Team Mao

Okay, I tried to get some answers in another thread, but no one gave me anything. So I'll try again and dedicate an entire thread to this issue. Please give me some reasons to support Sam as the head coach of my favourite team.
Mods, I don't want to bash, I really want to hear why people defend Sam. It seems the defense of late has been to blame his defencies on other factors within the organization ie management, players, mop girl.
Here are some of my posts from the other threads:

Turkish Delight

Sam Mitchell may not be the best coach in the league, but he's doing all he can right now. The Raptors have made enough coaching changes in the past few years and they are probably better off keeping Sam Mitchell than firing him and looking for a replacement.

I kind of get irritated when people start bashing Sam Mitchell every time something bad happens. People are quick to forget that it's the players that win and lose the games, not the coach. Are you really telling me that if Larry Brown was behind the bench last night, Kobe wouldn't have had such a dominant performance? That's laughable.

At times I don't like some of Sam Mitchell's substitutions, but that's probably more of a personal interest on my part than anything else. For instance, last night Charlie was taken out of the game although he was playing very well on the offensive end. I think people forgot that his defense was almost invisible last night. Bonner is easily the superior defender, and had a similar game on the offensive end.

Also, I'm very curious how you know that Sam Mitchell is constantly barking the same thing to the players out there? I'd be very interesting in hearing what he has to say, so since you seem to know, please tell me.

And also I'm baffled as to how Sam Mitchell has a "bad record of developing young players". In his second season as a head coach? Are you kidding me? It's not his fault Hoffa was picked at the 8th spot two years ago. He's given him plenty of opportunities to show what he can do out there. And as for Calderon, Villanueva and Graham there is something called the rookie wall. It's a learning process, there's obviously going to be some bumps along the way no matter who your coach is.

Anyways, that's all I can think of right now. I find it comical how after a 5 game winning streak everyone is all over how much the Raptors have developed, but after a couple of tough losses, they think Sam Mitchell should be fired immediately. I'm not saying you are one of these people Mao, but it happens. Overall I think people just need to be more patient out there. Sam Mitchell isn't the best coach in the league, heck he's far from it, but a new coach wouldn't just magically turn this team into a contender.

Team Mao

Turk,
If you look at any of my posts, I have never been behind Mitchell, regardless of five game win streak. I understand how some people want stability, but at the same time, the coach and GM don't seem to be on the same page regarding the rebuilding project, not really a picture of stability.

In terms of player development. I've seen other rookies in the league improve the play over the course of the season (usually their defense, rebounding, movement, scoring) but this season, it seems as if our rookies have had no progress and even regressed. I'm tired of rookie wall talk. Plus, this is the coach who said 'can't teach rebounding and defence', doesn't really strike me as a good teacher. I've always thought that what the team needs in a coach is someone with more experience in developing players, perhaps a college coach or hell even someone who's coached high school, Sam was never a head coach, at any level, before he came to Toronto.

It's not just lastnight's loss, but that hurt a lot. People on the board are too quick to roll over and say oh, it was Kobe, what can we do? Well, there have been a lot of players in this league over the years better than Kobe Bryant who have never scored 80 points. To say that Sam is not to blame for that happening is bs. Think about the real world, if your a manager of a department in a company and that department performs poorly, who is to blame? In the military, if a division gets slaughtered by opposing forces, who is to blame, the soldiers or their leader?

lucky777s

Wow, the might Raptor juggernaut somehow lost a game. Heads should roll.

Way too many whiners in Raptorland. The team just isn't that good. We have glaring deficiencies in our lineup. We are one of the worst defensive teams in the league and we rely on outside shooting way too much. So we are going to cough up a few leads now and then. 18 points is not exactly an overwhelming lead. Almost every night that size lead gets erased.

When its Mike James or Chris Bosh going off for big points nobody seems to slam the other team's coach for being stupid. When the Raps came back from 20+ to beat San Antonio last year nobody cried for Popovich's head. Everybody was happy when Donny Marshall set the 3pt record for us, but get all whiny when something happens against us.

Too many emotional fans with no perspective on the nba. Kobe torched the Mavs just as badly as he torched us. They had no answer for him. Its just silly how people are overreacting to this.

Maybe Keady should go. Everyone was quick to praise him when we showed SLIGHT improvement. Throw out the bum.

nwt

Go Sam

__________________
Collect shoes? Cleaning out my closet, see what I'm selling
Jordans, SB's, AM's, Dunks

http://search.ebay.ca/_W0QQsassZnw89t

Team Mao

Very easy for you to sit on a high horse and call others whiners, rather than complain about whiners, why don't you defend Sam Mitchell as a coach? Jesus, I've been on him all year for his lack of an effective offensive system (as you said relying on the 3 pt shot too much), poor defence, poor positioning, etc, etc. These are things a coach needs to teach young players.

The purpose of this thread was to elicit Sam's coaching attributes from those who defend him. But it seems people would rather call others out as whiners and so on. PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT IT IS ABOUT HIM THAT YOU LIKE AS A COACH.

shookem

He gives great quotes and is a snappy dresser.

__________________

Hockey Forum.com Toronto Raptors Toronto Blue Jays

Team Mao

Agreed, he does have very nice suits and I do enjoy his treatment of the TO media (who really deserve a b**** slap more than anything). Thanks Shookem.

NJ Grand NJ

Here's what angered me about yesterday... This is definately on the coach. Forget the defense for a second. The offense was atrocious in the fourth quarter. The ball went to Jalen Rose in the post about 15 straight times, I believe he got fouled once, and put up bricks or TOs the next 14 times. Jalen wasn't playing defense, and was hurting the team on offense. Why are you going to Jalen in the post when you have a guy called Chris Bosh? I know the Raps guards aren't the best at getting Bosh the ball in the post, but I KNOW if you're telling your players to get the ball to Bosh and there's not listening, there is a problem. Sam benched CV for not playing defense, he probably should've benched the whole team, look... Kobe dropped 81, why not try and come back by bringing one of your best offensive players and the guy that sparked a huge run in the first half? On the defensive end... why are you even THINKING of putting Jalen Rose on Kobe. I'm in highschool and I'm not sure if Jalen can guard me, he's not gonna slow down Kobe when he's on fire. When Jalen was guarding him, you saw it in both of their eyes, Kobe knew Jalen couldn't guard him and Jalen knew it too. It's not all Sam's fault, but it seems like he's against the management. It looks like Sam's trying to make the playoffs so he can save his job, when that is obviously not best for the team.(Imagine how far back this franchise would be set back if it got the 14th pick instead of a top 5 pick? I think the younger players need to start playing more and playing through their mistakes so they can learn). But I'm sort of on the same boat as Mao, so I probably don't belong in this thread lol.

__________________

bigbabyjesus

You double Kobe from the beginning of the game, no questions asked.

When he starts going off a rampage, you triple team him.

I don't know how any human being couldn't understand this simple concept.

Also, taking out Graham (who did the best job on Kobe all game, IMO), and putting Calderon in, was quite possibly the dumbest rotation move Sam Mitchell has made all year. And man, he has made some stupid ones.

__________________

TRON

Sam is coming off his rookie campaign, so any first year deficientcies could be accepted as the expected growing pains that comes with the territory. Now, in his second year we expect more and Sam knows he is coaching for his next contract.

Now Forget the good, and Forget the bad.....and ask yourself if this is the man that you invision as the coach of the franchise for years to come????

__________________
"and they aware of us though,
but we don't give a flying 747 **** though,
stayin on my hustle" -Nas

"To be honest, sometimes in this game, telling the truth is the best smokescreen of all." - Raptors GM Bryan Collangelo

charlz

The damage was done in Nov. with Sam. He has improved and I would expect that <b>Keady</b> has helped to fill in some of the glaring holes in Sam's witless gameplanning.

It is hard to say they should fire him now - this is his baby let him ride it to the end so we know difinitively if sam is:

(a) an upstart <b>hard working no-nonsense</b> coach who is learning and listening on how to overcome his shotcomings as a coach

or

(b) A <N>non-intelligent former NBA vet</b> looking for a reason to get out of his ATL house 9 months of the year and occupy his time.


Sams strong points
==============
Can relate to NBA players "he is one of them"
Work ethic
Punishes when needed (no fear)
Seems to have his team play hard more than most teams ****


Weakness
=======
way below par tactics
no answers or creativity on defense
too emotional
lacks experience


<b>Fire him now? NO but like alot of decisions in the summer time it may be hard to find reasons for him to stay. We are only 1/2 way through the season</b>

__________________
“I may be wrong... but I doubt it”
--Charles Barkley

Team Mao

Good points Charlz, Thanks.