Hard Nosed Defensive Role Player during his NBA Days
Apprentice under the best X's and O's basketball coach in the league these days.
In the AJC's profile of potential Head Coaches:
The candidate
Tyrone Corbin
Background: His 15-year playing career included a stint with the Hawks from 1996-99. Corbin played in 1,065 NBA games and totaled 1,228 steals. After working in player development with the Knicks in 2003-04, Corbin joined the coaching staff of Utah's Jerry Sloan.
Why he might fit: Sloan enthusiastically endorses Corbin, which presumably means the protege believes in the same principles: tough-nosed defense and crisp offensive sets. If Corbin could bring a similar approach to the Hawks that would be a good start.
Why he might not fit: Corbin's never been a head coach. As much as the Hawks are considered a young team, they've been in the playoffs three years in a row, so a head coach learning on the job could be a drawback.
The intangibles of Sloan, but still young enough to relate to the younger players. I'd gladly go through the learning curve of an average season or two if it meant we'd get a steady solution to coach the hawks for the next 20 years.
