NBA Roundtable: Roundtable: Coaching Shuffle
Job security for coaches in the NBA has never been such a joke. We’ve seen nearly half the league change their head coaches since the start of the 2015-16 season, and there are now only two openings left in Houston and Memphis. There have been some great hires and some questionable ones as well in recent weeks, so I asked the Rotoworld hoops crew to discuss which ones caught their eye in a good way and which ones made them scratch their heads. Ryan Knaus is going to kick things off for us this week. Also, be sure to check us out on Twitter by clicking the link next to our names!
Ryan Knaus (@Knaus_RW)
The Lakers locked up Luke Walton early in the process, a savvy move that put them ahead of the more recent head-coach rush. The highly-regarded Warriors assistant has proven he’s ready for the top job and should be more patient with player development than Byron Scott, which is promising for both fantasy and real-world purposes. With Walton calling the shots and Kobe Bryant‘s high-volume shooting out of the equation, L.A. should at least see mild improvement after a season in which they ranked 30th in defensive efficiency and 29th in offensive efficiency.
Tom Thibodeau was a great ‘get’ for the Timberwolves, pairing their explosive young talent with a coach who can extract maximum effort on both ends of the court. Minnesota’s neophyte team should also benefit from a more disciplined system. “When we played in Chicago with Thibs, every single play was called,” Kyle Korver said recently. “Every single [time], on both ends of the floor, we knew exactly what we were doing.” After committing $40 million to make Thibs both head coach and team president, the Wolves will be made in his image for years to come. With his penchant for playing key guys huge minutes, this is a positive change for fantasy owners.
In terms of the worst coaching move, I’m baffled by the Pacers’ decision to fire Frank Vogel only to promote assistant Nate McMillan, who will have marching orders to increase the team’s offensive pace. Vogel had a win percentage of 58.0% in nearly six seasons as Indiana’s head coach, which ranks 44th all-time for NBA coaches (ahead of Doc Rivers, Jeff Van Gundy, Rudy Tomjanovich, Don Nelson, etc.). The Magic did well to scoop him up quickly.
Ethan Norof (@Ethan_Norof)
Tom Thibodeau: The Wolves have the best young foundation in basketball with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and now they have a terrific basketball mind at the controls capable of growing with the team for the long haul.
Luke Walton: After a troubling pattern of head coaching hires since Phil Jackson‘s departure, the Lakers hit it big by keeping it in the family and bringing back Walton. He was the most coveted coaching free agent on the open market, and the Lakers were able to reel in the big fish. Most importantly, Walton, 36, can grow with a young roster that needs someone capable of doing exactly that.
Frank Vogel: Scott Skiles‘ surprise resignation could have left Orlando in a tough spot, but a shocking decision from Indiana to move on from Vogel allowed the Magic to find the type of coach they’ve needed since their rebuild first began.
Dave Joerger: DeMarcus Cousins hasn’t been able to find the rhythm with a head coach since the Kings foolishly dismissed Mike Malone, but Joerger has an excellent chance to bond with the big man in a meaningful way. The Kings desperately need stability in the form of a coach capable of getting the most out of his troops, and Joerger—unlike George Karl—has proven very capable of doing just that.
Mike D’Antoni: If the Rockets decide to pull the trigger on D’Antoni’s hire, Houston’s front office will have a lot of explaining to do.
Nate McMillan: To replace Vogel was a head-scratching move, but to replace him with McMillan is almost inexplicable.
Jonas Nader (@JonasNader)
Favorite hire- Now that the reign of Scott Skiles in Orlando is over, the Magic’s future just got a lot brighter. Just because the Pacers (Larry Bird) didn’t want to bring Vogel back doesn’t mean he failed in Indiana by any means, as the Pacers apparently just wanted a new voice in the locker room. Vogel should bring some stability to the rotations in Orlando with guys like Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon all getting a boost in fantasy value. Evan Fournier will also be fine if the Magic choose to bring him back in restricted free agency. Additionally, Vogel is a lot less likely to put a player in the doghouse like Skiles was guilty of. Well done, Orlando.
Questionable hire- We keep hearing that the Pacers want to play with more pace, so their decision to fire Frank Vogel in favor of Nate McMillan doesn’t make much sense. McMillan is a fan of traditional lineups and his former Portland teams played at a very methodical pace, so I just don’t see this ending too well for Indiana. He did compare Myles Turner to LaMarcus Aldridge, so maybe he will be good for the development of the promising young center.
Quick thoughts- I like the Knicks’ decision to hire Jeff Hornacek, but only if Phil Jackson doesn’t pressure him to run the triangle offense. The Kings hired a solid coach in Dave Joerger, but his success will ultimately depend on whether or not he develops a good relationship with DeMarcus Cousins. Luke Walton was a great addition to the Lakers, but I’m just relieved to see Byron Scott get the boot.
Jared Johnson (@JaredJ831)
I’m a huge fan of the not-Scott-Skiles hire. I seriously doubt we’ll see Victor Oladipo come off the bench at any point next season, and Aaron Gordon should be getting starters minutes from the get-go. Frank Vogel is a solid coach, and there’s a reason why he was only unemployed for two weeks after his dismissal from Indiana. Great hire.
I’m really hopeful to see Mike D’Antoni get another gig, he revolutionized the way the game is played today and it’s no secret that the current champs borrowed more than a few concepts from D’Antoni’s playbook. That being said, I’m not sure if he’s the right fit to take over the helm in Houston. D’Antoni had his best years coaching the selfless Steve Nash in Phoenix, but when coaching ball-dominate players such as Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, things didn’t quite pan out. I’d be interested to see how the dynamic between him and James Harden plays out, and while I’m definitely not ready to hop back on this bandwagon, the D’Antoni-Terrence Jones pairing does intrigue me. Yes, Jones was a massive disappointment this past season, but that also had a lot to do with J.B. Bickerstaff being completely uninterested in utilizing him, and less to do with a scratched eye costing him a weird amount of time. Like I said, I’m not fully committed to hyping up Jones again, but I’m intrigued to see how D’Antoni chooses to use him, and I may be willing to use a late-round flier on him depending on how things look over the course of the preseason. The D’Antoni hire would also guarantee that Houston says bye-bye to Dwight Howard, which will open up minutes for Donatas Motiejunas, Clint Capela, and yes, Terrence Jones.
I’m a fan of the Knicks’ Jeff Hornacek hire. Word is that Phil Jackson isn’t going to force him to exclusively run the triangle and he’s a fantasy-friendly coach. Glad to see him get another chance.
