[GB]

Even those that hold them now don't like what they see.

"Our league has gotten crazy," said Detroit Pistons Coach Larry Brown before the Pistons played the Magic last week. "We're not developing coaches anymore. It's frustrating. It used to be, you were a freshman coach in college, or in the high schools, and you moved on up. Now it's become so lucrative, we've got a lot of guys who are good salesmen who become coaches. It's not because they love the game, or love to teach. It's just so financially rewarding."

Excluding the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, 24 of the 29 teams have changed coaches within the past two years. Only Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz), Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs), Rick Adelman (Sacramento Kings) and Nate McMillan (Seattle SuperSonics) have been in their current positions for more than two seasons.

"Nothing would surprise me anymore," said Chicago Coach Scott Skiles last week. "We're a league where a very qualified teacher like Mike Fratello is out of the game for six years. That tells me there are a lot of GMs and owners who maybe aren't qualified to know where qualified coaches are. That's part of the silliness of this profession."

Wow.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...r10,1,4497950.story?coll=orl-sports-headlines

 

[yodurk]

Skiles telling it how it is. I can't say I disagree. Coaching in the NBA these days seems to be more about finding a good rotation than about helping the players improve during practice (something Skiles has obviously done as well as anybody the past year). Although that could be as much players' egos than anything.

 

[such sweet thunder]

I actually think this bit is a piece of crap. First off, Skiles is factually incorrect. Fratello was offered a number of positions while with TBS. He was holding off for a salary equal to that which he was getting paid for broadcasting. It's not his resume, but his asking price that kept him out of the league.

And then theres the Larry Brown bit. Still bitter that Doc Rivers will be considered a better professional coach by the time he retires. Since he can't attack Rivers on his level of success or his ability to communicate, he attacks him on his motivations. What a crock. I can just hearing him whining now, "I'm doing it for the love of the game." Meanwhile, he is constantly talking about retirement, and complaining about the downfall of the league. I'm done with him. How glorious would it be for the Bulls to knock the Pistons out of the playoffs?

 

[Frankensteiner]

And then theres the Larry Brown bit. Still bitter that Doc Rivers will be considered a better professional coach by the time he retires. Since he can't attack Rivers on his level of success or his ability to communicate, he attacks him on his motivations

You want to run that by me again? Doc Rivers is right up there with Eddie Jordan and Bernie Bickerstaff as far as successful NBA coaches are concerned. Better than Larry Brown? Uh-ok.

 

[dkg1]

I found this part interesting too. He acts as if the R.O.Y. is a sure thing, going to Emeka:

Gordon won't win the Rookie of the Year Award. That still likely is going to Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats. And Gordon still wouldn't be the No. 1 pick if the 2004 draft were redone today. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, who came directly from high school and still has the most potential, would grab that honor again.

 

[such sweet thunder]

You want to run that by me again? Doc Rivers is right up there with Eddie Jordan and Bernie Bickerstaff as far as successful NBA coaches are concerned. Better than Larry Brown? Uh-ok.

Frank:

I'm curious, do you still buy into this Larry Brown/Doc Rivers feud? Do you think that assistant coaches are being descriminated against and are more deserving then ex-players. Are ex-players only in coaching for the money? I feels like a conspiracy theory gone wrong to me. . .

 

[BG7]

I found this part interesting too. He acts as if the R.O.Y. is a sure thing, going to Emeka:

Gordon won't win the Rookie of the Year Award. That still likely is going to Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats. And Gordon still wouldn't be the No. 1 pick if the 2004 draft were redone today. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, who came directly from high school and still has the most potential, would grab that honor again.

Its from an Orlando News paper so they are trying to rationalize for Howard not winning it.

 

[Frankensteiner]

Frank:

I'm curious, do you still buy into this Larry Brown/Doc Rivers feud? Do you think that assistant coaches are being descriminated against and are more deserving then ex-players. Are ex-players only in coaching for the money? I feels like a conspiracy theory gone wrong to me. . .

SST, to be honest, I have not paid the slightest bit of attention to any Larry Brown/Doc Rivers feud, and frankly didn't know one existed before today. I did feel compelled, however, to ask you about your comparison of Rivers and Brown simply because I don't consider Doc Rivers a very good coach.

As far as Brown's argument, I don't know. On one hand, the best coaching jobs of the year have been done by ex-players (Skiles, McMillan). But for every Skiles or McMillan, there's a Sam Mitchell or Herb Williams. And longtime assistants like Terry Stotts or Bezdzelik (sp?) didn't exactly set the world on fire. Seems like the ratio of success and failures are about the same for both groups. It's very hard to make a definitive case one way or the other.

I do agree with the general point of the article, that there's a great amount of poorly coached teams (and therefore poor coaches) across the league.

 

[Hustle]

Larry Brown is the most respected coach in the league. (w/o Phil Jackson employed)

And when Skiles says something it's always true.

 

[yodurk]

I actually think this bit is a piece of crap. First off, Skiles is factually incorrect. Fratello was offered a number of positions while with TBS. He was holding off for a salary equal to that which he was getting paid for broadcasting. It's not his resume, but his asking price that kept him out of the league.

I wouldn't necessarily say Skiles is factually incorrect. He could very well be suggesting that no NBA team respected Fratello enough as a coach to meet his salary demands. If teams held Fratello in higher regard, then maybe they'd be willing to spend a little extra bank to get a well-coached team. I think that may be what Skiles is getting at here...he really didn't go into enough detail though.

 

[such sweet thunder]

I wouldn't necessarily say Skiles is factually incorrect. He could very well be suggesting that no NBA team respected Fratello enough as a coach to meet his salary demands. If teams held Fratello in higher regard, then maybe they'd be willing to spend a little extra bank to get a well-coached team. I think that may be what Skiles is getting at here...he really didn't go into enough detail though.

Durk:

I suppose Skiles is not technically incorrect, but I can think of more then a handful of instances where Fratello missed anouncing games for TNT to interview. All reports were that he was offered the gigs and turned them down because of money. Iit's hard to say that the business is "silly" when Fratello priced himself out of three or four gigs.

Frank:

I think you're right -- my point was made weaker because I over emphasised the value of Doc Rivers. But, I have never seen a coach who is a drama queen like Brown and have had enough.

I think we are reading the same quote in two different ways. I see the, "we've got a lot of guys who are good salesmen who become coaches. It's not because they love the game, or love to teach. It's just so financially rewarding," in the context of his previous attacks on ex-player coaches. You see the comment as a general attack on the profession.

I thought it was class-less when Brown attacked ex-players becoming coaches. Like you noted, theres is no recipe for success. But, it's clear that there are enough sucess stories that the trend is not baseless. Since Brown, can't attack their success he attacks their motivations and makes them out to only care about money.

Is Skiles doing this just for the money? How about, McMillian, Doug Collins, Doc Rivers, Terry Porter, Maurice Cheeks, Bill Cartright, etc.? I have a hard time believeing they are all in it to make a quick buck.

 

[GB]

Skiles telling it how it is. I can't say I disagree.

So was it an unintentional slam of Krause for bringing in Cartwright and Floyd instead of someone who had "paid their dues"?


Rivers and Brown are feuding? What did I miss?

 

[such sweet thunder]

So was it an unintentional slam of Krause for bringing in Cartwright and Floyd instead of someone who had "paid their dues"?


Rivers and Brown are feuding? What did I miss?

well, floyd paid his dues coaching college ball so he was a qualified hire, right?

the rivers/ brown feud goes back a couple years. brown was making comments about how one of his long time assistants kept getting passed over for starting gigs; which is fine. but brown spun it into a rant on how ex-players are getting gigs with out paying their dues. doc, who perceived it as a personal attack, took him to task and they exchanged words in the press. i really can't remember a coach who is the same level of premadonna as brown. threatening to retire, sob stories, etc. . . i'm just tired of his schtick.

 

[Da Grinch]

So was it an unintentional slam of Krause for bringing in Cartwright and Floyd instead of someone who had "paid their dues"?


Rivers and Brown are feuding? What did I miss?

cartwright paid his dues , floyd didn't, cartwright was every bit as expierienced as skiles was when he got his 1st head coaching job , probably moreso, and krause did interview skiles for the job before he hired floyd.

 

[BG7]

Well, Larry Brown is the mark of proffesionalism. Whining every 3 days about how he doesn't feel the same love for the game, blah blah blah.

Rick Carlisle is the best coach in the league imo.