I think the Wiz are going to get rid of their coach and I could see them going with a guy like Stotts thats coached two ball dominate guards.
Lenny Wilkins when he was fired said "watch next season Walton will be healthy and they will win a championship".
the roster is unbalanced and has big holes; and after 6 seasons, it's pretty obvious the Dame/CJ pairing as option 1a & 1b in usage and salary is taking the team nowhere. A new coach will not find magic beans hidden on the bench or in different schemes. Stotts is not a good coach, IMO, but he's too easy a scapegoat for the problems Olshey has created. Portland needs a new GM more than they need a new coach, and they really really need a new coach. Both the GM and the coach have stayed in the job years longer than they should have and Dame has provided their ass-cover
I am most impressed by the GM in Denver, whoever that is. MPJ was a late round pickup, as was Bol Bol. They drafted Nurk and Jokic. Picked up Austin Rivers a few weeks ago, and Campazzo can play. All great, risk/reward moves.
People said the same about Shaq and Wilt and FT%. Why can't people recognize that defense is a talent and isn't just about effort?
True, but 1. Who's "the right coach"? Thibs didn't work in Minnesota, and he had Jimmy Butler. 2. Thibs also wears on players both emotionally (they get sick of him) and physically (he plays his starters into the ground). I am certainly of the mindset that coaching matters. I support Leeds United, and they have been completely revolutionized by a mad genius manager (i.e., coach), Marcelo Bielsa. One of the things that he did was get his players in amazing shape so that they could be in constant motion, and defenders could switch to offense and vice versa at the drop of a hat. THAT much might help our defense, and allow the coach to play the crappy bench even less than currently.
Defense, especially in this era, is mostly cohesiveness as a team instead of individual prowess. Knowing what to do in situations where you are beat. I watched the Warriors a lot this season, and their defense, even with Green off the floor, is better than the best defensive lineup we put on the floor. Jordan Poole is a better defender than any of our guards and that guy could not play a lick of defense last year.
A coach can make a huge difference. They can take a terrible team to average (or slightly above average) in a short period of time. It's much more difficult to go from good/average to great. To do so, you have to have the right mix of 1) Talent, 2) Coaching, 3) Front Office/GM/Ownership. They all have to be in alignment. Right now - I don't think Portland has the right mix on any of these fronts to get to the true contender status (being a great team).
It's an analogy. Kanter is not stupid. Kanter has put an amazing amount of time and effort into his offensive game. But no amount of coaching will make him a good defender.
I was impressed with how when someone gets beat off the dribble, the Warriors always hustle to cover on the weakside D. When the Blazers get beat off the dribble - most of the time they just stand around watching the rest of the play.
You know what never made sense to me? You can pay a coach as much money as you want. There's no coach salary cap. Why the hell didn't Paul write the biggest check in the history of big checks for the best head coach on the planet?
I'm not sure 'Thibs didn't work in Minnesota' is completely accurate. They've had 1 season making the playoffs (with a >500 record) in the last 17-years. That occurred with Thibs as coach. Considering the history of the franchise, that's not bad.
