Tony Bennett as potential head coach for Kings?
- Thread starter miltonap
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bajaden
Hall of Famer
Well, if your looking for a college coach that's ready to jump to the NBA, Bennett is someone that I would look at. He was a PG in college, and in the NBA. His teams at Virginia are always in the tournament and they always seem to overachieve. By overachieve I mean, it's rare for Virginia to have a big name star on the roster. One thing you know about a player that comes out of Virginia is that they know how to play defense. With Bennett you would have a coach that's played in the NBA and understands it, and is very good with the fundamentals of the game, and getting the most out of his players.
I'm a big fan. I can't believe I left him off my list in the thread I started on potential coaching targets.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Such a risk though. Not sure its one we can take.
Not only a likely Cousins do or die season, but the first in a new building etc. hard to see gambling on the unknown.
Not only a likely Cousins do or die season, but the first in a new building etc. hard to see gambling on the unknown.
If Thibs is available you hire him. If not I'm not sure I see a retread coach that would be a better option than Bennett. I'm a big Adrian Griffin fan but he'd also be a first time head coach.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Well, as I stated above, he's played in the NBA, so he does have knowledge of what the NBA is like. As a coach his teams are always very competitive, and the mainstay of his teams is defense. If your going to pick a college coach, he would certainly be right up there at the top of the list. Coaches like Calipari have the reputation, and I'm not knocking that, but they always seem to have the cream of the crop when it comes to recruiting. Bennett usually gets top 100 players on his team, but out of the bottom 50 instead of the top 50.
He's the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers.
I can't imagine he'd bolt Texas after one year, but I guess you never know.
miltonap
Starter
Just curious, what is appealing about Adrian Griffin? I know he's an assistant coach for the Magic (thanks wikipedia) but I don't know much else about him
Outside of coaching the Bulls & Magic's summer league teams Griffin hasn't been a head coach on any level so I'm really basing it on his pedigree and what players and coaches have said about him.
He was a journeyman player who went overseas and played in the USBL and CBA before cracking an NBA roster and he was always a player who did the little things and found a way to help his teams.
He played under Rick Pitino, Don Nelson, Jeff Van Gundy, Avery Johnson and Scott Skiles. Skiles thought enough of him that when he was waived following a trade and his career ended, Skiles immediately made him an assistant coach with the Bucks. After two years he moved on to work with Thibodeau in Chicago for five seasons before Thibs and his staff was let go. Then Skiles brought him back on board, this time with the Magic.
Players always have good things to say about him (including Jimmy Butler crediting him during his Most Improved Player speech) especially his communication skills, he's a fantastic character guy and I personally would love a younger coach that could grow with the team for years rather than someone like Karl, who even if this season had gone much better was still only going to coach a few more seasons at best.
I still like Thibodeau but if he doesn't want the job, the guy people have referred to as "a player friendly Thibodeau" sounds good to me. A guy who learned under hard nosed defensive guys like Skiles and Thibs and who had to scrap as a player to keep his spot in the NBA sounds like the type of guy who could get the most from a roster.
lwc
Starter
Kevin Ollie perplexes me. He has drastically underwhelmed since winning the title, (being a championship coach is not small feet to overlook). Outside of that season, after taking over for a hall-of-fame coach with a certainly talented roster, he has won a title and that is it. In two of the four years, he didn't make the tournament. The year that he made the tournament that wasn't the championship season, he won 1 game.
These facts lead me to ask the simple question: how much of that championship season was about Napier and how much was Ollie?
Definitely a good question. This season was somewhat of a bounce back year though. I have a hunch Ollie would actually be a better NBA coach but we'll see.
I like Udoka but so do the Spurs. There have been whispers that he's the most likely choice to take over the reins when Pop retires.
ParniValjak
All-Star
I agree! I think we will be after a proven, experiences coach.
I have a sneaky suspicion it will be Brooks. Not my first choice but I would be OK with him....I think!
bajaden
Hall of Famer
With Villanova winning the NCAA championship, maybe we should include Jay Knight's name to the list of coaches we consider. He's another coach that always seems to bring out the best of his players. His teams are always over achievers. I suspect that there will be several bidders for his services.
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