Head coach & GM options

[funkykingston]

These thousands of new STH want to see a name on the bench. Jerry Sloan baby, Jerry Sloan!

I'm a big Jerry Sloan fan so I'm not disagreeing with the suggestion, but I would disagree with the notion that Kings fans want or need a "big name" head coach. What Kings fans need is a GOOD coach (and a good organization behind him) that leads to an improving team. I think Mike Malone would be a great hire. And while the immediate reaction wouldn't be as positive from the fans as a guy like Sloan, and he wouldn't command the respect in the locker room right away that Sloan likely would, all that really matters is results.

Perhaps the best argument for a younger, assistant coach is that to me the most important thing is to start to develop a true winning culture. A GM and coach that are on the same page with the coach implementing a system on both sides of the ball and developing a team identity with the GM making the moves to find and replenish the talent to run that system while managing the cap.

The Maloofs hired a string of bad coaches from assistants (Natt, Smart), to a former player/college coach (Theus), to retreads (Westphal, Musselman) but to me it wasn't the lack of a big name that made these bad hires. It's that they were mediocre coaches hired on the cheap. The best among them was Theus, who really should have been an NBA assistant first and yet still might have done alright with more time.

But the other part of that is the team's lack of talent. Sure, a good coach should have gotten more wins but let's not pretend these were loaded rosters that should have been perennial playoff teams. And one good offseason may help but this team is still likely a year or two away from really competing for anything. So would the job even appeal to a guy like Sloan who will likely only coach for a few more years?

Lots to think about and I'll be curious to see how things play out. I have more optimism with the new ownership group but until we see the moves they make I'm still somewhat nervous about the direction of the Kings.

 

[xyrin]

I don't know Malone and am worried that a new owners group may turn off the fans by hiring someone most people have not heard of unless he happens to be great. Will you come as close as possible to guaranteeing this guy with be a great head coach. I think I know your answer but we need a guy better than Sloan (age is a factor), McMillan, etc. if we hire him and it better be obvious quickly that he is great.

Just because you don't know Malone doesn't mean he is a bad coaching option. It means you need to start paying more attention.

Personally, I think Malone would be a great candidate. He is a young up and comer with some great endorsements.

 

[xyrin]

These thousands of new STH want to see a name on the bench. Jerry Sloan baby, Jerry Sloan! He's got a good 3 years in him - enough to establish a bit of hard nosed winning momentum to take to the new areba, and he'll kick DMC's *** if necessary to get his points across. Vivek's Forbes interview shows he does not mind primadonnas "as long as they have the goods".

We need order restored, a culture established. I can think of no better candidate out there for this time in the Kings evolution.

I hope we get him.

I don't care who GM is, even if it is Geoff. I just want a good proven head coach for a change... PLEASE!!!

Sloan is NOT going to join a rebuilding team. He wants to make a run in his final years, not rebuild a team from scratch.

And Petrie MUST go.

 

[Bricklayer]

Just because you don't know Malone doesn't mean he is a bad coaching option. It means you need to start paying more attention.

Personally, I think Malone would be a great candidate. He is a young up and comer with some great endorsements.

And probably at least 1/2 of those guys end up failing.

Which is not to say Malone will. But it is to say that nobody can say he won't.

Its been too long now. This next coach can NOT fail. Just can't. All risk that can be eliminated from that equation must be. The fans need it, the owners need it, Cousins needs it. Just everyone. Has to be as close to a sure thing as you can get. Been too long, and too messy, and there has to be a firm abrupt line in the sand drawn here.

 

[NoBonus]

Where is Dick Motta and Garry St. Jean in this conversation?
Not to mention "The Wis"?

 

[IfAt1st]

People, the Kings are at desperation times now.
They CAN NOT AFFORD a miss at this stage.

Therefore, I believe it is obvious that they HAVE to hire a coach that has been a proven winner, and successful at implementing a NBA-quality system on offense and defense.

It just doesn't make sense to me, after so many years of experimenting and taking a flyer on an unproven coach, that they would risk hiring a coach who hadn't proven themselves in the NBA already.

 

[funkykingston]

We can say that the Kings have to hire a proven winner who absolutely won't fail, but that guy has to be out there and willing to take the gig.

Phil Jackson? No interest in coaching and apparently no interest in even a front office job with the Kings.

Jeff Van Gundy? Doesn't seem interested in a coaching gig.

Stan Van Gundy? Has said flat out that he won't be coaching this year?

Jerry Sloan? Is a 71 year old coach going to want to be part of a rebuilding project?

I'd take Lionel Hollins in a heartbeat but Memphis shouldn't let him go and even if they do I have to think the Clippers would go hard for him.

Who else is out there? I'm legitimately asking.

 

[macadocious]

Malone and Budzinger(sp?) should be at the top of our list IMO.

 

[HndsmCelt]

We can say that the Kings have to hire a proven winner who absolutely won't fail, but that guy has to be out there and willing to take the gig.

Phil Jackson? No interest in coaching and apparently no interest in even a front office job with the Kings.

Jeff Van Gundy? Doesn't seem interested in a coaching gig.

Stan Van Gundy? Has said flat out that he won't be coaching this year?

Jerry Sloan? Is a 71 year old coach going to want to be part of a rebuilding project?

I'd take Lionel Hollins in a heartbeat but Memphis shouldn't let him go and even if they do I have to think the Clippers would go hard for him.

Who else is out there? I'm legitimately asking.

While it is a long shot, Larry Bird has voiced interest in getting back in the game, and while most people assume he would want to GM he might prefer to get closer to the action and coach again. After all he was by far more successful as a coach than as a GM. I would place him on the list but as very very long shot.

 

[xyrin]

What is wrong with you? I never said he was a bad choice. In fact I said if we hire him, it better be obvious that he is great. I see nothing wrong with that. Balancing him with a well known GM is another approach. I certainly have the right to acquire knowledge. If you want me to know about Malone. tell me about Malone. If you think you have earned my respect and simply have me accept your opinions as the Gospel, you are mistaken. If you want to try to make a fool of me, go somewhere else.

BTW, look at the note immediately above the last note you wrote to me. I said "I'll take the word of what people say about Malone." What is your problem with that?

I had read about three or four posts prior to that one where you complained in each one about not knowing who Mike Malone is. So when I saw this one I replied to it. Hadn't seen your response until afterwards.

 

[Kingsfan23]

Ettore Messina is tossed around by someone every year as a potential NBA coach.. apparently has a storied international career. If we have no interest I wonder what he would be able to do elsewhere in the association

 

[RussoTuristo]

Ettore Messina is tossed around by someone every year as a potential NBA coach.. apparently has a storied international career. If we have no interest I wonder what he would be able to do elsewhere in the association

Ettore is a great coach .. for Europe. Obviously, he is a very good teacher and tactician but I do not think he is the one to coach someone like DMC. IMO he is a little bit rough for NBA and its players. I think he will/should stay in Russia and coach CSKA.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

Malone and Budzinger(sp?) should be at the top of our list IMO.

assuming your speaking of Spurs assistant coach Budenholzer, i totally agree

 

[funkykingston]

assuming your speaking of Spurs head coach Budenholzer, i totally agree

I thought it was a suggestion that we should trade for Chase Budinger and make him a player/coach. I think we should do that as an homage to the Maloofs and their coach hiring strategies. Maybe Budinger is a whiz with PowerPoint too?

 

[OPrime]

Malone and Budzinger(sp?) should be at the top of our list IMO.

Those two along with David Joerger are my guys as well. I know a lot of Kings fans want to make a splash with a recognizable name for everyone but I don't see them going that route. I'd even throw in Brian Shaw but I think he's the least likely choice

 

[Telemachus]

IT can at least put pressure on the ball. Those other guys couldn't put pressure on my 90 year old aunt. On that alone, IT is the better defensive player. You've got to break pressure on offense and create pressure on defense if you are a point guard. IT is the better point guard on this team when you take both of those characteristics into account when evaluating pgs. When the other team presses, who do you want to break pressure on this team other than IT? Nobody, that's who. That's where the Tyreke pg argument falls apart. That's where the Tyreke/Douglas backcourt doesn't work. That's where the any other guard combo doesn't work other than one that currently has IT in it. If the other team has a modicum of quickness, and they have any brains in their head, they pressure a sans-IT backcourt and they create all kinds of problems.

As far as this good/bad binary argument, I don't buy it. It's ALL relative in the NBA. It isn't a good/bad proposition. It's who you are better than or not better than. It's a relative dynamic, not a binary one.

As far as team defense is concerned and knowledge thereof, well that's not a surpise. Beno came from an excellent program in SA with probably the best coach in the league. And Bibby didn't have bad coaching when he was with Adelman. Knowledge is one thing; ability is another.

Being able to put a little pressure on an opposing PG is NOT how I judge his defense. That is a very small part of what they do on defense. And IT was only marginally effective at pressing anyway. You have to take into account how he can't fight through a pick to save his life, and is about as bad as I've seen at defending the PnR. His overall team defense was almost non-existent.

As for who I would want to break a press, then I would take Tyreke over IT. First, the best way to break a press it by passing, and Tyreke can see over most of the guards who would try to trap him. Tyreke is also a better ball-handler than IT. But the truth is that teams don't press very often in the NBA. It usually only works when they catch the other team off guard, but then the team adjusts and starts getting easy baskets by beating the press.

 

[Vitamin K]

David Kahn was at tonight's rally.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

 

[RussoTuristo]

David Kahn was at tonight's rally.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

He is here to help with a new arena ... it is not about the GM job.

 

[Andriod_KiNg]

Wtf nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[KingdomeCome]

 

[gunks]

Meanwhile...The Raptors meet with Ujiri.


I'm excited for any news RE: change. Might be another couple weeks as the franchise just barely changed hands, but I wouldnt be surprised if rumors of who we're looking at start to float around the interwebs soon.

ANY coaching hire is going to be a big step in the right direction (unless we bring back Natt). I'm a bit curious to see Petrie do work sans Magoofs, but I dont have a lot of faith in the guy. A lot of his moves just seemed more lazy than anything. But the T-Rob trade was a pleasant surprise (unless T-Rob blows up and becomes the next Faried in a season or two). Still, I think a new GM would be a great move to get this team going in another (less chucky) direction.

 

[RichieInRocklin]

I don't know enough about FOs in the league other than Kings FO, so I'll limit my comments to the King's FO and potential new coaches. First, Petrie and his assistants: Geoff might stick through this draft as a consultant, but I can't believe that our new ownership won't clean house with a new GM and new assistant GMs. That would be critical in selecting a new coach, so they could be on the same page as to what direction they want to go. As Funkykingston said on his pg 19 post, all of the good experienced coaches (read big names), won't be coming to the Kings. And other experienced "re-treads" I wouldn't want here as their baggage will catch up with them too soon. I would rather see a more experienced GM (even if he were an assistant with a good team who had a good GM as a mentor) and an experienced assistant coach who has the where-with-all and mentoring to become our new coach. Several of them fit the bill, IMHO, such as Budenholzer, Byron Scott, David Joerger. and Mike Malone. All of them know how to teach and install a good defense, let alone being around excellent offensive coaches.

Hopefully, we'll soon get a Great GM who can then hire an outstanding young coach. Vivek is going to get input from his contacts within the NBA, so I'm very confident he'll "do the right things".
My hope has never been higher that within a few years, we'll be going deep into the playoffs. Go Kings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mike]

While it is a long shot, Larry Bird has voiced interest in getting back in the game, and while most people assume he would want to GM he might prefer to get closer to the action and coach again. After all he was by far more successful as a coach than as a GM. I would place him on the list but as very very long shot.

He did a good job with the Pacers as their head coach, and if he wants to return to court side then I think he could be a good fit. But he did do a good job as a GM/president of basketball decisions, he did help build the current Pacers team, and was voted executive of the year in 2012, so he does have a good reputation at both jobs.

 

[VF21]

So I'm not foolish to have concerns about this? Interesting. At least it is shared by someone else. This doesn't mean he's being considered for anything but it's not like he lives nearby and just stopped by to see what all the noise was. He showed up for a reason. What the blog left out was his confrontations with Timberwolves players and the fact he lasted a whole 4 years. Maybe he will be hired as a part time consultant. I think Jim Thomas did that on a temporary basis as he took over the Kings. Having a guy who locks horns with players being a GM or president of a team that has a player called Cousins on it is a recipe for disaster. My worst of fears is that this is not a good basketball move and at this point, we may have all the hopes in the world for Vivek as do I but we really don't know his intentions and his first move will tell us a lot. Having Kahn at the rally is not a first step but it is close to that.

I am not a negative person when it comes to this team and its new ownership but seeing him at the rally rang alarm bells.

Look again. Brickie's tongue is firmly embedded in his cheek.

 

[HndsmCelt]

He did a good job with the Pacers as their head coach, and if he wants to return to court side then I think he could be a good fit. But he did do a good job as a GM/president of basketball decisions, he did help build the current Pacers team, and was voted executive of the year in 2012, so he does have a good reputation at both jobs.

I personally agree that as GM he was well above averge and lots of other people agree (GM of the year says something) But some posters like to debate that point, I don' think anyone could argue Bird was anything BUT a top coach in the years he held the gig, and my response was to a question about what experienced coaches were out there, so I added his name to the list.

 

[Sam0ah]

I was thinking Byron Scott would be a good coaching candidate.

 

[ockingsfan]

Kenny Smith

If Vivek likes to think outside the box, Kenny Smith would be a good candidate for GM.

He has been lobbying for a front office position and I think he is one of the brightest minds on NBA TV.

He watches all the games and teams and has a connection to the Kings from his early playing days.

He would definitely bring some name recognition to the Kings.

A name for coach would be Brian Shaw, he has been successful in all his stops with the Lakers and Pacers. He is a bright young mind and is a California native. He has both exposure to traditional offenses (Indiana) and the Triangle (Lakers).

 

[Bricklayer]

He has been lobbying for a front office position and I think he is one of the brightest minds on NBA TV.

you...you do??

 

[ParniValjak]

After listening to CBK podcast, specifically segmant with Mark Mastrov I am certain that we already have lined up our front office and coaching department. Mark said that we have been working very hard on it for a while and will start putting things into action as soon as the ownership becomes official. He said expect a lot of exciting things to start happening pretty quickly over the next 2 weeks.

This led me to believe that we already know who the GM will be and who the head coach will be and it will be announced pretty quickly after the NBA rubber stamps the transfer of ownership

 

[Darth Divac]

I despise Kenny because we drafted him over KJ. Nuff said.