Ma year, esencially, eating 70% of cap space. But perdo, fault guy and blame-on guy is head coach that makes like $4M that are not even counted against cap and who workes under impossible conditions and unbalanced roster that can't defend anybody.

Why? Becaue Lillard is "star", 12 years old get wet pants watching their 6'1 chucker make 1 buzzer beater per season that will make espn highlights reel, and other 15 games that he ruined, including all playoff runs, especially being dwarfed by Lakers, simply won't be showed on highlights.
But after they got bounced in playoffs (again, and again) this year, hot take will be " Lillard should ask to be traded to Lakers".

I cant understand the critic about Stotts too. He is a good coach. A very good offensive coach. He was a big part of that Dallas championship team too. If one is at fault its the GM, who sits on his hand for almost a decade.
Whats the best defender Stotts had in those 9 years? Matthews before his injuries? Thats a half decade ago already.
The only thing Olshey does is adding undersized, one dimensional, no defense, scoring SG/SF like McCollum, Crabbe, Simmons, Turner, Trent, Powell...

[pepe1991]

perfect example of stupidity of nba coaching and how meaningless it become:
Terry Stotts

So guy was told before he even made playoffs, that he will be fired if they don't make deep playoff run.
In same time Blazers top 3 best players are by default top 3 worst defenders. And 4th best player, Melo, is the worst team defender.
On top of that, main star signed megamax and gets all excuse for "being loyal" despite him only being loyal to his bank account, because by being "loyal" he got 4 years, $196 000 000 contract.

So "hero" here is guy who eats up 42% of cap space, in salary restricted league, team can't add any actual talent because he also imposes his "loyality" over team and forces them to keep his BFF McCullum, who also makes $31Ma year, esencially, eating 70% of cap space. But perdo, fault guy and blame-on guy is head coach that makes like $4M that are not even counted against cap and who workes under impossible conditions and unbalanced roster that can't defend anybody.

Why? Becaue Lillard is "star", 12 years old get wet pants watching their 6'1 chucker make 1 buzzer beater per season that will make espn highlights reel, and other 15 games that he ruined, including all playoff runs, especially being dwarfed by Lakers, simply won't be showed on highlights.
But after they got bounced in playoffs (again, and again) this year, hot take will be " Lillard should ask to be traded to Lakers".

I cant understand the critic about Stotts too. He is a good coach. A very good offensive coach. He was a big part of that Dallas championship team too. If one is at fault its the GM, who sits on his hand for almost a decade.
Whats the best defender Stotts had in those 9 years? Matthews before his injuries? Thats a half decade ago already.
The only thing Olshey does is adding undersized, one dimensional, no defense, scoring SG/SF like McCollum, Crabbe, Simmons, Turner, Trent, Powell...

Same roster has: Kanter, Lillard, Melo, McCullum and Simons. Nurkic himself isn't even good defender and Powell is like 6'3 playing SF.
it's such a joke to blame coach for things that are going on with Blazers.

And pss don't tell anybody but Lillard in playoffs shoots 20 times to average 24,7 ppg on 40% FG, and 35,6% for 3. Including 35% FG vs Warriors and 40% vs Lakers and McCullum didn't have positive net rating in playoffs since 2016.

[axl_c_cool]

Steve needs to move on, for everyone. As someone said he could do better than most with a competitive roster. The fit feels a bit awkward now. I fully expect him to move on in the summer, and good luck to him, seems like a great guy