Kings interview Del Negro, Jackson and Mitchell for Head Coach position (Yahoo News)
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"players then they will never get the attention of the players or the respect of the fans. Moreover Mitchell seems to think that all parts are interchangeable and teams are fundamentally generic,not a philosophy I would share nor endorse." This part of what you said is important... a lot of people said a lot of stuff over the years; I just care about how he would do as a coach, and it does not sound promising. Also, remember the stuff Shaq said about the Kings? And now he is a part owner.
The Kings management should try to make interaction with coach David Blatt, he is a very experienced coach in crucial moments whether in the NBA or the Euroleague and he is a mastermind in terms of basketball coaching, Phil Jackson is looking forward to sign him as a the head coach for the Knicks in the next season, I think the Kings should go for him as well, plus it will be interesting to see him pairing up with Omri Casspi, I think the Kings could use his coaching abilities for the next season as a playoffs spot is the target to achieve.
I'm starting with the premise that the Kings are not going to get a proven great coach. Ain't going to happen. So then you're left with proven mediocrity (e.g. Del Negro, Mitchell) or unproven guys with potentially a higher ceiling. I'd rather go with an unproven guy who is very intelligent and has some nascent leadership ability and some moxy. That said, I don't think this organization has the stones to make such a hire. They'll probably hire the more defensible vanilla choice rather than the guy with a higher upside; that's what politically-charged organizations do. I hope they prove me wrong.
A "yes" man has nothing to do with being "on the same page". Have you not been paying attention to the team since Vivek bought it?
This is likely the first time that all 3 facets of the organization (team, coaches, FO) will be "on the same page". I, for one, see this as a positive. I don't see it as bringing in someone without any stones. If Vlade is truly making the call (and I think he is), then you will likely see either: a coach who has success with the type of players currently under contract, or a young, smart guy willing to believe that he can effectively put it all together.
A unifier doesn't mean some milquetoast personality. In fact, it could quite possibly mean the opposite.
Karl was not on the same page. He was reading a different book altogether. We saw how that turned out. Let's see how things play out, then make our decisions. There are still quite a few good choices out there, and there will likely be a few more available over the next 2 weeks.
This is likely the first time that all 3 facets of the organization (team, coaches, FO) will be "on the same page". I, for one, see this as a positive. I don't see it as bringing in someone without any stones. If Vlade is truly making the call (and I think he is), then you will likely see either: a coach who has success with the type of players currently under contract, or a young, smart guy willing to believe that he can effectively put it all together.
A unifier doesn't mean some milquetoast personality. In fact, it could quite possibly mean the opposite.
Karl was not on the same page. He was reading a different book altogether. We saw how that turned out. Let's see how things play out, then make our decisions. There are still quite a few good choices out there, and there will likely be a few more available over the next 2 weeks.
Honestly, I think Vlade would do well coaching this team. He has the ear of DMC and if he surrounded himself with capable veteran coaches, I believe he could right this ship from the bench. He was an extremely intelligent player and knows how to create a locker room chemistry that a team can thrive on.
this is straying off-topic a bit, but on the subject of phil jackson, i don't know if i've ever seen a front office executive in the nba who was this steadfastly committed to such an utterly lost cause. phil is so slavishly devoted to the hypothetical majesty of "the triangle" that he's seriously considering keeping kurt rambis on as the knicks' head coach despite rambis' career .284 win percentage (65-164, which isn't exactly a small sample size) and despite the fact that there's not the slightest bit of competition for rambis' services around the league...
now, it'd be one thing if jackson was toiling away in the anonymity of an nba city like milwaukee, or if the head coaching cupboards were completely bare this offseason. but he's doing this under the exceedingly bright lights of madison square garden and in front of the notoriously ravenous new york media, and there just so happens to be a very strong pool of potential head coaches to choose from. it's just that none of them are likely to subordinate themselves to jackson and "the triangle" in the way that rambis will. p-jax has got stones, if nothing else, but he's going to fall flat on his face as a gm if he can't develop some measure of adaptability...
now, it'd be one thing if jackson was toiling away in the anonymity of an nba city like milwaukee, or if the head coaching cupboards were completely bare this offseason. but he's doing this under the exceedingly bright lights of madison square garden and in front of the notoriously ravenous new york media, and there just so happens to be a very strong pool of potential head coaches to choose from. it's just that none of them are likely to subordinate themselves to jackson and "the triangle" in the way that rambis will. p-jax has got stones, if nothing else, but he's going to fall flat on his face as a gm if he can't develop some measure of adaptability...
Shaq never said the Kings should leave and Kings fans could just become Warrior fans. Mitchell made a lot of fans angry and while I cannot speak for them, I can speak for myself when I say I would not accept Mitchell as head coach any more than I would accept Spencer Hawes back.
As an aside, I think it's interesting to note that Shaq hasn't been around since Vlade came on board.
As an aside, I think it's interesting to note that Shaq hasn't been around since Vlade came on board.
Great article! I recommend that everyone read it before passing judgement on Mitchell. I was impressed with everything he did in Minny. He certainly pays attention to details. I loved this paragraph when he was talking about Lavine.
"People think that learning is easy. But if it is not a habit — OK, you watch Kyrie Irving. Every time he goes to get the ball, he steps into his guy and then breaks off — every time. That’s all he knows. It is a habit. I learned it when I started going to basketball camp. But back then, that was professional coaches at those camps, high school and college coaches teaching us. It wasn’t some guy that owned a car wash and had some money and decided he was going to start an AAU team and he was gonna be the coach because he read a book or he watched basketball, and thinking he can coach. No, I had professional coaches."
Then he followed it up with this:
"SM: Shot selection. Passing. Did you see that pass last night? [Denver] switched Jameer Nelson on to G [Gorgui Dieng]. Zach was at the top of the key. What pass do you throw, with Jameer Nelson at 5-9 [listed at 6-0] and Gorgui at 6-11? He threw him a bounce pass. Not only a bounce pass, but he tried to throw [Mitchell leans to the side and flicks his outstretched right wrist as if putting English on the ball] a pass as though it is going to spin back to G miraculously. And I’m sitting there thinking, this is an NBA player. This is the 13th pick in the draft. And Gorgui has a 5-9 guard on him who is 34 years old [as of Feb. 9]. And our second-year point guard tries to throw him a bounce pass, instead of just throw it up there toward the basket."
Anyway, the article is full of gems like that. It opens your eyes to the problems that NBA coaches face with young players that haven't been taught to play the game correctly at the lower levels, and the work it takes to correct those problems, and make them into a team. Thanks for posting that. I have a different opinion of Mitchell now.
"People think that learning is easy. But if it is not a habit — OK, you watch Kyrie Irving. Every time he goes to get the ball, he steps into his guy and then breaks off — every time. That’s all he knows. It is a habit. I learned it when I started going to basketball camp. But back then, that was professional coaches at those camps, high school and college coaches teaching us. It wasn’t some guy that owned a car wash and had some money and decided he was going to start an AAU team and he was gonna be the coach because he read a book or he watched basketball, and thinking he can coach. No, I had professional coaches."
Then he followed it up with this:
"SM: Shot selection. Passing. Did you see that pass last night? [Denver] switched Jameer Nelson on to G [Gorgui Dieng]. Zach was at the top of the key. What pass do you throw, with Jameer Nelson at 5-9 [listed at 6-0] and Gorgui at 6-11? He threw him a bounce pass. Not only a bounce pass, but he tried to throw [Mitchell leans to the side and flicks his outstretched right wrist as if putting English on the ball] a pass as though it is going to spin back to G miraculously. And I’m sitting there thinking, this is an NBA player. This is the 13th pick in the draft. And Gorgui has a 5-9 guard on him who is 34 years old [as of Feb. 9]. And our second-year point guard tries to throw him a bounce pass, instead of just throw it up there toward the basket."
Anyway, the article is full of gems like that. It opens your eyes to the problems that NBA coaches face with young players that haven't been taught to play the game correctly at the lower levels, and the work it takes to correct those problems, and make them into a team. Thanks for posting that. I have a different opinion of Mitchell now.
Why, prey tell is Mitchell terrible? Are you just throwing it out there for the hell of it, or do you actually have solid reasons for saying it? If not, then perhaps you'll excuse me for not taking your word for it. Did you take the time to read the article posted about him a few posts above. If not, I suggest you do so before saying that Mitchell is terrible. Muscleman was terrible. I'm not saying we should hire Mitchell. He's not my first choice. But I wouldn't be that upset if Vlade thought he was the best man for the job.
Those are good quotes. I haven't yet read the article, but that Mitchell said learning is not easy hits home with what I see in the NBA today. Doing things the right way is a habit that has to be engrained over time. The right way may be different or taught differently depending on the coach. How quickly you "learn" something may simply be a factor of how much consistent instruction you receive.
It's no wonder we keep destroying young careers and claiming our team has low bbIQ, when there has not been one consistent coach and/or philosophy in a decade.
I might be warming up to Mitchell.
It's no wonder we keep destroying young careers and claiming our team has low bbIQ, when there has not been one consistent coach and/or philosophy in a decade.
I might be warming up to Mitchell.
I'm going to speak from my point of view as if I were the GM of the Kings. First, I need to have an idea of what kind of team I want to put on the floor. After figuring that part out, I would look at the personnel I have, and decide who fits and who doesn't. From that point on, I would try and move those that don't fit and replace them with players that do. When looking for new head coach, I would look for a coach that shared a similar vision to mine. Or, someone that's one the same page, so to speak. When Petrie came, he had a vision for the team, and he went after a coach that shared his vision in Adelman.
When looking to draft a player, once again, I'm looking for players that I think fit the scheme and culture of the team. This is called building a team, and it doesn't happen overnight. This should have started five or six years ago, but it didn't, and now were almost back to square one again. However, we still have some very good players, and one all star. That's not a bad place to start. To criticize Vlade for saying he wants everyone to be on the same page is ridiculous. My god, that's what we should want. That was the problem with hiring Karl. No one was on the same page from the beginning, and it was doomed from the beginning.
Now one side can blame Karl, and the other side can blame Cousins, but in reality, it doesn't matter does it? We still stunk, and pointing fingers doesn't change that. Right now I don't give a damm whose to blame, just fix the frigging problem. Do it right for once!!!!!!!!! I think Vlade is trying to do just that. He knows he has to get this one right. As to why he interviewing some that perhaps we wouldn't want as our head coach; I think it's a good idea. By interviewing such a diverse group, it will make it easier to pick out the one you want. The one possessing everything your looking for will leap out at you. I've interviewed people, and it wasn't hard to pick out the winners from the losers. The contrast between the two makes it easy.
Vlade knows basketball, and I think he has a pretty good idea of what he's looking for in a coach.
When looking to draft a player, once again, I'm looking for players that I think fit the scheme and culture of the team. This is called building a team, and it doesn't happen overnight. This should have started five or six years ago, but it didn't, and now were almost back to square one again. However, we still have some very good players, and one all star. That's not a bad place to start. To criticize Vlade for saying he wants everyone to be on the same page is ridiculous. My god, that's what we should want. That was the problem with hiring Karl. No one was on the same page from the beginning, and it was doomed from the beginning.
Now one side can blame Karl, and the other side can blame Cousins, but in reality, it doesn't matter does it? We still stunk, and pointing fingers doesn't change that. Right now I don't give a damm whose to blame, just fix the frigging problem. Do it right for once!!!!!!!!! I think Vlade is trying to do just that. He knows he has to get this one right. As to why he interviewing some that perhaps we wouldn't want as our head coach; I think it's a good idea. By interviewing such a diverse group, it will make it easier to pick out the one you want. The one possessing everything your looking for will leap out at you. I've interviewed people, and it wasn't hard to pick out the winners from the losers. The contrast between the two makes it easy.
Vlade knows basketball, and I think he has a pretty good idea of what he's looking for in a coach.
Kevin McHale wasn't a great GM for the Timberwolves. But he did draft Kevin Garnett. And then he brought in two heady, 10 year vets in Sam Mitchell and Terry Porter to help with KG's development. I'm not the least bit surprised that both guys ended up becoming NBA coaches. He didn't do well in Toronto but then they traded Vince Carter right when he got there and drafted guys like Rafael Araujo, Charlie Villaneuva and Andrea Bargnani with their lottery picks. He's not my top pick but I wouldn't be upset with him as the guy.
With Thibs & Brooks gone and JVG not likely to consider the Kings job I think my list (in order of preference) looks like this right now:
Udoka
McHale
Walton (might be higher than McHale but I just don't have enough of a feel for him yet)
Ollie
Messina
Mitchell
Blatt (only because he was undermined by his players which doesn't bode well)
Larranaga
McMillan
Hollins
Brown
Del Negro
Hornaceck
Griffin (like him a lot but is he ready?)
A nice BLT
An old shoe
Some chewed gum
A root canal
Mark Jackson
With Thibs & Brooks gone and JVG not likely to consider the Kings job I think my list (in order of preference) looks like this right now:
Udoka
McHale
Walton (might be higher than McHale but I just don't have enough of a feel for him yet)
Ollie
Messina
Mitchell
Blatt (only because he was undermined by his players which doesn't bode well)
Larranaga
McMillan
Hollins
Brown
Del Negro
Hornaceck
Griffin (like him a lot but is he ready?)
A nice BLT
An old shoe
Some chewed gum
A root canal
Mark Jackson
Thanks for reading it and commenting. 
I was afraid it was going to go unnoticed. A lot of his quotes in that piece hit home for me too and it changed how I thought about him as a coach. Even something as simple as teaching NBA players how to set a proper screen is something you take for granted that they know already but if their AAU coaches never taught them and they spent a year in college ignoring their coaches there and dreaming about their first NBA paycheck, maybe they actually need to be taught a basic skill like that. I wish Ben McLemore had received as much attention as Mitchell gave Zach LaVine this year. We might be seeing a totally different player. As a small market team we can't afford to be burning through draft picks as if they're expendable resources -- we really need a coach here who's going to give every player a lot of attention, especially the rookies, and ensure that they're making steady progress and reaching their potential.
The main reason I've wanted Thibodeau is because there's a ton of second hand opinions out there which confirm that he has the work ethic and desire to sit and study game tape and teach defense and we need that. We desperately need that. We need someone who lives and breathes basketball and enjoys the challenge of defending NBA offenses. But I don't think he's the only coach in the world who brings those qualities. I honestly don't know much about any of the coaching candidates -- it's not like you can pull up a video and watch them work. They mostly get judged by the results they get, unfairly or not. So I'm trying to keep an open mind on this and trust Vlade to make a good decision. I like what little I know about McMillan, Woodson, and Mitchell though so I'm comfortable with those choices and everyone else is sortof a wait and see.
I was afraid it was going to go unnoticed. A lot of his quotes in that piece hit home for me too and it changed how I thought about him as a coach. Even something as simple as teaching NBA players how to set a proper screen is something you take for granted that they know already but if their AAU coaches never taught them and they spent a year in college ignoring their coaches there and dreaming about their first NBA paycheck, maybe they actually need to be taught a basic skill like that. I wish Ben McLemore had received as much attention as Mitchell gave Zach LaVine this year. We might be seeing a totally different player. As a small market team we can't afford to be burning through draft picks as if they're expendable resources -- we really need a coach here who's going to give every player a lot of attention, especially the rookies, and ensure that they're making steady progress and reaching their potential.The main reason I've wanted Thibodeau is because there's a ton of second hand opinions out there which confirm that he has the work ethic and desire to sit and study game tape and teach defense and we need that. We desperately need that. We need someone who lives and breathes basketball and enjoys the challenge of defending NBA offenses. But I don't think he's the only coach in the world who brings those qualities. I honestly don't know much about any of the coaching candidates -- it's not like you can pull up a video and watch them work. They mostly get judged by the results they get, unfairly or not. So I'm trying to keep an open mind on this and trust Vlade to make a good decision. I like what little I know about McMillan, Woodson, and Mitchell though so I'm comfortable with those choices and everyone else is sortof a wait and see.
Thanks for reading it and commenting. I was afraid it was going to go unnoticed. A lot of his quotes in that piece hit home for me too and it changed how I thought about him as a coach. Even something as simple as teaching NBA players how to set a proper screen is something you take for granted that they know already but if their AAU coaches never taught them and they spent a year in college ignoring their coaches there and dreaming about their first NBA paycheck, maybe they actually need to be taught a basic skill like that. I wish Ben McLemore had received as much attention as Mitchell gave Zach LaVine this year. We might be seeing a totally different player. As a small market team we can't afford to be burning through draft picks as if they're expendable resources -- we really need a coach here who's going to give every player a lot of attention, especially the rookies, and ensure that they're making steady progress and reaching their potential.
The main reason I've wanted Thibodeau is because there's a ton of second hand opinions out there which confirm that he has the work ethic and desire to sit and study game tape and teach defense and we need that. We desperately need that. We need someone who lives and breathes basketball and enjoys the challenge of defending NBA offenses. But I don't think he's the only coach in the world who brings those qualities. I honestly don't know much about any of the coaching candidates -- it's not like you can pull up a video and watch them work. They mostly get judged by the results they get, unfairly or not. So I'm trying to keep an open mind on this and trust Vlade to make a good decision. I like what little I know about McMillan, Woodson, and Mitchell though so I'm comfortable with those choices and everyone else is sortof a wait and see.
I was afraid it was going to go unnoticed. A lot of his quotes in that piece hit home for me too and it changed how I thought about him as a coach. Even something as simple as teaching NBA players how to set a proper screen is something you take for granted that they know already but if their AAU coaches never taught them and they spent a year in college ignoring their coaches there and dreaming about their first NBA paycheck, maybe they actually need to be taught a basic skill like that. I wish Ben McLemore had received as much attention as Mitchell gave Zach LaVine this year. We might be seeing a totally different player. As a small market team we can't afford to be burning through draft picks as if they're expendable resources -- we really need a coach here who's going to give every player a lot of attention, especially the rookies, and ensure that they're making steady progress and reaching their potential.The main reason I've wanted Thibodeau is because there's a ton of second hand opinions out there which confirm that he has the work ethic and desire to sit and study game tape and teach defense and we need that. We desperately need that. We need someone who lives and breathes basketball and enjoys the challenge of defending NBA offenses. But I don't think he's the only coach in the world who brings those qualities. I honestly don't know much about any of the coaching candidates -- it's not like you can pull up a video and watch them work. They mostly get judged by the results they get, unfairly or not. So I'm trying to keep an open mind on this and trust Vlade to make a good decision. I like what little I know about McMillan, Woodson, and Mitchell though so I'm comfortable with those choices and everyone else is sortof a wait and see.
This looks like a situation where he was simply uninformed. He never played for Sacramento, never lived in the area, and sees Seattle like most people do as a bigger market for the NBA which has a proud history of its own. He got asked about it and gave an answer. It wasn't very diplomatic (or factually accurate) but it was just a soundbite. I've lived in California my whole life -- ask me about anything having to do with New England and I'll probably give an equally uninformed answer. Spencer Hawes getting drafted by Sacramento, playing 3 years in front of these fans, and then campaigning for the team to leave is a whole other level of distasteful but then I never liked that guy anyway so I don't need much an excuse to dislike him even more.
...and it's not like he played for the Lakers or anything, if you want to talk about unforgivable offenses! The only reason I give Luke Walton a pass is that Doug Christie and Vlade also donned the purple and gold. That leaves me no choice but to believe that Kings Purple can trump Lakers Purple in the right circumstances.
...and it's not like he played for the Lakers or anything, if you want to talk about unforgivable offenses!
The only reason I give Luke Walton a pass is that Doug Christie and Vlade also donned the purple and gold. That leaves me no choice but to believe that Kings Purple can trump Lakers Purple in the right circumstances.