Iavaroni, O’Brien & Donovan Hired
> On 5/31 the Memphis Grizzlies named Marc Iavaroni their new head coach. Iavaroni has long been regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the league, and it was only a matter of time before he got his chance. Marc was the lead assistant in Phoenix most recently, but also had stints under Pat Riley in Miami and Mike Fratello in Cleveland. I’m not sure exactly what kind of coach Iavaroni will be, but he’s known as a positive and enthusiastic guy who prefers an up tempo style.
When you take into account Memphis’ shaky ownership situation, coupled with their imminent lack of a GM (Jerry West is leaving after the draft largely because of the owner perpetually trying to sell the franchise), I think this is a great hire for the Griz, somewhat of a coup even. I understand that beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to a first job, but Iavaroni faces a tough road ahead taking over the worst team in league while management is in flux.
The transition would be made much easier if Suns Vice President David Griffin is named Memphis’ new GM because Marc and Griffin share the same philosophy and are already familiar with one another. This scenario would seem likely with Steve Kerr apparently set to take over as personnel boss in Phoenix. However, the latest word is that Griffin is staying in the Valley of the Sun and that Boston assistant GM Chris Wallace is the new front runner (other candidates include Mark Jackson and Kiki Vandeweghe). Stay tuned…
> Later in the day on 5/31 the Indiana Pacers hired former Boston and Philadelphia coach Jim O’Brien to be their new head man. While everyone knows I think O’Brien can coach (182-158 career) and got a raw deal in Philly, I’m not sure this hire is right for him or the Pacers. Indiana just fired Rick Carlisle because he was a no-nonsense, defense first, abrasive disciplinarian that the players had stopped listening to. It also needs to be said that Stan Van Gundy reportedly turned this job down because of the uncertain direction of the franchise in the foreseeable future. So why would the Pacers bring in a Carlisle clone (more or less)? And why would an experienced coach like Obie place himself in such an unstable situation? If I had to guess, I’d say that both parties were desperate, which I don’t really understand, but anyway…
The main difference between Jim and Rick is that O’Brien likes to push the pace and get the ball past half court in three seconds while shooting a lot of 3-pointers. The problem there is that Indiana, as presently constituted, does not possess the type of players needed to execute that style. That’s where President Larry Bird comes in. Bird is already on record stating that he will trade anyone on the roster this summer, and he went further Thursday saying that “He'll [Obie] have a lot of input in that. We like to give a coach the type of players he likes to have. It's important for him to have a big part in it.” If that’s really the case, and Larry Legend is able to give Jim the athletic shooters he desires, the Pacers will be back in the playoffs sooner rather than later.
> Then on Friday 6/1 the Orlando Magic decided to go down the well traveled dark and dangerous path of hiring a college coach to lead their team. Orlando made Billy Donovan (296-123 in college) the next contestant to try and succeed in the face of overwhelming evidence against making the jump from the collegiate ranks to the NBA. Even though the Magic came to their senses enough not to give Donovan personnel responsibilities, GM Otis Smith and company did dole out a ridiculous five year $27.5 million dollar contract. I’d be shocked if Billy lasts that entire five years.
To me this move is less about basketball and more about Orlando making sure they secure financing for their new arena. As is the case with all proposed new facilities these days, the amount that the public has to contribute always seems to be the sticking point. Enter Donovan. You see, Billy D is the people’s choice down there after leading Florida to two consecutive National Championships. So to me it seems like getting an arena deal done is more important than wins and losses to owner Rick DeVos at the moment. Such is the business side of the NBA I guess.
I also have to mention that the firing of former coach Brian Hill was handled very poorly. After Smith told Brian he’d be back immediately following the playoffs, President Bob Vander Weide came out a few days later and said there were “philosophical issues between Hill and management over the team's style of play.” This left Brian in limbo for approximately three weeks, which is not something you want your front office to ever be associated with.
Since Donovan is known for his high octane style, we can assume that he and management are on the same page there. This makes Billy’s first order of business developing a strong relationship with budding star Dwight Howard, because if D Hiddy is not with the program, no one else will be. Next would be finding a way to motivate Darko Milicic…..good luck with that. Donovan will also be responsible for the continued growth of young players like Trevor Ariza, J.J. Redick and most importantly Jameer Nelson. This is really the typical situation that a college coach is usually thrown into (young, inexperienced squad), and I see no reason to expect the end result to be any different than normal.
When you take into account Memphis’ shaky ownership situation, coupled with their imminent lack of a GM (Jerry West is leaving after the draft largely because of the owner perpetually trying to sell the franchise), I think this is a great hire for the Griz, somewhat of a coup even. I understand that beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to a first job, but Iavaroni faces a tough road ahead taking over the worst team in league while management is in flux.
The transition would be made much easier if Suns Vice President David Griffin is named Memphis’ new GM because Marc and Griffin share the same philosophy and are already familiar with one another. This scenario would seem likely with Steve Kerr apparently set to take over as personnel boss in Phoenix. However, the latest word is that Griffin is staying in the Valley of the Sun and that Boston assistant GM Chris Wallace is the new front runner (other candidates include Mark Jackson and Kiki Vandeweghe). Stay tuned…
> Later in the day on 5/31 the Indiana Pacers hired former Boston and Philadelphia coach Jim O’Brien to be their new head man. While everyone knows I think O’Brien can coach (182-158 career) and got a raw deal in Philly, I’m not sure this hire is right for him or the Pacers. Indiana just fired Rick Carlisle because he was a no-nonsense, defense first, abrasive disciplinarian that the players had stopped listening to. It also needs to be said that Stan Van Gundy reportedly turned this job down because of the uncertain direction of the franchise in the foreseeable future. So why would the Pacers bring in a Carlisle clone (more or less)? And why would an experienced coach like Obie place himself in such an unstable situation? If I had to guess, I’d say that both parties were desperate, which I don’t really understand, but anyway…
The main difference between Jim and Rick is that O’Brien likes to push the pace and get the ball past half court in three seconds while shooting a lot of 3-pointers. The problem there is that Indiana, as presently constituted, does not possess the type of players needed to execute that style. That’s where President Larry Bird comes in. Bird is already on record stating that he will trade anyone on the roster this summer, and he went further Thursday saying that “He'll [Obie] have a lot of input in that. We like to give a coach the type of players he likes to have. It's important for him to have a big part in it.” If that’s really the case, and Larry Legend is able to give Jim the athletic shooters he desires, the Pacers will be back in the playoffs sooner rather than later.
> Then on Friday 6/1 the Orlando Magic decided to go down the well traveled dark and dangerous path of hiring a college coach to lead their team. Orlando made Billy Donovan (296-123 in college) the next contestant to try and succeed in the face of overwhelming evidence against making the jump from the collegiate ranks to the NBA. Even though the Magic came to their senses enough not to give Donovan personnel responsibilities, GM Otis Smith and company did dole out a ridiculous five year $27.5 million dollar contract. I’d be shocked if Billy lasts that entire five years.
To me this move is less about basketball and more about Orlando making sure they secure financing for their new arena. As is the case with all proposed new facilities these days, the amount that the public has to contribute always seems to be the sticking point. Enter Donovan. You see, Billy D is the people’s choice down there after leading Florida to two consecutive National Championships. So to me it seems like getting an arena deal done is more important than wins and losses to owner Rick DeVos at the moment. Such is the business side of the NBA I guess.
I also have to mention that the firing of former coach Brian Hill was handled very poorly. After Smith told Brian he’d be back immediately following the playoffs, President Bob Vander Weide came out a few days later and said there were “philosophical issues between Hill and management over the team's style of play.” This left Brian in limbo for approximately three weeks, which is not something you want your front office to ever be associated with.
Since Donovan is known for his high octane style, we can assume that he and management are on the same page there. This makes Billy’s first order of business developing a strong relationship with budding star Dwight Howard, because if D Hiddy is not with the program, no one else will be. Next would be finding a way to motivate Darko Milicic…..good luck with that. Donovan will also be responsible for the continued growth of young players like Trevor Ariza, J.J. Redick and most importantly Jameer Nelson. This is really the typical situation that a college coach is usually thrown into (young, inexperienced squad), and I see no reason to expect the end result to be any different than normal.
posted by D$ at 10:21 AM
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