How Would We Do Under Coach X?

[Bricklayer]

A prediction thread. Just to control things, let's just say for this thread's purposes we keep the exact same roster (inluding TWill) we have right now, except everybody is a year older, and you can add a lottery pick to it -- anybody but Anthony Davis (i.e. no magic superstar saves all scenarios). Just so long as the roster every coach has to work with is the same.

Given all of the above, how do you think we would do next year under the following 6, available coaches:

1) Keith Smart
2) Jerry Sloan
3) Jeff Van Gundy
4) Larry Brown
5) Nate McMillan
6) Mike D'Antoni

 

[ovrush]

Love this thread.

1) Smart - Maybe a 30 win season. We're 5-10 right now and Smart didn't take over until a decent portion of the hardest part of our schedule was past. Small ball never ever succeeds, Tyreke checks out ont he team early or demands a trade as he's forced to play 3 all year, we are forced to restart the rebuild essentially
2) Jerry Sloan - 45 ish wins, and an 8 seed. He's my favorite for this team. He has a bit of a history molding young pgs (which I still think Tyreke is) and under the rim bigs have also done ok with him. In a perfect scenario I can see him being energized laying out the expectation that Tyreke's midrange game is tight coming into next year and the Kings becoming a pick and roll nightmare for the rest of the league with Thornton playing the role of Hornacek. With proper spacing and a consistant screen to come off of, Tyreke becomes a nightmare to stop, his decision making is simplified into just learning how to read a pick and role. Counsins versatility makes him a risk rolling to the hoop or on the pick and pop. On the other hand, he's very old school, and who knows if he could handle Counsins. I tend to think highly enough of Cousins that I don't think he would rebel against a coach just because a coach is tough.
3) JVG - Similar concerns to Sloan, without as much of the upside. I would trust JVG to at least have proper defensive matchups on the floor. I think he would slow the pace of games that most 4th quarters would be close, and when the game is close, having two legitimate stars on the floor with Tyreke and Counsins gives you a very good chance to win in crunch time if coached properly.
4) Larry Brown - 35 wins frustrated COusins by the end of the year. Just too little give from him, and too much of a history of clashing with big personalities. While Sloan and JVG are tough guys, I never got the sense they were that way out of ego, whereas I think Larry Brown is. I think the team starts fine and Brown and Cousins clash after a few rough losses and things would deteriorate from there. I wouldn't want him near the personalities on this team.
5) Nate McMillan 40 wins push 9 seed overall. Consistant, steady, we'd never wind up with huge defensive mismathes, his teams always play hard. He's very even tempered and he had a lot of success with a ball dominant combo guard making it work. He'd be a good fit.
6) Mike D'antoni - The same as Smart. Lot's of points, too much smallball, not enough shooters on this team to really make his system work. 30 wins, no defense, very little development. Just a more expensive Smart.

 

[kingjatt]

Personally I'd like to see Sloan or Larry brown as they are proven legendary coaches who would command respect and instill fear as well as implement accountability and most importantly run structured systems with defined roles on BOTH ends of the floor, I could easily see us in the hunt for the 8th spot with those guys.

but in reality the Maloofs don't even have the coin to fly them in for an interview so I see us sticking to smart thru next year only to either extend him for cheap or find another coach willing to work for the lowest salary in the NBA.

 

[ParniValjak]

1) Keith Smart
Same as we do now, show flashes but continue to push for the small ball and playing player out of position. He gets the sack before half way mark of next season because the players will stop believing in what he preaches and will question the effectiveness of the game plan. Tyreke and Cousins will quit on the coach because they would be frozen out of the offence as guards continue to jack up shots to get their own. We miss the play-offs again.

2) Jerry Sloan
He comes in as a hard task master that could rub players the wrong way but he would be respected. I believe he would get on Cousins' good side and would use Tyreke much more correctly that what he has been used this year. He might rub Thornton up the wrong way because he would not give him as much freedom as he is afforded now. We went on to approve and sneak into the play-offs.

3) Jeff Van Gundy
He would come in from the old Riley school and would immediately try and connect with Cousins. He would build his team around Cousins and would play from inside out. He would recognize the qualities of Tyreke's game and would build around Cousins and Evans. I suspect that Thornton would get the ****s here because he would be in the doghouse for his lack of defense and ball hog tendencies. I suspect Thornton gets traded by the deadline as JVG pushes for more size and defense to surround his core players with. We finish the season strongly as he gets the players he wants around the trade deadline and we go on to sneak into the play-offs with excitement factor carrying on into the next season.

4) Larry Brown
He comes in and DEMANDS defense. He RIDES Cousins hard to the point where Cousins wants to kill him. He will get the results and wanted improvements but in couple of years it all goes to **** when the players turn on him.

5) Nate McMillan
Arguably the best possible fit for this franchise. He will come in and put in the structure and defensive schemes that will win in the long run. He will LOVE working with Cousins and Tyreke. In some ways he sees it as his Aldridge and Roy combo. He would move Thornton to the bench as a high octane 6th man. He will surround Cousins and Tyreke with right role players and let the core develop in the structures and game plan that win in the long run. He will play to his key players strengths and ensure he gets the best out of Cousins and Tyreke. He would demand that the front office gets him the right personnel to surround these guys with. He would want an interior defender/rebounder shot blocker next to Cousins to lock down the middle. He would love the raw potential of Whiteside to be that guy and would give him every opportunity to play. He would want some length, defensive presence and shooting from his SF and would push the FO to get him that. In difficult circumstances in Portland he has proven that he knows how to get the best out of his players. They made the play offs last year when they had no right to do so. He got some great seasons out of average players and developed his young players well. With his structures and approach to the game, we start improving, we recruit the players that fit well with the core and he build the contender for years to come. We make the play offs and the future looks bright.

6) Mike D'Antoni
Maloofs come out and say how we are going to be the most exciting team in the league and how shooting wins in this league. They love the 7 second offence. A lot of hype going into the season and then a major flop as we realize that we don't have the personnel for that style. We miss the play-offs get yet another average lottery pick and they hype builds for the following season in which Mr Pringles gets fired halfway through the season.

From the list above, clearly the options for this team and the key personnel that we have now are JVG and McMillan. Sloane would be good but I believe at this stage of our development, we need a coach who can potentially stick around for a decade. We need our next Adelman. Both JVG and McMillan are coaches that preach defence and coach the brand of basketball that is conducive to winning. A strong defensive team with a strong half court offence which is what suits your main guys in Cousins and Evans. These guys are not run and gun types.

 

[rainmaker]

Not sure exactly how to answer this. Record we might have? Style of play? Foundation for our youth? I think I'll split this into groups to answer it.

Sloan/Brown-Larry seems to be begging to be given a shot to return to the league recently. But I grouped these two together for two reasons.

One, experience/pedigree. These two can walk into any basketball based locker room in the world and command respect immediately.

Two, most likely not here longer than 3 years. But, and it's a huge but, the foundation they'd help lay for our top youngsters and the knowledge gained would be something they could carry with them for their careers. I'm not sure much of what our youngsters have learned here you actually want them to take with them into their primes. 2-3 years may seem pretty short to make headway, but just imagine if one of these two were coaching here the last two and a half seasons and decided to retire for good after this one. Think our youngsters wouldn't be considerably more developed, which in itself would help bring in a respected head coach to replace one of these two?

I was talking about this through pm's with a member recently, and I compared a short stint with one of these two to what Hubie did with Mem. He was old. He couldn't relate. He wasn't go to be there long. Had health problem. Yada, yada. Yet, in a short time frame, he turned around JWill, helped Pau, layed a solid foundation based on a winning style, made the playoffs, and helped turn the franchise around. Without Hubie a few years ago does Mem turn it around and become what they are today? Maybe, maybe not. I lean towards the side which thinks he was great for that franchise and taught the players HOW TO WIN in this league with a style based around aggressive defense.

JVG/McMillan-These two don't carry the same name recognition obviously, but still carry a whole lot more weight than any coach who's walked through our doors since Adelman. Great defensive minds. Again, like Brown/Sloan, would help lay a solid foundation based on a winning style. Difference might be that if you could get one of these two we might be able to wrap them up for a longer period.

These two really value not only defense, but dominant big men. JVG has a great history with bigs. McMillan has done a great job with Aldridge. I like both these guys, and wouldn't hesitate to overpay for either and lock them up for 4-5 years. Our guys would greatly benefit.

Smart/DiAntoni-We don't play no defense! Neither gives two s***'s about that end. Both want to run and gun, and I'm not convinced either can coach any other style. Neither has shown the ability too. DiAntoni has at least shown he can make the playoffs with the right talent. However, without Nash, he been quite underwhelming. I don't think either helps lay a foundation which our youngsters can build on and become a consistent playoff team with. Even more importantly, we DO NOT have a good roster for run and gun basketball. Our 2 best players are built for the half court, and built for playoff style basketball. MT could be great in a run and gun system....next to Nash, Rubio or that type. But really we don't have the PG needed for run and gun ball nor do we have the shooters for it to be successful. I don't want a roster built for this kind of basketball anyway, as it's pretty, but pansy basketball which hasn't won.

The most important thing which could have happened the past two years and this year is building a system which can win down the road, and having our youngsters learn and grow with that system. Unfortunately, or idiotically, whichever you prefer, we have no more of a successful system in place than we did the day we drafted JT. Sure we've changed styles/systems, roles, philosophies, what have you and you can see how much good it's done. A head coach is VITALLY important in this league. Aside from the years with Adelman, we've just haven't been good, or even decent. We keep on making excuses for our coaches, some legit, but it should say something that by far our best years were under Adelman, and prior to him coming when we didn't have a coach of his stature, and since, when we still haven't hired a coach near his stature, we spend the month of March hoping we get more lotto balls. Just don't see us turning this thing around until we invest in a known coach. Also think it will be come increasingly more important in dealing/meshing the egos in the locker room which right now Smart can't do as everyone want to just shoot and not play defense. He's great for Cuz, but I'm not sure he's even good for anyone else on the roster.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I'd fire Smart to hire Van Gundy or McMillan.

I don't think Sloan would work.

And I wouldn't touch Larry Brown or Mike D'Antoni.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in seeing what Smart could do with this team with a full offseason and training camp. A move here or there to balance out the roster ...

I think he's a decent at best X's and O's coach, but I think he's a great communicator. That's his biggest asset, and it's one I would be afraid to lose. Cousins has 'let him in' ... Westphal couldn't do it, and I don't even think coach Cal could do it.

I think he's done enough to earn an shot at next season. Would I fire him for a coach that I KNOW could do better? Yes. But unfortunately I think that list is short right now. I wanted Thibs and I liked Lawrence Frank and Kevin McHale, but those guys are gone.

 

[The_Jamal]

I'd fire Smart to hire Van Gundy or McMillan.

I don't think Sloan would work.

And I wouldn't touch Larry Brown or Mike D'Antoni.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in seeing what Smart could do with this team with a full offseason and training camp. A move here or there to balance out the roster ...

I think he's a decent at best X's and O's coach, but I think he's a great communicator. That's his biggest asset, and it's one I would be afraid to lose. Cousins has 'let him in' ... Westphal couldn't do it, and I don't even think coach Cal could do it.

I think he's done enough to earn an shot at next season. Would I fire him for a coach that I KNOW could do better? Yes. But unfortunately I think that list is short right now. I wanted Thibs and I liked Lawrence Frank and Kevin McHale, but those guys are gone.

This. Smart has earned a shot at having a full offseason/training camp and getting to put his stamp on the team with an offseason move or two+ proper practice time to implement what he wants on both ends of the court. You can bash his coaching style all you want, but no one can deny he's got this team playing on a higher level than we've had since Adelman. Cousins has shown he trusts him (which is pretty damn huge for a 21 yr old franchise player) and Tyreke has shown that he's willing to be 100% committed to the team when he offered to come off the bench after his injury.

 

[Goo]

No Phil Jackson? Phil will work out the best as his system does not need a good pg and he had history of taming players, developing players and WIN.

Great question, I will have to think about the rest.

 

[mac]

This. Smart has earned a shot at having a full offseason/training camp and getting to put his stamp on the team with an offseason move or two+ proper practice time to implement what he wants on both ends of the court. You can bash his coaching style all you want, but no one can deny he's got this team playing on a higher level than we've had since Adelman. Cousins has shown he trusts him (which is pretty damn huge for a 21 yr old franchise player) and Tyreke has shown that he's willing to be 100% committed to the team when he offered to come off the bench after his injury.

I deny that statement.

I'll go ahead and say this: Smart can maybe take us to the playoffs in 2-3 years, but at very very best we'll make it to the 2nd round, and that's assuming we make some roster moves. But even doing that, he would be hindering the team from reaching its full potential by playing stupid small ball. Can you honestly tell me that we can be a deep playoff team with a coach that plays Francisco Garcia and John Salmons at PF? Call me crazy but I'd rather go with Westphal's JT at SF alongside Dalembert and Cousins than this 4 guard crap.

 

[mac]

No Phil Jackson? Phil will work out the best as his system does not need a good pg and he had history of taming players, developing players and WIN.

Great question, I will have to think about the rest.

To be honest, if Tyreke develops a jumpshot I think Phil would be a very good fit for our personnel. I'm not sure he's the best guy out there for developing young players, what with his Zen leave them to figure things out approach, but I think our best offense would be one similar to the Lakers' triangle, if Tyreke gets a jumpshot of course. DMC is not a very good pick and roll player, and you rarely see him finish pick and rolls other than the occasional dunk. Most of the time he ends up getting called for an offensive foul or throwing up some weird shot that contributes to his low FG%. The team also doesn't have the outside shooters to have an offense like Dwight and the Magic. Nor will we have some super-duper motion princeton offense.

 

[Spike]

1) Keith Smart
Same as we do now, show flashes but continue to push for the small ball and playing player out of position. He gets the sack before half way mark of next season because the players will stop believing in what he preaches and will question the effectiveness of the game plan. Tyreke and Cousins will quit on the coach because they would be frozen out of the offence as guards continue to jack up shots to get their own. We miss the play-offs again.

2) Jerry Sloan
He comes in as a hard task master that could rub players the wrong way but he would be respected. I believe he would get on Cousins' good side and would use Tyreke much more correctly that what he has been used this year. He might rub Thornton up the wrong way because he would not give him as much freedom as he is afforded now. We went on to approve and sneak into the play-offs.

3) Jeff Van Gundy
He would come in from the old Riley school and would immediately try and connect with Cousins. He would build his team around Cousins and would play from inside out. He would recognize the qualities of Tyreke's game and would build around Cousins and Evans. I suspect that Thornton would get the ****s here because he would be in the doghouse for his lack of defense and ball hog tendencies. I suspect Thornton gets traded by the deadline as JVG pushes for more size and defense to surround his core players with. We finish the season strongly as he gets the players he wants around the trade deadline and we go on to sneak into the play-offs with excitement factor carrying on into the next season.

4) Larry Brown
He comes in and DEMANDS defense. He RIDES Cousins hard to the point where Cousins wants to kill him. He will get the results and wanted improvements but in couple of years it all goes to **** when the players turn on him.

5) Nate McMillan
Arguably the best possible fit for this franchise. He will come in and put in the structure and defensive schemes that will win in the long run. He will LOVE working with Cousins and Tyreke. In some ways he sees it as his Aldridge and Roy combo. He would move Thornton to the bench as a high octane 6th man. He will surround Cousins and Tyreke with right role players and let the core develop in the structures and game plan that win in the long run. He will play to his key players strengths and ensure he gets the best out of Cousins and Tyreke. He would demand that the front office gets him the right personnel to surround these guys with. He would want an interior defender/rebounder shot blocker next to Cousins to lock down the middle. He would love the raw potential of Whiteside to be that guy and would give him every opportunity to play. He would want some length, defensive presence and shooting from his SF and would push the FO to get him that. In difficult circumstances in Portland he has proven that he knows how to get the best out of his players. They made the play offs last year when they had no right to do so. He got some great seasons out of average players and developed his young players well. With his structures and approach to the game, we start improving, we recruit the players that fit well with the core and he build the contender for years to come. We make the play offs and the future looks bright.

6) Mike D'Antoni
Maloofs come out and say how we are going to be the most exciting team in the league and how shooting wins in this league. They love the 7 second offence. A lot of hype going into the season and then a major flop as we realize that we don't have the personnel for that style. We miss the play-offs get yet another average lottery pick and they hype builds for the following season in which Mr Pringles gets fired halfway through the season.

From the list above, clearly the options for this team and the key personnel that we have now are JVG and McMillan. Sloane would be good but I believe at this stage of our development, we need a coach who can potentially stick around for a decade. We need our next Adelman. Both JVG and McMillan are coaches that preach defence and coach the brand of basketball that is conducive to winning. A strong defensive team with a strong half court offence which is what suits your main guys in Cousins and Evans. These guys are not run and gun types.

I agree with everything said. Smart would have had another season, IMO, if he would have stuck with the pre small ball lineup that was not only showing development, but also beating upper tier teams in a style that you see in the playoffs.
I would prefer JVG or Nate Mac because it also sends the message from the FO that we're done messing around
.

 

[Kingster]

A prediction thread. Just to control things, let's just say for this thread's purposes we keep the exact same roster (inluding TWill) we have right now, except everybody is a year older, and you can add a lottery pick to it -- anybody but Anthony Davis (i.e. no magic superstar saves all scenarios). Just so long as the roster every coach has to work with is the same.

Given all of the above, how do you think we would do next year under the following 6, available coaches:

1) Keith Smart
2) Jerry Sloan
3) Jeff Van Gundy
4) Larry Brown
5) Nate McMillan
6) Mike D'Antoni

Sloan and Brown are over-the-hill. You have to have some physical and emotional endurance for the job, and I don't think they qualify. Jeff VanGundy and DiAntoni wouldn't do any better than Smart. The only guy that I'd go after over Smart would be McMillan. I think Portland was crazy to fire him.

 

[The_Jamal]

I deny that statement.

I'll go ahead and say this: Smart can maybe take us to the playoffs in 2-3 years, but at very very best we'll make it to the 2nd round, and that's assuming we make some roster moves. But even doing that, he would be hindering the team from reaching its full potential by playing stupid small ball. Can you honestly tell me that we can be a deep playoff team with a coach that plays Francisco Garcia and John Salmons at PF? Call me crazy but I'd rather go with Westphal's JT at SF alongside Dalembert and Cousins than this 4 guard crap.

Yep, you're crazy if you'd rather have Westphal's crap everything over what Smart has brought to the table.

Here's the thing, I don't fault Smart for trying to be creative and dealing with a flawed roster. As far as rotational players go on a winning team, we have 3 guards, (Reke, IT, Thornton) and 3 bigs (Cousins, JT, Hayes). None are outstandings defenders (outside of a healthy Hayes) and 4 of those guys are looking to score the ball every chance they get. Lets wait and see what Smart does when he has some actual defensive role players, and a SF who actually deserves minutes on an NBA floor. Then, and only then will we know if Smart is a nutcake who thinks 3 guard lineups can actually win, or if he was compensating for the roster he was given

 

[Gary]

With the players we have now Sloan would have Cousins sitting at home watching every game because of suspensions due to "conduct detrimental to the team".

Sloan would have Evans sitting on the bench because he wouldn't understand why Evans couldn't see the floor as good as Stockton.

Right now we need a players kind of coach. We have a guy in Smart who gets along with the players. Let them grow together.

 

[sdballer]

Yep, you're crazy if you'd rather have Westphal's crap everything over what Smart has brought to the table.

Here's the thing, I don't fault Smart for trying to be creative and dealing with a flawed roster. As far as rotational players go on a winning team, we have 3 guards, (Reke, IT, Thornton) and 3 bigs (Cousins, JT, Hayes). None are outstandings defenders (outside of a healthy Hayes) and 4 of those guys are looking to score the ball every chance they get. Lets wait and see what Smart does when he has some actual defensive role players, and a SF who actually deserves minutes on an NBA floor. Then, and only then will we know if Smart is a nutcake who thinks 3 guard lineups can actually win, or if he was compensating for the roster he was given

The problem I have with this logic is that it's not like he won't play the guys who aren't playing well, he just plays them out of position. We say salmons isn't a valuable option at the 3 so instead smart plays them at the 4. If its a lost cause, play your young bigs to try and develop them since there is more chance (even if slim) of whiteside contributing as a big than salmons or cisco.

I wish every gm in the league would just make a pact to stop trying to build small ball teams. It literally has never won anything in the league but it seems like every year some moron coach/gm acts like some run and gun strategy actually has an outside shot of working. This team needs an x and o coach before it's too late.

 

[rainmaker]

Lets wait and see what Smart does when he has some actual defensive role players, and a SF who actually deserves minutes on an NBA floor. Then, and only then will we know if Smart is a nutcake who thinks 3 guard lineups can actually win, or if he was compensating for the roster he was given

It's well chronicled that Smart F'd up sub patterns and played 3-4 guard lineups consistently in GS last year. What he's doing here isn't new.

 

[The_Jamal]

It's well chronicled that Smart F'd up sub patterns and played 3-4 guard lineups consistently in GS last year. What he's doing here isn't new.

GS isn't all that much better of a squad then we are, and it's saying something when David Lee is the best big that franchise has had in a crazy long time. They're just as flawed as we are as an organization.

Smart has gotten these guys to play better basketball and deserves an offseason to actually implement the personal he wants and the offensive and defensive systems he wants.

 

[The_Jamal]

The problem I have with this logic is that it's not like he won't play the guys who aren't playing well, he just plays them out of position. We say salmons isn't a valuable option at the 3 so instead smart plays them at the 4. If its a lost cause, play your young bigs to try and develop them since there is more chance (even if slim) of whiteside contributing as a big than salmons or cisco.

I wish every gm in the league would just make a pact to stop trying to build small ball teams. It literally has never won anything in the league but it seems like every year some moron coach/gm acts like some run and gun strategy actually has an outside shot of working. This team needs an x and o coach before it's too late.

It's not like Salmons and Cisco are logging 20+ minutes a night at the PF position. It's usually every other game or so for 5-6 minutes. The real problem is misusing Tyreke at the SF position while having 2 bad defenders at the guard slots. Add JT and Cousins being average at best post defenders, and you have the reason why we give up 107+ PPG

 

[Gary]

GS isn't all that much better of a squad then we are, and it's saying something when David Lee is the best big that franchise has had in a crazy long time. They're just as flawed as we are as an organization.

Smart has gotten these guys to play better basketball and deserves an offseason to actually implement the personal he wants and the offensive and defensive systems he wants.

Not to mention the reason we are playing small ball is because most of our best players are guards and SFs with the exception of Cousins, Hayes, and Thompson. You can't just rotate a foul prone C, a PF and an undersized PF/C. Now that Thompson is injured what would everyone expect us to do? Play Whiteside, or tell Hickson we were just kidding about waiving him? We don't have the players so we are forced into playing small ball.

 

[Gary]

It's not like Salmons and Cisco are logging 20+ minutes a night at the PF position. It's usually every other game or so for 5-6 minutes. The real problem is misusing Tyreke at the SF position while having 2 bad defenders at the guard slots. Add JT and Cousins being average at best post defenders, and you have the reason why we give up 107+ PPG

The reason why we are giving up 107ppg is because we are playing up tempo.. We could slow it down and allow 95ppg but the defense would still be as crappy as it is right now averaging 107ppg.

 

[rainmaker]

The reason why we are giving up 107ppg is because we are playing up tempo.. We could slow it down and allow 95ppg but the defense would still be as crappy as it is right now averaging 107ppg.

With the same, non-defensive backcourt and small ball subs, probably. With a better balanced starting five, which would also add firepower power to our bench, and regular sub patterns, probably not.

 

[The_Jamal]

With the same, non-defensive backcourt and small ball subs, probably. With a better balanced starting five, which would also add firepower power to our bench, and regular sub patterns, probably not.

Here's the problem: That better balanced starting 5 doesn't exist. Greene, Cisco, and Salmons are 15 min back-upd at best while Outlaw shouldn't even be in basketball. How does putting them into the starting 5 make us any better than we are now?

 

[Gary]

With the same, non-defensive backcourt and small ball subs, probably. With a better balanced starting five, which would also add firepower power to our bench, and regular sub patterns, probably not.

I don't see Cousins, Thompson, Salmons, Evans, IT setting ay kind of a defensive tone for the subs coming in late first quarter.

I ALSO don't see Cousins, Thompson, Greene, MT, Evans setting any kind of an offensive tone. Either way we are screwed long term.

 

[rainmaker]

Here's the problem: That better balanced starting 5 doesn't exist. Greene, Cisco, and Salmons are 15 min back-upd at best while Outlaw shouldn't even be in basketball. How does putting them into the starting 5 make us any better than we are now?

IT
Reke
Donte
JT
Cuz

Salmons
MT
Williams/Cisco
Hayes
Whiteside

Starting lineup is considerably bigger, better on the glass, better defensively, and offensively more balanced without IT/MT/Reke/Cuz battling for shots.

Bench is considerably more potent with MT as the 6th man. Salmons still runs the point where he's done a surprisingly decent job. Williams/Cisco gives you either scoring/toughness/defense(Williams) or leadership/passing/ability to hit 3(Cisco). Two options as SF backups. Chuck/Hassan is a more traditional bench unit, where Chuck guards opposing PF's obviously, Hassan gets some experience, while helping backing up Chuck as our only real shot blocker and has enough size to alter shots. Of course Hassan needs time to grow into the role, but now is as good a time as any.

In this scenario, both our starting 5 and bench is better defensively. No MT starting allows us to maximize both Reke and Cuz, while MT adds a lot more to our bench and can be as aggressive as he likes without effecting Reke/Cuz. I'd say this is considerably more balanced than what we're seeing now. Both units have more size, are better defensively, and our bench has a good amount more firepower. Don't see how this wouldn't make us better, and actually allow us to maximize our better players, which we aren't currently doing.

 

[ParniValjak]

GS isn't all that much better of a squad then we are, and it's saying something when David Lee is the best big that franchise has had in a crazy long time. They're just as flawed as we are as an organization.

Smart has gotten these guys to play better basketball and deserves an offseason to actually implement the personal he wants and the offensive and defensive systems he wants.

The only problem with your approach is that by the time you give him a chance, you have wasted another season and missed out on another coach who can get it done. And then again you recruit someone new, and give them a chance for 2 years and you are likely back to square one.

In that time, you either lose the players because they want to win, or you get to the point of being major underachievers.

The great teams in sport have a simple formula and that is get the guy who is a proven winner and someone that gets it done and let the lesser teams sort out if the coach has it or not. We made exactly the same mistake with Westphal. We should have thanked him for his services at the end of last season and gone out to get a proven coach, instead it was exactly the same rationale behind keeping him, you know....we have another lottery pick and this is our summer of FA and lets see what he can do next year with the better roster. The problem is when a coach who cannot get it done starts meddling into recruiting decisions then you are up a proverbial without a canoe.

Smart has been an assistant coach to both Gregg Popovich and Don Nelson and by his own admission he is more Nelson than Popovich. Doesn't that tell you what sort of coach he is? Does that not tell you what he believes is the way to play? Doesn't Smart's quote about learning from Nelson not to be afraid to play players in a position despite the lack of size if they have a certain skill set?!

I think its as plain as day light what sort of coach Smart is. He has publicly stated how he likes us to play and who he has modeled his coaching on and you have to be living under a rock not to realize that the line ups that Smart is playing with now is exactly the sort of line up he wants to play with. You can get him any players under the sun and he will still look to play in the same manner.

Don't get me wrong, I like Smart as a communicator and he is no doubt a players coach, however, I have also followed NBA for long enough to realize that his style of play DOES NOT win in this league. In order to win with that sort of style, all the stars in the universe need to align and you need to be blessed to have the players with size, athleticism and skill. Westhead also was the coach that wanted to run and gun and wanted to play a certain way where players could play any position. He won a championship with the Lakers because the stars aligned where he had Magic, Worthy, Jabbar and all those players that could play in that manner but even that was short lived. He got the sack and has been a flop ever since.

I don't want to waste time giving someone a chance when it is painfully obvious what sort of team and style they prefer. They have also publicly stated that over and over again. Even had a crack at everyone who bagged Nelson's teams for lack of defense saying that you can't play that way unless you are playing defense.

I want this team to be a genuine contender and the ONLY way you can be that is if you have a coach who has the right sort of philosophy in place to win. A coach that knows what it takes to win in this league and not the coach that has the most wins but the ones that have gone all the way. Or of they have not won it all, then at least they are a product of someone that has. JVG has never won it but he was darn close and the biggest influence on his basketball philosophy was a man that won it multiple times with multiple teams as either a coach or a GM.

Smart will NEVER win the ultimate in the NBA because his outlook on the game is not conducive to winning championships in the NBA. He is a coach that will get you to the play offs and might even get you close to the conference finals (if he is blessed with the players that are GREAT and can play his style) but he will never win the ultimate because the type of basketball that he preaches has never been a winning combination in the NBA.

So I would rather stop wasting time and move in the right direction with a coach that has the fundamentals right. Now their style might not be pretty and high scoring but their style is a winning style. Give me Gregg Popovich's San Antonio over Don Nelson's Dallas ANY day of the week. One has multiple rings to his name playing the boring style while the other had 1000 wins to his record but not a single ring to show for it. I know which style I would prefer to bank my future on and it sure as hell is not Nellie's small ball!

 

[Spike]

In the last two threads we have solved Sacramento's problems, both in the short term and long term. Time to shut the thread.
Nice.