Dunleavy has a career winning % of .461, and his team blew a 17-point second half lead in a Game 7 with a much better team than Nate has ever coached. Nate has a career winning % of .516. Whoops.
You're "standing up for the best coach the Blazers had since Rick Adelman". When that coach is decidedly average (little better or worse depending on who you ask), don't you think they should be looking for someone better?
You say "decidedly average", national media pundits say "one of the best coaches in the league". Tomato, to-mah-to...
So are you saying the Blazers won close games because they have clutch players, but now that they don't have clutch players, it's Nate's fault? There is a serious gap in that logic.
Huh? I was not the one who brought up McMillan, PapaG did. Notice I never did blame Nate for losing close games. I just don't think he's a good enough coach.
An average coach who is an assistant on Team USA? If Paul Allen fires Nate, this organization will finally become the laughingstock that is deserves to be seen as in the eyes of the national media. I actually hope it happens to some degree, because then perhaps the Accidental Zillionaire will be shamed into either selling the team or stepping back and letting somebody with an emotional age over 25 run the team. KP ... fired for what? Cho ... fired for what?, and without getting a shot at a draft. New GM ... still waiting one year later. The college scouting director who has whiffed on three drafts now is the "acting GM" The joke lives in Seattle. Denying that seems unbelievable at this point.
I agree with this. But I still don't see Nate as a good coach. Or let me put it this way, I don't see him as a championship coach.
That's fair, since he's not a championship coach. Then again, neither are Jerry Sloan, Rick Adelman, Kevin McHale, Jeff Van Gundy, etc. etc. etc.
Adelman had a Hall of Famer with Drexler, and Sloan had two with Malone and Stockton. Has there been a coach with two obvious Hall of Fame players for 15 years who didn't win an NBA title, outside of Sloan?
As I said in that other thread, nobody gets a free pass. Not PA, not the front office, not the coaches, and not the players! Heck, they should send somebody out to the truck to slap HCP around just on general principles!
Jordan won 6 titles. That leaves 9 years for Sloan/Stockton/Malone, doesn't it? Plus, were they not allowed to win when Jordan played? Hell, they choked the years Jordan left the NBA.
I think people need to be realistic with the situation: 1) This team has an above average coach, but he's not the best coach ever 2) This team has completely missed out in the last 3 drafts and it's impacting their depth 3) This team has more-or-less failed when trying to bring in a starting FA 4) This team is trying to make up for losing their franchise player and #1 draft pick 5) This team is made up of a ton of players on the last year of their contract, who may be trying to get their own 6) This team has one all-star, a couple solid player, a few more decent players, and that's it Overall, the expectations of this team after their hot start were way too high.
Sorry, my bad, I just assumed based off the topic that the entire thread was about Nate. If you never blamed Nate for the close loses and don't give him credit for the close wins, you are good in my book (not that you care)!
It takes an incredible amount of luck to even make it to the NBA finals. The fact that they even made it twice is a testament to him and his team. You don't have to look at things in a vacuum. When I said "championship coach" I meant one who I could conceivably see winning a title. I don't see that with Nate (obviously you do).
Huh? Where did I post this? If all it takes is "luck", though, does it matter who is the coach? Or are you better served to have great players?
