I was just curious to get two REALISTIC answers from every board regular. 1)Are you happy with Nate McMillan, if not, who would you rather have? 2)Are you happy with Kevin Pritchard, if not, who would you rather have? me: 1) yes 2) yes
Yes, I'm happy with Nate. I don't think he's the best coach in the league, but I don't think there is a better coach that is obtainable. Same with KP.
Sadly, if there were better coaches out there than Nate McMillan, the same schmucks wouldn't be hired over and over and over.
No for Nate. I am not sure who I'd rather have though. I think he is a great teacher, but a lousy X's and O's or in game coach. Yes for KP. I think he is a great judge of talent, KP made a big mistake IMO by not trading Raef at the deadline, and not letting Travis and Blake walk was dumb in my eyes, but we will have to wait and see wht happens.
I think they should both be fired. Only 54 wins and HCA with last year's very young team is simply unacceptable. I mean, Kee-Rist, they play Steve Blake at PG and Travis Outlaw in a key offensive role. Without them, last year's team would have won at least 82 games, easily.
Pretty happy with Nate (I'm a bottom line kind of guy, not a "style points" guy), and I think KP is highly skilled at his job and has a nose for the draft, but needs to cut down on the overuse of the words "culture" and "Blakey" and appears to overvalue some of his players.
1) yes, just barely. i think nate runs a horribly predictable offense and is slow to make in game adjustments. and i'm not a fan of the way he doles out minutes and plays mind games with players. but, i'm not sure who i would rather have. perhaps someone like adelman or JVG. obviously popovich or jackson or coaches at that level, but that's not realistic. bottom line is, nate's been a coach for a long time in NBA years, and is just now having some moderate success. i need to see him lead a team deep, deep in the playoffs, and look in command the whole time. he's never done that. i need to see him out-coach someone in a big moment with a lot on the line. i'm still waiting. 2) YES! KP is the bomb. but i think he is a victim of his success, and the way he is perceived around the league is starting to keep him from being able to pull off good deals. no one wants to be the next GM to get fleeced by him, so no one deals with us. time will tell if presti or morey or those types are his equal or better.
I'm quite happy with KP. I was somewhat unhappy with how slow Nate changes the playbook until he added the Seven Seconds or Roy wrinkle into the offense near the end of the season, then it seemed to disappear during the playoffs. If we go back to it this season, and keep it around at least somewhat during the playoffs, I'll be quite happy with Nate too, especially if the defense improves as well.
Nate was great for the beginning year or 2 because he excels at discipline, but he was an albatross to the team last year costing us several wins and totally blowing our playoff shot. He stifles talented players he dislikes, and he dislikes players who can think on their own. No team ever got a title looking over their shoulder at the coach, and he demands that they do just that. EVERY TRIP DOWN THE COURT. He is unmatched at micro-managing a team. His fear of speed and the occasional TO it brings borders on paranoia. In the end he crushes potential by refusing to let it stretch it's legs and experiment. KP was great until recently. Now he seems to be turning into Nate's lap dog, giving up on his vision of an uptempo, creative dynasty, instead settling for Nate's snailball 1 and out drill team. This summer has to be viewed as a total meltdown for KP performance-wise. We lost ground rather than gained. KP's mistake was in not firing Nate and selecting a coach who was on board with the whole build a dynasty from youth idea, and thinking he could change Nate instead. Like the girl who marries a man with faults because she thinks she can change him, these guys need a divorce! Both may have already shot their wad as far as making our team better. I'd like the old KP back, or better yet Bob Whitsitt, and Rick Adelman or John Stockton for coach.
If Jeff Van Gundy was the coach next year with this roster Portland would win the whole thing. Nate will never win squat, and you can take that to the bank. I could coach the blazers just as well as Nate. Ok guys here's the plan. Brandon go get the ball and go to the top of the key then beat your man off the dribble and score. ready 1,2,3 TEAM!
Yes on KP. Yes on Nate, but that is subject to change if he doesn't recognize that things have changed, and he needs to adjust.