You understand the appeal.
So, coaches come when the NBA calls. Heck, they scratch and claw just to entice a simple invite to an interview.
That’s how much being a head coach in the NBA means.
And these are arguably the most trying times ever to be an NBA coach. Nearly anything can get a man fired. Used to be, winning and losing determined a coach’s fate, but we’ve seen plenty get sacked after winning more than 50 games in the last three seasons alone. Clashes with management, disagreements with style of play — even if the style was working — the perception of being too demanding on players; all of these things are fireable offenses now to a degree they hadn’t been 10 years ago.
And the candidates still come in droves.
It took maybe two minutes for the Chicago Bulls to get Fred Hoiberg to leave Iowa State and commit to becoming their next head coach. The announcement, according to the Chicago Tribune, could come this week.
When you’re already “The Mayor” at a university where you have been successful and that institution would keep you around forever, what more is there?
As it turns out, plenty. So, Hoiberg will answer the call.
He will become part of the newest trend in the NBA — passing on well-traveled re-tread coaches in favor of up-and-coming assistants or college coaches who bring new ideas, new energy, a better way to relate to today’s player, and just generally a fresh face in what had become kind of a stale space.
So hello, Brad Stevens. Hello, Mike Budenholzer. Hello, Quin Snyder. Hello, Billy Donovan.
And it’s working.
The NBA Finals start Thursday with two rookie head coaches — Golden State’s Steve Kerr and Cleveland’s David Blatt. The NBA’s final four featured three coaches with two years or fewer of head coaching experience.
It’s being noticed.
The right fit. The right message. The right guy to push the buttons necessary to get the most out of his team.
In Phoenix, Jeff Hornacek ushered in a startling turnaround of play with a roster most would dismiss as average at best. The Suns have unexpectedly pushed to be in the playoffs in his first two seasons.
It would have been easy for any of those franchises to call in a “name” coach to try to make an initial splash and win the news conference. But they weren’t worried about ads in a newspaper, on television or on radio more than they were about securing the coach they felt fit their vision of the team. Because they understand that: a) no one comes to the games to see the coach; and b) ultimately, improvement, a likeable roster and winning games sells more than any clever commercial ever could.
Two of the four teams that have filled coaching openings have done it by reaching for something new.
Yet, it wasn’t as much of a reach as it was something else:
Logical.
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@ or dempseypost
