What do you look for in a coach?

[Sptsjunkie]

Following up on that last post, I'd love to get an idea what everyone here feels is most important in a coach. Suspending past track record since there is little with 90% of the options, my personal opinion is:

1 - Rapport with players/player management
2 - Work ethic
3 - Xs and Os (stress on D)
4 - Willingness to bring in experience assistance (lack of ego?)
5 - Experience at pro level

Please add your own wish list. I'd also be interested in what factual evidence you use to judge these, since we do not see the interviews and have little to base a decision on.

 

[VF21]

I've split this off from one of the threads about one of the coaching candidates.

 

[ParniValjak]

First and foremost, I want a coach that knows how to get the absolute best out of his players. Someone that knows how to develop young talent but also knows how to win games. Thats why to me SVG was the best coach for us. Now that he is gone, I feel Porter is the best available.

If a coach can get the best out of his players, it means the players respect him and want to play for him. It also means that the coach knows how to win.

 

[SacTownKid]

1. Good interviewer
2. Willing to display signs of encouragements and goals to motivate players during practice.
3. Will pace the sidelines and yell out orders to the players.
4. Master of the power point presentation
5. Hard worker

 

[Sptsjunkie]

1. Good interviewer
2. Willing to display signs of encouragements and goals to motivate players during practice.
3. Will pace the sidelines and yell out orders to the players.
4. Master of the power point presentation
5. Hard worker

So you are advocating rehiring Muss? I'm guessing this was tounge-in-cheek

Don't forget "not too proud to google 'NBA gameplan' at halftime."

 

[Sptsjunkie]

First and foremost, I want a coach that knows how to get the absolute best out of his players. Someone that knows how to develop young talent but also knows how to win games. Thats why to me SVG was the best coach for us. Now that he is gone, I feel Porter is the best available.

If a coach can get the best out of his players, it means the players respect him and want to play for him. It also means that the coach knows how to win.

I am curious though, how do you evaluate this? Do you have any method for the assistant coaches?

Look at Muss for example, prior to last year you could give him credit for "developing" Arenas, Richardson, etc. Is there a special thought process you have for determing who is good as developing talent?

 

[SacTownKid]

So you are advocating rehiring Muss? I'm guessing this was tounge-in-cheek

Don't forget "not too proud to google 'NBA gameplan' at halftime."

Oh, I thought we could only list 5? That's around 7-ish

 

[VF21]

Following up on that last post, I'd love to get an idea what everyone here feels is most important in a coach. Suspending past track record since there is little with 90% of the options, my personal opinion is:

1 - Rapport with players/player management
2 - Work ethic
3 - Xs and Os (stress on D)
4 - Willingness to bring in experience assistance (lack of ego?)
5 - Experience at pro level

Please add your own wish list. I'd also be interested in what factual evidence you use to judge these, since we do not see the interviews and have little to base a decision on.

You've got a good list started, IMHO. I'd add that you have to have someone who will learn from his mistakes, and who will understand that players are more than just numbers and statistics. I don't want him to be the players' best friend. I want a coach the players will respect and listen to. And I want the coach to be saying things the players need to hear.

 

[ParniValjak]

I am curious though, how do you evaluate this? Do you have any method for the assistant coaches?

Look at Muss for example, prior to last year you could give him credit for "developing" Arenas, Richardson, etc. Is there a special thought process you have for determing who is good as developing talent?

This is not why I am a huge fan of picking someone's assistant coach and making them your head coach. To me thats just a gamble where the odds are stacked against you.

Thats why I prefer to deal with a known commodity. Muss came here with a reputation of losing his player in GS. That should have sent the red flags up instantly. He pretty much confirmed that here.

Someone like Porter has taken an average roster and got them into the play offs (albeit in the East) and has taken some young players and help them develop into good NBA starters. He also got the best out of players with limited skill-set. Dan Gadzuric had a career best year under Porter and Gadzuric is not exactly a highly skilled player. Certainly not on offence so that shows me that Porter is not afraid to use players with limited or no offensive game if it will help his team to win.

When Porter was shown the door a lot of people thought he was harshly dealt with and players weren't all that happy with it.

With assistants its really trying to predict what they will be like basing it on nothing tangible but a gut feel or a hope. Ideally you would want someone who has played for a long time, played under some of the best coaches, played in a championship and was also an assistant coach under some of the best coaches. Generally, players that were good role player in winning teams turn out to be the ones that make the grade as good coaches. Avery Johnson was never a star but a very intelligent PG that played his role well and was sort of like coach's right hand man on the court. Players that were good to great hardly ever make a good coach because they have too high an expectation from their players and get frustrated if they can't reach that level.

From the assistant coaches, you would say that probably Shaw is the one that could[/b] be a good coach. A solid role player, good basketball IQ, played und some good coaches, is an assistant under one of the very good coaches, etc.... But really I would prefer to avoid the assistant coach pool if at all possible.

 

[Kingster]

I take it as a given that most coaches know what should be done - what players should do on the court. The challenge is to get them to do it. Ultimately, a coach has to induce players to do what is not comfortable for them in order for the players and the team to get better. In doing so, he must overcome human nature - it's the natural inclination to want to do what is comfortable, not to diligently do the uncomfortable. The greatest challenge for a coach is to bend the will of his players - through whatever means - to his own. The ability to affect players to do the uncomfortable is what separates the average from the above average coach.

 

[tyrant]

i want a coach who has played for a championship team or has coached a championship team. preferably both.

i want a coach that will preach defense

i want a coach that knows the right time(s) to pull/put a player in a game

find a game plan and stick to it. ((running plays for kenny thomas is not what im talking about)). the kings did too much freestyling last year.

 

[JoMama]

i want a coach that knows the right time(s) to pull/put a player in a game

This one strikes me as particularly important. Our last two -Adelman and Muss - were reluctant to pull "stars" when they were contributing nothing for the Kings, an abundance for the opponents. Sit their arses on the bench!

 

[VF21]

The ability to affect players to do the uncomfortable is what separates the average from the above average coach.

I was trying very hard to find the words to express that quality and gave up. Glad you were able to do it.

 

[kennadog]

Considering the pool of coaches supposedly available at the moment, I don't think any of them would have a clear majority of people say there goes a great coach.

I guess I just don't have as much bias against assistant coaches as a lot of people here do. Every great coach in every sport, ever, had someone give them their first head coaching job. If you're going to do that, however, you gather as much information as you possibly can that you think will indicate the ability you're looking for and then.....you go with your gut. Honestly, I doubt we have half the information GP has on any of the candidates.

Its not like we're passing on Popovich, Riley or Phil Jackson here. There isn't much consensus in here about who the next coach should be, either.

I really do not envy GP.....ever.

 

[fnordius]

The main criteria for me would be:
(1) Able to come up with a system/playbook which gets each player doing what he does best, and not what he stinks at.
(2) Able to inspire the players to play hard, and to play selflessly.
(3) Won't otherwise do anything which is obviously dumb.

 

[VF21]

Won't otherwise do anything which is obviously dumb.

That could be the best quality of all!

 

[Warhawk]

So you are advocating rehiring Muss? I'm guessing this was tounge-in-cheek

Don't forget "not too proud to google 'NBA gameplan' at halftime."

Must have been doing research on a dial-up connection - no wonder the team was asleep for every 3Q....

 

[Gary]

1. Someone the players will respect and follow.
2. Someone that understands basketball, and has a high BB IQ.
3. Someone who stresses all areas of the game. Offence/Defense/Intangibles
4. Experience.. (yah, this is low, but the above I feel is more important)
5. Someone who will preach players roles, and make them follow their particular roles.
5a) Artest limited to 10 shots a game, and playing monster 1 vs. 1 D.
5b) Bibby being the main offensive threat off pick/roll, and pick/pop.
5c) Martin taking all the open jumpshots that come to him whether it be 10 in a game to 30. If he is open take the shot... No matter how much time is on the shot clock.
5d) Miller stay at the high post, and set picks, pass to cutting player ect ect. STAY HEALTHY.
5e) Garcia bring intensity every night. Also with Garcia if he is open take the shot. Don't force the issue.
5f) Justin Williams collecting rebounds and blocks. Nothing more unless it's a putback.

 

[JJ_Evans]

I'm looking for a guy like Mike Nolan. Comes in turns the franchise around with his decisions in which players should stay and go. Awesome evaluator of talent, leader and someone the players will listen to!

 

[Kingster]

I was trying very hard to find the words to express that quality and gave up. Glad you were able to do it.

Any time I can be of service.