Apparently a little birdie has something to say about the future of the Sixers head coaching position:
Little birdie currently employed by a NBA team just whispered in my ear that he expects Byron Scott to eventually be head coach of 76ers. ~ Travis Heath of HoopsWorld viaTwitter
I obviously can not at all speak to the credibility of this rumor but it is a Sixers rumor none the less.
Combine this rumor with the one about ownership wanting to clear out Stefanski and his crony and we might be on to something here.
How do you guys feel about the possibility of Byron Scott taking over the Sixers head coaching spot after Eddie Jordan is rightfully shit canned?
I am not too familiar with his style and I feel like he has had a little more success, but I still do not see him as the solution. I really want to see Doug Collins in there. I also want to see Iggy gone, so I guess I just want drastic change. I think it is the only saving grace.
Avery Johnson or Byron Scott would make perfect hires for this team. We have needed a no nonsense, taskmaster type coach that holds players accountable for their actions and does not shy away from saying what needs to be said. Since Larry Brown, we have not had a person able to balance a leadership and taskmaster role with this team, while being able to know his players as well. Ayers, Cheeks, DiLeo, EJ…these are guys that do not have strong enough backbones to assert their authority and run the show like a military operation, or are SO strong headed and clueless that they have lost the players trust.
Our team collectively is a bunch of weak willed pussies. There is a huge lack of accountability and leadership on our squad. When that is true, it HAS to come from the coach. This was my argument for signing Avery Johnson this past summer, and I hold to it. Byron Scott is in the same mold, and would be a nice mentor for Jrue Holiday.
The one question with him is there have always been these whispers about both J-Kidd and CP3 not getting along with him and a clash of wills there, but it’s hard, as a fan, to know what reports are true or just hearsay and rumors that are just smoke and mirrors. But man, I’d take him over EJ in a freaking heartbeat.
Do it today. Why wait.
I don’t have much of an opinion about Byron Scott.
but I don’t want any more NJ retreads. The Sixers management is becoming a resting place for whatever seeps through the Swamp in NJ. Reminds me of when the Eagles were lousy and kept on bringing in ex-Jets.
if we are going to draw from the brain-trust of another organization, how about the Spurs instead of the Nets?
ESPN the same tweet on their rumors page. Now a rumors page is just an excuse for unoccupied “reporters” to post unsubstantiated fluff but at least this is getting around.
I’d also take him over EJ, but then again I’d take snuffelupagus over EJ. I’d still prefer Thibodeau or AJ.
“Our team collectively is a bunch of weak willed pussies”
Dave T, that made my day!
I don’t want a new coach until the end of the season. I’m fearful that bringing in a fresh face and knowledgeable coach will cause this team to start winning. Which is the worst idea possible. It’s almost the halfway point. They’ve sucked for a year, no reason to fix that now.
New GM. New coach (or interim) with mandate to focus on “player development.” That should make sure we get at least a top 6 pick.
This is putting the cart before the horse.
You hire a competent GM. That GM picks the coach.
If this rumor has any legs, this organization is truly messed up.
I don’t care who the coach is. Getting a good GM in here is paramount.
I would take Scott in a heart beat. A few years ago he was the coach of the year. Now granted he had a guy by the name of Chris Paul to help him get there, but he got there none the less. When he was canned the players were pretty pissed about it, which tells me they still believed in him. Now that may not mean much but couple that with the trades the team has made and has been trying to made to lower their pay roll it is clear that Scott really had no chance to continue to be successful given what the franchise wanted to do.
I have long been a huge supporter of Tom Thibodeau and would gladly pick him up in Boston and drive him to Philly for the interview. I’d pack his bags, walk his dog(including poop pick up duty) I’d do everything short of nail his wife, because that would just be in bad taste, to get the guy here.
That being said, if this team will not go in that direction…you know, a defensive minded coach then Byron Scott would be fine with me. But again…does it really matter who the coach is if the guy putting the team together is as clueless as Stefanski seems to be?
Dave T great entry!
If Ownership wants to give Ed S a mulligan for his coach selection, I’m fine with a Byron Scott hire. Just don’t hire the coach then fire the GM. BS was not available when EJ was hired or he may have been the man.
When he was with the Nets the word was he wasn’t much with the x’s and o’s. I don’t know what went on with the Hornets, but he’s out of there. I don’t like it t0o much, but it feels like a Ed Stefanski move. I once heard him (Stefanski), say in an interview, that he didn’t care if his head coach new much about x’s and o’s, he just wanted him to be a leader who communicates, from what I know that sounds like Byron Scott.
My take is the opposite: Sixers, a group of strong-willed, delayed adolescents. Kind that deliberately railroads a coach outta town. Jordan is lording over the flies.
Jumpin, to me they are a bunch of youngins that need guidence and clear roles along with accountability and Mo and Deleo seemed like Auerbach compared to what we have now.
Byron Scott might be OK, but I see him as a better than average retread coach. His overall record is right around .500 and he has four winning seasons out of 9 full seasons of coaching. He won 2 division championships at NJ. At NJ he had some talent. In NO he had Chris Paul and seemed to be building something until they traded centers. NO hasn’t done very well since he was fired. I’d be luke-warm on Scott and would rather roll the dice with a rookie coach who studied under Reilly or Jackson or Popovich or Brown or Sloan.
I wonder who would be a better coach? An ass. under the coaches you mentioned or a former player under them? Does L.B. for example, give his ass. any leeway to voice their opinions and act on them or does leading an L.B. team, like E.Snow, give you the proper knowledge more?
suede, Some need a cold splash of water or a swift kick in the ass aka a trade. General Sherman or Bobby Knight would have trouble getting this crew aligned and marching forward with purpose. Iguodala, our starting shooting guard and the NBA’s 39th (!) leading scorer, should be directed to juggle his talents elsewhere.
Time’s up. His picture is next to “overhyped” in dictionary. Does a lot, but doesn’t do a lot excellently; reason he’s not an all-star. His self-righteous attitude stinks too, in my opinion; doesn’t translate at all to leadership.
Byron Scott doesn’t do it for me. I’m sure he’s tough and has a certain charisma but once a coach has players’ attention, appliable knowledge must spill from his beak, sometimes in a heartbeat (timeouts and substitutions). X and O’s are an important part of the equation. I doubt his expertise in that respect. Could be underestimating him though. Will “Chink” Scott, Charlie Scott and Dennis Scott be on staff?
Listen people of reclinergm when eddie jordan goes this gm def needs to go kick rocks with him. This gm is done i havent liked any of the moves hes made lately to be honest. I thought the wlton brand signing was a mistake would have rather josh smith or just save the money. I wanted ty lawson even though jrue might not be bad in the long run. This man has no clue how the hell u take a coach like eddie jordan what the hell has he done in the league. As far as byron scott i wouldnt mind him as a coach at least i know hes going to hold players accountable for there actions and is going to preach defense I am all for the move If thats all they can get. The gm and the coach gotta go at that end of the season. Whats eddie jordan contract status with the sixers is it 3 years and for how much?
Suede, I could make a case for either a player or an assistant from a championship-caliber coaching family. Pop was a Brown assistant. Snow was a player and might be a good fit here because of history. The book on Mike Brown is still unfinished. He has to win with LBJ before his players and assistants should get consideration.
Marcus, are you forgetting that Josh Smith was restricted and that Atlanta was not going to let him go? Brand was the only available PF. If they had not signed Brand, the cap space would have gone away as soon as AI9 was signed. If that had happened we’d have been all over management for being cheap and failing to do anything with the available cap space.
jjg-I cant be mad at iguodala he gets alot of anger on this site but really the anger should be towards sixers management for giving him that crazy contract. Sixers management paid him like hes an allstar so everybody looks at him when hes not scoring like one. If he wasnt getting paid like an allstar i dont think there would be as much anger towards him. If sixers management wants to pay me like im the franchise player even though i know i am only a second helper hey who am I to stop them. Same with jerome james the knicks giving him all that money based on the playoffs this man didnt do nothing all season but played a lil something in the playoffs and they ran with all there money to him. the fans was booing him all the time but they should have been pissed of at management for that not jerome james.
Duracorr, I definitely don!t want to go the retread route and wonder if this G.M. can find the “next bright mind”. My dream scenerio; offer a great basketball mind big money to come in and run the team for 3 years at least, [Hubie Brown?] and let him pick the right young coach and figure this mismatched roster out. But Hubie would be a fool to except.
Duracorr-I cant be certain and this is just a guess but i really dont believe atlanta would have matched if we would have offered him the same contract we gave to elton brand. Why would u offer someone coming off of major surgery and only seen him play about 8 games a max contract.
duracorr-remember atlanta was in cost cutting mode at the time and josh smith was saying he didnt want to be back and most owners aint going to deal with someone who really doesnt want to be there.
Marcus, That may be true, but they quickly matched the Memphis offer. I’m not sure if they were allowed to offer Smith the money given to Brand because of years in the league. He could have been offered about what AI9 received, but for 1 less year if I understand the rules. I think the max would have been around $60 mil for 5 years. They paid around $50 M for 5 years.
suede, Hubie Brown, great teacher, serious coach. But his generation is mostly reclining … on beaches or in caskets. He can’t be up for re-entry, can he? He’s 77.
marcus, See your point about the money (foolishly) tabled-and-grabbed and impossible-to-meet expectations. At least Iguodala could be respectful of fans’ feelings and wear a mask. Agree with you, the biggest portion of blame for this poor excuse of a team goes to Ed Stefanski & close braintrust associates.
I’m not too high on Avery Johnson as a candidate. There seemed to be some real communication problems toward the end between he and his players. It was all positive and peachy when he took over, after an elongated transition from Don Nelson. At first, as he stressed defense, and it brought results, everything was smooth. But when they lost in the finals to Miami, things headed south and gaps developed and widened. The context of the quotes suggested his players had started tuning him out, as I recall. I’m just not sure he’s the right guy for a non contending franchise.
In evaluating Byron Scott as a candidate, the first question I ask is what does he bring to the table. With Avery, the answer stands out, defensive intensity. With B Scott, I just can’t put my finger on a compelling point. Honestly, and I’m not knocking Byron, but if I were to look at any of the old Lakers from the 80s, the one name that might intruige me would be Michael Cooper.
And I still can’t think of a reason not to think of George Karl as a candidate.
My pecking order has stayed the same since the summer of ’09:
1. Avery Johnson
2. Tom Thibideaux
And now that Byron Scott is available:
3. Byron Scott
I don’t think people give Byron Scott a completely fair shake in labeling him your average retread. He’s had proven success, and while he seems to rub certain players the wrong way, I have a feeling that is because of his strong will and vision of how he wants things to be, which in our case in Philly, is severely lacking. But no way he’d be my first choice…I’d take Avery over him in a heartbeat, as I think he brings far more to the table, and think his time off from his first sting will have given him the realization that Avery needs to give a little more freedom and trust to his players.
That said, Byron is a guy that I think has the ability to light a fire under a team’s ass, and we’ve got a giant ass that needs lighting.
Another guy I would throw on my short list is Lawrence Frank. I’ve always loved the guy…great attitude, extremely positive, and a player’s coach that is not a pushover, which is a rare trait in the NBA. Great communicator, a total X&O junkie, and really knows how to teach defense.
If you really look over his Kidd-Carter-R Jefferson Jersey teams (which had no frontcourt) with the exception of one year, usually one of the 3 of them were perennially injured, missing games regularly, or not at full strength. I think his W-L record would have been a lot better if all three were healthy for 2-3 years straight, but cards fell the wrong way for him.
Bill Laimbeer. He’s paid his dues, and I feel 100 per cent certain he will absolutely get a shot somewhere, and not too terribly far down the road.
Now whether this is the right situation for him, I don’t know.
Chris McC: Thanks! And I’m with you on Snuffy over EJ, along with Big Bird, The Count, Cooke Monster, and dare I say even Bert and freaking Ernie. Elmo would turn off all the players with his high pitched whining (although I’m sure Brand would prefer him over EJ), and Grover would have way too many communication problems with that perennial caught-in-puberty-voice-cracking thing he’s got.
This is going to be an incredibly tricky process. We need the right talent and a good coach, not a great one. Doc Rivers was a little better than .500 in Orlando. You give him the big three in Boston and they win a title in the first year of the P.R.G.A era. Sure, they seem to have lost a step, but I like how Rivers coaches. Probably why I’m so big on Thibodeau.
I like Ken Bland’s idea of Bill Laimbeer. You know that he’ll stress defense, is not afraid to get in his player’s faces, and will sit players who don’t give 100%. I believe that if Stefanski jettisons Iggy, Sam, Lou, and potentially Brand (although I doubt his contract is moveable) and rebuilds with a young core then bring in a young first time coach with potential. The team won’t have vets on it who will naturally ignore a first time coach who “hasn’t earned respect” and the new coach can mold the young guys as he sees fit.
I know that a lot of players feel entitled when they get to the league, so it’s important that if the team goes into rebuilding mode they bring in young guys who want to play and will do anything to get minutes, guys without egos, and guys who are good teammates.
Sixers have had just 2 perfect coaching hires in 46 years: Alex Hannum, whose force of personality and coaching skill challenged Wilt into his best all-around game and team into historical cream of crop, and Billy Cunningham, who pushed all the right buttons, with help from the late Jack McMahon. Could stretch it 3 if you count high-maintenance, “Almost” Larry Brown. What do present Sixers need in the form of a coach?: Unless roster is disbanded, just a blindfold and a cigarette.
A little pontification on an Iguodala trade possibility…
You know, when you look at it, Iguodala is in a great spot to be “the guy” for a good team, for this team. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have it together mentally (and I don’t claim to be an expert of his mental state, just an observation). Think of all “the guys” in the league starting with Kobe and Lebron and all the way through Pierce, Paul, Nash, Duncan and so on.
You need the tools and ability to contribute at both ends and you need to have the basketball IQ to make your teammates better. I feel that you can’t teach the former – you’ve either got it or you don’t, and he does – but you can absolutely teach the latter. A good coach can get through to a guy like Iguodala, can get him to understand the nuance of the game and his role.
He can score (albeit, not a great shooter), pass, rebound, steal and defend. He’s got the tools, he’s just been led by weak willed coaches who don’t preach accountability. If they end up shipping him to a team with a strong coach and culture I think we’re going to see him develop into an all-star within one year.
The big rumor is Houston, look at how Shane Battier led that team through the playoffs last year, look at how eager they were to jettison McGrady in favor of their team chemistry. I get the feeling Iguodala doesn’t appreciate how beneficial it would be for him to go there but it would be great fit for him.
For Houston on the other hand, it would be yet another in between winger on a roster with no height. They’ve got one guy over 6’10”, a rookie, they’d almost have to take Dalembert as well.
Something I just read in a Philly Burbs article concerning EJ’s preplexing and unpredictable rotation…
“We don’t know (what to expect),” Carney said. “We’ve just got to trust him in what he does. (Sunday) worked out for the best. Some days I may play, some days I may not.”
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/117/2010/february/03/teams-show-interest-in-iguodala.html
Sounds like the players are losing/lost faith…
In halfcourt offense, beside jump shooting deficiency, Iguodala doesn’t move that well without ball. And when he does catch and turn, it’s the Iggy Show to team detriment at times. He should make the quick, smart basketball play, not the self-gratification fancy dan bs … and if the glory ends elsewhere, avoid pouting. If another team gets him they’ll get versatility along with warts that numbers whitewash. Organization made a mistake 3 years ago in featuring him as next star and giving him keys to car. Guess which vehicle just off Broad & I-95 needs
jumper cables.
Proof that player talent trumps all in NBA:
Career winning percentages:
Doug Moe .543 (COY ’87-’88)
Doug Collins .536
Jack Ramsey .525
Byron Scott .498
Dick Motta .479
Hubie Brown .461
Bill Fitch .460
Avery Johnson – 4 seasons, .735, 194-70. Down year was 51-31. Wonder if he’d accept a strong challenge opportunity in Philadelphia if front office gave him money and agreed to get out of the way. I want a guy like him with smarts and muscle car ambition engine. He’d get rid of dead wood or pile it at end of bench.
As for coaching a young up and coming team. Take a look at Memphis coaching roster and wonder why the Sixers couldn’t have that staff. They all have past ties with this organization and seems to know how to find and make young talented players work. Lionel Hollins, Johnny Davis, Henry Bibby. We had Bibby and let him go for what ? Ayers he stunk as a coach here. EJ he stinks now, Lynam he’s always on bad teams no matter what team he’s on.
I recall two players in the NBA who pointed out in situations they discussed. Barkley and C Web were saying back in their worst losing seasons of their careers they had Lynam as the coach. They praised him as a good guy but its odd that their worst year(s) as a pro he was the coach. Losing is like a black cloud. He seems to carry that losing with him everywhere he goes. Its time to make wholesale changes to this organization. Fresh new start. I’m all for Tib, any assistant from the Lakers staff, or Utah. They run the best offense and defense it seems every year.
Hollins, Davis, Bibby – 3 understated guys who weathered wars, ran pro offenses and were effective as players. I’m glad they’re doing well down there.
Speights: some nights Alex English, some nights Kenny Payne. Seems to have fallen out of favor with EJ.
Hey suede, Will Elton make it a one week lump-lump hat trick tonight? 3 footer, 2 foul shots w/:23 on clock & … . Philly’s still ready.
No disrespect to the reclinergm family i like the eagles very much but the sixers need to be like my redskins and just clean house from management on down just start firing people change the culture of philadelphia basketball. players who u think can get u to the promise land keep the ones that cant trade em or at least try. damn i wish isiah thomas was and there old gm was still running the knicks they would take anything
**** type error**** 43 wish isiah and the old gm were still running the knicks they would take anything
jjg, referring to what you said about Iguodala. Those are all mental issues. He’s got the ability, just not the head. A good coach can improve that and a great coach can make him a superstar. Rick Adelman’s got a good thing going down there. I don’t think that team would allow a pretty boy to come in there and wreck their game, Battier wouldn’t at all. He’d do well in several Western Conference towns as well Cleveland.
This is not an effort to provide Iggy with undue praise, I think the team needs to move him, I think he underachieves to a painful degree. I just don’t think he’s totally over hyped. He’s got a good shot at a great career. In the right system and organization. Iggu has got to be seen as a prject player right now, a guy who’s got a ton of talent and low IQ. Its just that project players do not usually get max contracts. Mulligan.
Like I said before iguodala is a good player but because of his contract status people expecting allstar type talent like brandon Roy, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson just to name a few. The bottom line is he cant put up points like that or shoot the ball like a few stars can. The sixers paid him like an allstar when they shouldnt have. Iggy is like robin but we have no batman. I like iggy and is a big fan of him and maybe with the right coach and cast he can make the allstar team one day but our management just plain suck.
Jumpin, I believe Hannum, in back to back years, coached the East and than the West A.B.A. Allstar teams to victories. Elton has his hands full tonight with 2 freaky athletic P.F.!s [Thomas, Gibson].