# KGW said Blazers have narrowed coaching candidates to two



## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

Ron Pivo on the 10 o'clock newscast on PAX said:

"KGW has learned from a Blazer insider that the team has narrowed their coaching search down to two serious candidates. No word on who those two candidates are of course, but one can safely assume that one of them is probably former Minnesota coach Flip Saunders."

Take it for what it's worth.

I'm not sure I buy it. The "insider" would spill the beans to KGW that there were two candidates, but he or she wouldn't say who they were? Seems a little suspect to me.

At any rate, worth passing along I suppose.

-Pop


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

SodaPopinski said:


> Ron Pivo on the 10 o'clock newscast on PAX said:
> 
> "KGW has learned from a Blazer insider that the team has narrowed their coaching search down to two serious candidates. No word on who those two candidates are of course, but one can safely assume that one of them is probably former Minnesota coach Flip Saunders."
> 
> ...


Pivo is pretty well connected. I wouldn't be shocked if it is down to 2 choices.


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## BlazerFanFoLife (Jul 17, 2003)

Flip and who? Mussleman? Phil? Someone oldschool? hopefully not Silas.


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## Trader Ed (Jun 17, 2002)

One thing is for sure... we will know who the insider is tomorrow...

Canzano will probably write a story about ???? being fired by Patterson for leaking the stroy about the 2 candidates...

I feel sorry for her or him already :gopray:



Maybe the story leak is a play on words...

FLIP and PIP :gopray: ......... coach and assistant coach... but yet.. 2


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

Pivo has broke the news on many acquisitions and is very close with Steve Patterson....This source is much more credible than the Oregonian or any other media outlet....

I think the other candidate is Mark Iavaroni...

Hopefully we can hire a coach sooner, rather than later and start focusing on making the team better....


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Just a hunch but I believe the other candidate is not Iavaroni. It might be Jim O'brien, Paul Silas, or Nate McMIllan. It really doesn't matter who the second one is.


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## Trader Ed (Jun 17, 2002)

On another site they are saying it has been suggested by the crack staff at the FAN in Seattle ... that Nate McMillan is being courted by the Blazers 

:nonono: I have my doubts... but it could be


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

McMillan would be a perfect fit with our youngsters, I would be pleased if that actually happened...


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

I hope the two candidates are Flip & Saunders...


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

zagsfan20 said:


> McMillan would be a perfect fit with our youngsters, I would be pleased if that actually happened...


I would actually prefer Nate to Flip. I doubt, however, that he is the 2nd candidate. I think it more likely that the Blazers have gotten permission to quietly talk with Adelman.

If it turns out to be Silas or O'Brien.......... :banghead:


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

It really doesn't matter who they are looking at if it was any of the canidates you people above were listing. Every single one of them is a big upgrade over Cheeks. I just want it done so we can start moving to the future and the Blazers can start turning it around.


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## smeedemann (Jul 16, 2003)

I am the second coach that the Blazers contacted! After taking my 9-11 year old girls team to 5-1 and going into the Championship game, they knew that they had an improvement over Cheeks. :biggrin: 

In all seriousness, I think that Portland is sold on Flip Saunders and is just working out the fine details of the contract before something is announced. I do hope that it is soon, so they can plan for the draft and the upcoming season! :banana:


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## Trader Ed (Jun 17, 2002)

Gosh I hope it all does not rely on PJ taking the Sacramento job.. then us considering Adelman..

I really liked Adelman... and would want him probably 3rd behind Flip and Musselman

But if PJ is holding things up..... hire Flip for crying out loud and get ur dun'


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

smeedemann said:


> I am the second coach that the Blazers contacted! After taking my 9-11 year old girls team to 5-1 and going into the Championship game, they knew that they had an improvement over Cheeks. :biggrin:
> 
> In all seriousness, I think that Portland is sold on Flip Saunders and is just working out the fine details of the contract before something is announced. I do hope that it is soon, so they can plan for the draft and the upcoming season! :banana:




First of all congatulations. A few questions for you sir.

1. What offense can we expect you to run this year

2. What is your court pressence like

3. What racial slur can we expect Darius Miles to fling at you during a film session.


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## smeedemann (Jul 16, 2003)

Thanks! I will answer any questions that you have! LOL


1. I think that with the athleticism of the team we will run a trapping defense that will lead to a lot of open court transition offense. As far as half-court offense goes, we will try to run a motion offense and some
pick and roll with Telfair and Randolph.

2. I might have to yell quite a bit at first, to get the players in the correct positions and to keep their heads in the game. It will all be constructive and will be encouraging as they grow as players!

3. I don't think there will be any problems with that, as I already am familiar with working with children. A time-out would be in order along with a grounding! :curse:


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## SodaPopinski (Aug 10, 2004)

I think we can safely assume that the Blazers have not talked with Iavaroni (sp?). His team is still in a playoff run, and I'm not sure when the team would have had a chance to interview him.

-Pop


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## Foulzilla (Jan 11, 2005)

zagsfan20 said:


> McMillan would be a perfect fit with our youngsters, I would be pleased if that actually happened...


.

I think McMillan would be a great choice also, but I don't think he's leaving Seattle. He has too much history there to want to leave I suspect, and the Sonics had too much success last year for the team to want him to leave. That being said, if Paul decides to throw a similar figure at him as he (reportedly) did at Flip it could happen. I'm just not getting my hopes up.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

I'm not sold on Nate.

Until this year, when Ray Allen was healthy, Collison was available and Jerome James was motivated, Nate was on the verge of being let go in SPITE of being an institution of the franchise.

I don't think he's a BAD coach, and I would be shocked if he's not better than Cheeks, but in terms of track record I'm not that impressed.

Ed O.


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## Blazer Ringbearer (Jan 28, 2003)

SodaPopinski said:


> I think we can safely assume that the Blazers have not talked with Iavaroni (sp?). His team is still in a playoff run, and I'm not sure when the team would have had a chance to interview him.
> -Pop


I don't know much about Iavaroni. Is the idea that he deserves a large share of that COY award? What is his track record in the league... what puts this guy on anyone's short list?

I'm not trying to criticize, just looking for more info in him if anyone has it.

Cheers


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## B_&_B (Feb 19, 2004)

Flip & Pip!!!!


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Ed O said:


> I'm not sold on Nate.
> 
> Until this year, when Ray Allen was healthy, Collison was available and Jerome James was motivated, Nate was on the verge of being let go in SPITE of being an institution of the franchise.
> 
> ...


I think Nate is a lot like Cheeks, in that if it weren't for Ray Allen (Pippen) his bad coaching would be more obvious.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

Blazer Ringbearer said:


> I don't know much about Iavaroni. Is the idea that he deserves a large share of that COY award? What is his track record in the league... what puts this guy on anyone's short list?
> 
> I'm not trying to criticize, just looking for more info in him if anyone has it.
> 
> Cheers


He is believed to be the architect behind the run & gun offense that the Suns play...He's been a top assistant in the league for a while now and deserves the shot at head coach in the league....All the players in Phoenix get along with him and he'd be a perfect fit for a team like us, who isn't expected to make the playoffs and have a bunch of young guys..


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## Schilly (Dec 30, 2002)

Iavaroni is also creditted as being a very good developer of young players IIRC.

I think that Assistanats can interview for other coaching roles even when active, but yhey can't ooficially accept the position till their interest in their current team is finished...IE the team is done playing.


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

Iavaroni seems to be the best fit with our team


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Utherhimo said:


> Iavaroni seems to be the best fit with our team




No he doesn't. Iavaroni allbeit supposedly a good coach, isn't the best fit for this team. This team will lose for the next couple of years while their players grow and mature. I think the last thing you would want as an organization is a young coach with no experience in how to deal with that. What this team needs is a seasoned veteran coach that knows he's being brought in to teach and help our young guys grow as players and people. Iavaroni might be a great candidate in 2-3 years, but right now we need a mentor that can be patient.


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## Kmurph (May 7, 2003)

Ed....Hap...I concur.

I think Nate is overated as a coach..


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## Webster's Dictionary (Feb 26, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> No he doesn't. Iavaroni allbeit supposedly a good coach, isn't the best fit for this team. This team will lose for the next couple of years while their players grow and mature. I think the last thing you would want as an organization is a young coach with no experience in how to deal with that. What this team needs is a seasoned veteran coach that knows he's being brought in to teach and help our young guys grow as players and people. Iavaroni might be a great candidate in 2-3 years, but right now we need a mentor that can be patient.


While I do agree that Iavaroni isn't the guy, Flip is, I think that a young coach is another place to pick one up. We all know who the great coaches are in the NBA. Larry Brown, Phil, Pops. But Lawrence Frank cam out of no where and has done a pretty good job with what he has had with the Nets.

There is a lot more risk with those young guys, but there is also the potential of finding a great coach no one knew existed. But I'd take a proven coach over a young one.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

TheoSaysNo said:


> While I do agree that Iavaroni isn't the guy, Flip is, I think that a young coach is another place to pick one up. We all know who the great coaches are in the NBA. Larry Brown, Phil, Pops. But Lawrence Frank cam out of no where and has done a pretty good job with what he has had with the Nets.
> 
> There is a lot more risk with those young guys, but there is also the potential of finding a great coach no one knew existed. But I'd take a proven coach over a young one.



Lawrence Frank had a veteran team led by one of the best point guards ever to play the game. Our coach will have a 20 year old....a talented one, but a 20 year old point guard with 1/4 of a season under his belt as a starter.

Look how much better Cheeks was with Pippen. Same thing.


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## Public Defender (May 5, 2003)

Has John Thompson ever considered taking a shot at the pro game? 

He was an excellent developer of talent - Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Allen Iverson, to name just a few - and his analyses of NBA games to me demonstrate a pretty solid understanding of how to orchestrate an offense at the pro level. Of course, he was always good at coaching defense. 

Considering his experience, the respect he commands (noticeable from the interviews he can get that others can't), and his proven track record in college, I think he ought to get considered if he's interested in getting back into the coaching game. 

I'm not sold on Flip Saunders - just not sure we want another "player's coach."


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## SheedSoNasty (Dec 31, 2002)

Public Defender said:


> Has John Thompson ever considered taking a shot at the pro game?
> 
> He was an excellent developer of talent - Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Allen Iverson, to name just a few - and his analyses of NBA games to me demonstrate a pretty solid understanding of how to orchestrate an offense at the pro level. Of course, he was always good at coaching defense.
> 
> ...


That's a very interesting idea. I'd be all for it if he JT was. Unfortunately, I can't imagine he would be interested quite yet for some reason.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

Kmurph said:


> Ed....Hap...I concur.
> 
> I think Nate is overated as a coach..


I have to offer a dissenting opinion.

When Nate first became a coach, he was hung up on having guys who played the way he did. This past season, he made major adjustments. He recognized what he had in the way of talent, and set his gameplan accordingly. He grew and matured as a coach.

Wasn't that one of Cheeks' big failings? He never improved in his 4 years here. He seemed to be unable to get the best from his players. He couldn't adjust on the fly. It took half a season (and an entire off-season) just for him to diagram a play that had Zach and Reef on the floor at the same time!

There isn't a coach in the NBA who doesn't have failings. I wouldn't say Nate was the best coach in the league, but he is better than most.


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

Oldmangrouch said:


> I have to offer a dissenting opinion.
> 
> When Nate first became a coach, he was hung up on having guys who played the way he did. This past season, he made major adjustments. He recognized what he had in the way of talent, and set his gameplan accordingly. He grew and matured as a coach.
> 
> ...



Agree 100%...


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> No he doesn't. Iavaroni allbeit supposedly a good coach, isn't the best fit for this team. This team will lose for the next couple of years while their players grow and mature. I think the last thing you would want as an organization is a young coach with no experience in how to deal with that. What this team needs is a seasoned veteran coach that knows he's being brought in to teach and help our young guys grow as players and people. Iavaroni might be a great candidate in 2-3 years, but right now we need a mentor that can be patient.


Every coach needs a start somewhere.....I bet people were saying what the heck, when Phil Jackson and George Karl all came to the league out of the CBA and Larry Brown when he decided to go from college to the pro's....Iavaroni could be a great coach in the league....and who says he can't be patient?...when a coach is coaching his first team as a head coach and is making mondo-money to do so, he will learn patience...And as long as he has a brain and knows how to run a team and have his players respect and get along with him (which hasn't been a problem so far for him in Phoenix) unlike Mo, then he will do fine...Realistically what veteran, proven coach wants to step into a situation where he needs to patiently groom young players just to have a new coach come in to replace him 2-3 years later....and who says Iavaroni can't be a mentor?...

people have their minds stuck on Phil, Flip, Adelman...yadda yadda yadda.....well guess what all those big name coaches got a start somewhere didn't they? and if Nash and Patterson feel that they are going to try and emulate the run & gun style (as they have said), wouldn't Iavaroni be the perfect candidate?.....

Iavaroni has been an assistant under Riley and Fratello and most likely patience was learned when he was with those coaches..

Here is a good interview with him that will show you a little bit about the guy...

Iavaroni interview


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

zagsfan20 said:


> Every coach needs a start somewhere.....I bet people were saying what the heck, when Phil Jackson and George Karl all came to the league out of the CBA and Larry Brown when he decided to go from college to the pro's....Iavaroni could be a great coach in the league....and who says he can't be patient?...when a coach is coaching his first team as a head coach and is making mondo-money to do so, he will learn patience...And as long as he has a brain and knows how to run a team and have his players respect and get along with him (which hasn't been a problem so far for him in Phoenix) unlike Mo, then he will do fine...Realistically what veteran, proven coach wants to step into a situation where he needs to patiently groom young players just to have a new coach come in to replace him 2-3 years later....and who says Iavaroni can't be a mentor?...
> 
> people have their minds stuck on Phil, Flip, Adelman...yadda yadda yadda.....well guess what all those big name coaches got a start somewhere didn't they? and if Nash and Patterson feel that they are going to try and emulate the run & gun style (as they have said), wouldn't Iavaroni be the perfect candidate?.....
> 
> ...



To me he sounds a lot like Mo in talent evaluating. he said he though Jake Tsakelidas (sp?) could match up with Shaq???

I'm not saying he won't be a good coach. I'm saying he's not the best coach for this team. You mentioned Jackson, Karl and Brown. They all came to teams that had established all star players. They also all had head coaching experience somewhere.


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## ptb_fan (Feb 7, 2004)

First time poster here, long time lurker.

Just an observation... Flip is thought by many to be too much of a players' coach. Nate McMillan is thought to be too much like Cheeks. Phil Jackson is not going to come to Portland. Iavaroni is an unknown but supposedly good with the x's and o's. None of them seem to be a perfect fit.

Okay, this may be coming from left field, but why not Bill Lambeer? 
He's won championships as a player and as head coach in the WNBA. I heard him on the radio here in Detroit yesterday with Mitch Albom saying that he interviewed for the NY job. I don't think Isiah would hire him (wanting a higher profile coach for the NY market), but I think he would be a good fit for this team. He seems like he would have no trouble getting in guys faces if it were necessary. He knows what it takes to win - including all the little things.

I hated him as a player with Detroit, but if he was on our team he probably would have been my favorite player. He gave his team an edge by playing a thinking man's (albeit dirty) game.


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## Trader Ed (Jun 17, 2002)

zagsfan20 said:


> Iavaroni has been an assistant under Riley and Fratello and most likely patience was learned when he was with those coaches..
> 
> Here is a good interview with him that will show you a little bit about the guy...
> 
> Iavaroni interview


Good post Zags... good interview. He reminds me of Pritchard, whom I respect now with his coaching stint. Iavaroni seems to have a fire in his belly. Riley seemed to think highly of him.

He may not be so bad after all....

If Pritchard takes over as GM.... we could have players, GM, coach Iavaroni..all ripen at the same time  ... shades of the late 80's


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## RedHot&Rolling (Jun 26, 2004)

ptb_fan said:


> First time poster here, long time lurker.....Okay, this may be coming from left field, but why not Bill Lambeer?
> ......He gave his team an edge by playing a thinking man's (albeit dirty) game.


First, welcome to the 'posting' side of the board.

Second, I agree. Laimbeer will make a good/great coach and I wouldn't mind him being our next coach. Mentally tough. Can you imagine the scene if Miles started popping off to him as coach? Bam, Bam, Bam! Miles would be running for the door. AND, Coach Bill would have flopped on the floor to make it look like Miles hit him!!

I think he'd be a good fit here. However, I'd prefer Flip or Muss.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

RedHot&Rolling said:


> First, welcome to the 'posting' side of the board.
> 
> Second, I agree. Laimbeer will make a good/great coach and I wouldn't mind him being our next coach. Mentally tough. Can you imagine the scene if Miles started popping off to him as coach? Bam, Bam, Bam! Miles would be running for the door. AND, Coach Bill would have flopped on the floor to make it look like Miles hit him!!
> 
> I think he'd be a good fit here. However, I'd prefer Flip or Muss.


if you don't mind bill making fun of the 90 finals team, I guess he'd be ok.


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## Bwatcher (Dec 31, 2002)

Thanks Zags, a nice interview. Although words are cheap, and these are a few years old, I really liked two parts:

I think he might have good knowledge on how to handle players as a head coach:


> Iavaroni: Well, do you want that in one sentence, one paragraph, a book. I could write a book (laughs). He’s a guy that’s all about winning – everything else is secondary – and is willing to forge the types of relationships and be creative in the process to go after that. I learned a lot about organization from him. I learned a lot about how to work with people. I learned a lot about the game itself, but that was almost secondary. I learned by osmosis how you carry yourself as a coach and it’s very important how you deal with these players.


Maybe he also understands helping players develop into good team players:


> Iavaroni: Well, they’re very young and they’re only going to get better in my opinion. You know, our job is to be like gardeners. We have to give them the right fertilizer and the right water every day, and nurture them, and also demand from them what Frank needs for us to win. That is the bottom line, because it’s not about individual development, it’s about individual development inside a team concept. You’re doing the things that are going to help us win next year.


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## SheedSoNasty (Dec 31, 2002)

I'm really curious as to who the two candidates are.

Flip just has to be one of them seeing as how he's recieved so much attention. After that, I suppose it could be just about anyone. Hmmm....


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## zagsfan20 (Dec 24, 2004)

mediocre man said:


> To me he sounds a lot like Mo in talent evaluating. he said he though Jake Tsakelidas (sp?) could match up with Shaq???
> 
> I'm not saying he won't be a good coach. I'm saying he's not the best coach for this team. You mentioned Jackson, Karl and Brown. They all came to teams that had established all star players. They also all had head coaching experience somewhere.



What he said about Big Jake, was meant to build his confidence....Should he of talked negatively about him and said he couldnt?...I don't know what coach would do that....


Karl started his head coaching career in the NBA with the Cavaliers in 1984, I can't name any established all-stars on that team....and I wouldn't consider the head coach of the Montana Golden Nuggets any better of a job than being the top assistant for the team with the best record in the league...

Jackson was a coach of the Albany Patroons, but before he was hired as a head coach he was an assistant in 88' and then hired on from there in 89'......Jordan and Pippen were both young then, kinda like how Telfair and Outlaw are young now....

Brown had plenty of head coaching experience before he joined the NBA, but that 1990 team he had, had a young David Robinson, not quite the established all-star that he became....

I don't really agree with your theory that we need to get an establish coach to coach a young team like ours...Phil Jackson started in the NBA with a young Michael and Scottie and look at the success that they had....I say get a young fresh coach to adapt and hopefully gel with a young fresh team...

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be unhappy with hiring Flip, but I think someone like Iavaroni would be an ideal candidate..and the way the Blazers are holding out on naming their coach makes me a little suspicious that a guy like Iavaroni could be who they're targeting...


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

zagsfan20 said:


> What he said about Big Jake, was meant to build his confidence....Should he of talked negatively about him and said he couldnt?...I don't know what coach would do that....
> 
> 
> Karl started his head coaching career in the NBA with the Cavaliers in 1984, I can't name any established all-stars on that team....and I wouldn't consider the head coach of the Montana Golden Nuggets any better of a job than being the top assistant for the team with the best record in the league...
> ...



Fair enough, George Karl had no all stars on his roster. He did have World B Free though, which is cool. He also had Roy Hinson. His record by the way when someone gave him his "shot" was 36-46 his first year and 25-42 his second in Cleveland. I say no thank you to anymore unexperienced NBA head coaches with our young team.


I like you wouldn't be upset if they hired Iavaroni, I just don't think he should be our "plan" he should be the guy we hire if no one else wants the job.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Coaching is so tough to evaluate even in retrospect, when you can look at the team and the results. Projecting how a veteran coach would handle a team is a crap shoot, IMO, and a rookie head coach seems to be more prone to failure.

I'm not vehemently opposed to Iavaroni, but I will be shocked if his success as a head coach comes with Portland in his first head coaching gig. Very few coaches succeed, period, but those that do seem to do it with their first NBA team.

Ed O.


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## meru (Jul 2, 2003)

Ed O said:


> Very few coaches succeed, period, but those that do seem to do it with their first NBA team.


Three names off the top of my head:

George Karl
Mike D'Antoni
Scott Skiles

And don't forget the "inverse" phenomenon - success in first job gets you re-hired, and you suck: Paul Westphal the poster child, to a lesser extent Mike Dunleavy (yeah, I know, he won CotY with Portland, but that was mainly because of our players' bad reputations).


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

meru said:


> Three names off the top of my head:
> George Karl
> Mike D'Antoni
> Scott Skiles



each of those guys didn't necessarily succeed with their first teams. 

George Karl was 27 games under .500 with the Cavs (and fired 69 games into his 2nd season). Scott Skiles was coaching an already developed team (with Cliff Robinson, Jason Kidd, Penny Hardaway, Googs (back when he was decent) and Shawn Marion).

And D'Antoni got canned after his first year (albeit unjustly). And his 2nd year wasn't too hot either (due to injuries tho).


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

meru said:


> Three names off the top of my head:
> 
> George Karl
> Mike D'Antoni
> ...


This is going to seem like a MASSIVE copout, but I actually made a significant typo.

I meant to say, "Very few coaches succeed, period, but those that do seem to *not* do it with their first NBA team."

Your examples are exactly some that I had in mind, meru, when I wrote the sentence that excluded a significant word 

Ed O.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Ed O said:


> This is going to seem like a MASSIVE copout, but I actually made a significant typo.
> 
> I meant to say, "Very few coaches succeed, period, but those that do seem to *not* do it with their first NBA team."
> 
> ...



I don't know Ed. That seems like a MASSIVE copout to me.


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