So to answer your question:  We just committed 80 million dollars to a player.  We are young or have players entering their prime that are good athletes.  We do not have a bonafide alpha dog on offense.  Therefore, we need someone where we KNOW what we are getting, with NBA experience that is proven.

I keep hearing statements like “why not give Dileo a shot, he might do good!”  I don’t want a wishy washy “maybe” like that, and think we should set our standards higher. Eddie Jordan has seven years of head coaching experience, and was a huge cog for the NJ Nets offense, quite possibly two of the least talented teams to ever make the finals.  Granted much of that was Kidd, but EJ and Scott developed a system to fit Kidd’s strengths and the players they had.  And we all saw what Avery did with the Mavs after Don Nelson’s manic and insane method of coaching improved them, but never got them over the hump.

As far as I’m concerned, this whole season is one giant wash and experiment.  I think ANY coach we put in there after Mo was fired would have gotten this team to a .500 record. I think MO would have gotten the team back to a .500 record, even though I’ve hated him since day one.  So while I like what I see so far from DiLeo, I’m not sold because he hasn’t blown me away.  He’s not a proven commodity at the NBA level…which matters (how many amazing coaches from the college ranks have been utter bombs in the NBA?), and he has nothing to lose because nothing is expected of him and he has all the freedom in the world to tinker, especially now that Brand is out. 

I’m sure Stefanski’s orders were:  “Make sure Thad and Speights get playing time, get Iguodala’s head out of his ass, get the floor spacing not looking like kindergarten pick up games, and get them trying on defense and playing harder.”  Mission accomplished, and an admirable job.  Now, let’s go hire an actual proven NBA coach that knows how to mix Brand into this athletic run n’ gun team.

There is one thing I neglected to mention earlier that tempers my optimism regarding DiLeo remaining our coach.  That is, I think that DiLeo might be up to the job, but I don’t believe that we have the necessary assistants around him to make it really work.  If we had bona fide, top notch assistants at DiLeo’s side that could implement successful defensive and/or offensive systems, I would feel a whole lot better about him going forward.  I don’t see him kicking Lynam and the rest to the curb if he remains the head coach and that could be problematic.

That being the case, we may have no choice but to bring in another coach who will then bring in his own assistants in order to assemble the coaching staff necessary to take us where we want to go.

The reality is that Brand is probably not right for this team, and I only say ‘probably’ because he didn’t have that much of a chance.  But the fact is this is a young, high energy team – something that Brand does not fit into.  Just because we are only one year into a 5 yr contract doesn’t mean it’s not possible to admit your mistake early and move on.  I think Ed deserves to give that serious consideration, rather than trying to cram a square peg into a round hole.

I’ve posted before that my greatest fear would be for DiLeo to find success coaching these guys and get them 5-6 games over .500 to end the year.  Why?  Because I feel that interim coaches, when they come in with actual talent and a few pieces, can have a honeymoon period that can last the whole year. Our team is in an incredibly odd situation in that the player we signed to change our culture and dynamic is now out for the year, essentially pushing us back to last year’s Sixers lineup plus Speights, Ivey and Ratliff (I’m not counting Marshall and Rush since they dont play). 

Personally I felt that if Mo was retained, he too would have righted the ship somewhat, and gotten us back to the .500 team we had last year that was hard working, pushed the ball, and played gritty defense.  I believe the NBA season has a pendulum, and that no matter who was at the helm, it would go back up on the upswing.  Thus, IMO, DiLeo is riding the pendulum of a team that would have improved regardless when Brand went down and Mo was fired.

Now this is no knock on Tony; he has coaching experience, seems like a heady guy, and clearly had had enough of Mo’s, shall we call it B.S.  He’s doing the best he can to try to get us back to playing defense, spacing the floor, and moving the ball.  This has led to some nice wins, and guttier play from A-Miller, Iguodala, and of late Dalembert.  He should be especially commended for taking a hard line stance with Dalembert, and winning, finally causing D-Bere to shut up and play like he’s capable of.  

I also believe Tony has a good basketball mind, and like how he analyzes the game from hearing his interviews post games, and in between games.  He seems honest and realistic with what we can expect from this squad, and understands long term goals and patience with players.  He also has done a better job solidifying roles on the team, and there seems to be a bit high level of expectation and accountability on everyone.  And that’s great. 

But do we really want to gamble on a HALF season interim coach with no previous NBA head coaching experience, that is riding a wave of of optimism because Mo had sunk the team’s play to such a low level?  I say: no.  We need to bring in someone with NBA experience that has PROVEN what he can do with a full team of healthy stars, and had some success.

For me, it comes down to this:

Eddie Jordan: Greatest strength…offensive system and philosophy of getting the ball moving…more cutting, screening, ball sharing, and less on on one ball hogging plays.  This would really cater to our teams athleticism, as we DESPERATELY need a jumpstart for moving without the ball, what I have always thought is our biggest weakness. Eddie would really give us the offensive kick in the ass we need.   Biggest weakness: innefective defensive coaching, inability to pay true attention to how much defense should be worked on; lack of getting a team to buy into a toughness mentality of basketball. 

Avery Johnson: Greatest strengths…1. Setting high expectations  2. Setting accountability and a zero tolerance policy for anything less then hard work and executing well.  3. Understands defense and how to get teams to play TEAM defense, regardless of their perceived individual ability.  4.  Great at X&O’s, gets guys in spots and positions where they can best score. Biggest weakness:  not enough freedom and improvisation on offense; relies too much on jumpshooting; overcoaching PG’s with too many set plays. 

Avery would be my pick, simply because I think he has a better ability to set a real tone and change the culture.  I think we need that more than anything.  We are all people and capable of changing…I think Avery has evaluated his own performance and with all his critics and time off, probably understands he needs to loosen his grip on the reigns a bit.  Obviously his jumpshooting tactics will NOT work for our team…but Avery is a Popovich disciple and seems well suited to change the dynamic up for whatever a team needs.  He also BRILLIANTLY got Dallas, a horrendous defensive team, to play mediocre and sometimes even “pretty good” defense, no small feat.  Since our team has pretty good individual defenders, he’d do a great job here.

What I meant to say is this:  “regardless of the fact that we are committed to Brand for four more years, I don’t think that Brand should be a major factor in the decision making process.” I lost that key distinction somewhere along the way.  Of course Brand needs to be factored in.  I just think he should be lower down on the list.  I’ll stand by the rest of what I said as an explanation for why Brand should not be a key in the decision making process.

Rob, I agree. His motivation of Sammy has been a wonderful thing.

He can only coach who he’s got

For Dileo to even be considered for the job next season that aspect must be top notch.  Otherwise this conversation is moot. 

But I gotta disagree regarding the Elton Brand point.  If I am the GM and I don’t acknowledge and factor Brand into the decision for the coaching situation going forward it would be taking a short sighted view of the team and I think that could harmful down the line.

If he believes Dileo is the guy then so beit but it must be because he performed well this season with what he’s got and because Dileo has presented a well thought out plan for next season.  In essence I don’t think he should be just handed the job regardless of results (excluding extreme of winning two playoff rounds)  I think IF he wants it he should have to interview for it among other candidates.  If he comes out on top, fine.

Integrating Brand in a winning system that accounts for all players on the roster must be a point of emphasis in this decision.

I can go on more about why I think it’s important to lock in a coach for the benefit of continuity and development within a familar system because of the young players we assume will be the core of this team for a while (Thad, Speights, Iguodala, Lou (only because they seem to love him)) but I am off to the game.

Pete should have a game post up in a bit.  Talk to you guys aftewards.

i’d rather have someone totally new than the retreads that have been mentioned on this page (jordan, avery johnson, etc)