Thursday Bolts – 4.23.15
Ben Golliver of SI.com: “The problem for Presti, though, is that this move also conveys upon him all of the risk should the coaching change backfire. Yes, he’s avoided the possibility of scrambling to fire his coach, a la Cleveland in 2010. Yes, he’s set up the possibility that the arrival of a Billy Donovan or Kevin Ollie could produce a Steve Kerr-esque breakthrough. But he’s also made himself the obvious target if things go wrong. What happens if Durant and Westbrook struggle to adapt to a new offensive system? What happens if the next system can’t strike the right balance between the two scoring champions? What happens if their bond with their next coach isn’t as strong as it was with Brooks? What happens if the Thunder draws a horrible first-round matchup, like the Clippers and Spurs this year, and are eliminated quickly? Will Durant wonder if “the old way” was given a fair shot?”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider: “So if not because of the 2014-15 season, why replace Brooks now? The answer surely lies in Durant’s foray into unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2016, some 14-plus months away. After years of conservatively managing their assets with an eye toward the long term, the Thunder have adopted a more aggressive posture in the past year. From the outside, it appears Presti is attempting to win with Durant on the roster and leverage those results to convince Durant to re-sign for the long term.”
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “The one thing the Thunder value above all else — even above winning — is certainty. It showed when they traded James Harden. It showed when they traded Reggie Jackson. And it showed on Wednesday when they fired Scott Brooks after seven wildly successful seasons as head coach — because the one thing you can’t have with a lame-duck coach on the last year of his contract is certainty. And guess what you don’t do if you value certainty the way the Thunder do? You don’t fire your coach unless you already have a pretty good idea who his replacement will be. All signs point to University of Florida coach Billy Donovan, a longtime friend of Thunder GM Sam Presti who is itching to move to the pros, league sources told CBSSports.com on Wednesday.”
Kevin Durant mourns the loss of Scott Brooks while supporting the organization’s decision.
Anthony Slater looking at candidates: “The Spurs coaching tree has produced plenty of quality head coaches over the years. Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer, who was just announced as Coach of the Year, is the prime example. Chip Engelland is currently one of Gregg Popovich’s assistants in San Antonio. He’s been there since 2005. Sam Presti was there back then. They know each other well. It’s a connection to watch between two organizations who have long been linked to each other.”
Might be good to review Kevin Arnovitz’s top coaching prospects.
Shoals for GQ: “You have to wonder whether this unstructured approach was a matter of necessity. The team always looked smoother, more cohesive when one of its stars was out—especially as KD improved as a passer and Russ matured as a playmaker. Together, though, this dynamic duo seemed to gravitate toward alternating possessions. We can blame Brooks for this lack of synergy or hail him for his pragmatism. There’s a survivalist mentality there: Given two players of this stature, what exactly was he supposed to do? Phil Jackson had the Triangle offense to fall back on, but Westbrook, in particular, defies any system.”
Rob Mahoney of SI.com: “The risk in replacing Brooks should be obvious. Teams this good rarely make such a significant change, particularly when the coach had made a run to the conference finals or better in three of the last four years. The Thunder, though, find justification for his firing in the context of how good they wish to be. Brooks was neither the problem nor the answer. He was simply a part of something for eight seasons—at times stubborn, sharp, genial, shortsighted, encouraging, and complicated. Now he isn’t. With that the Thunder will soon find out what is to be gained by working along a different strategic track. They’ll also learn, one way or another, the value of a coach who earned his players’ trust.”
Zach Lowe of Grantland: “The difference in quality among teams at the highest level is minuscule. Everyone is really freaking good. When you reach that point, the smallest decisions take on a greater importance, and you never got the feeling Brooks could nail enough of them — that he could compete with Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, and Rick Carlisle. That doesn’t mean that the Thunder under Brooks couldn’t have won a title. It just means Brooks wasn’t helping the cause as much as a great coach might.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Brooks also overplayed Kendrick Perkins, making him approximately the 7,000th coach to lean too heavily on a veteran big man, particularly one the team believed in and loved. He played Derek Fisher and Caron Butler over Jeremy Lamb in 2013, which is apparently a mistake, for reasons I don’t know. That’s basically the extent of Scott Brooks’ failures as a Thunder coach in the wake of his firing by OKC on Wednesday. It’s fine to think that the Thunder needed to do better. They’re trying to win a championship, and most importantly, do it before Kevin Durant hits free agency next summer. It’s a huge gamble, but one they believe is the right move long term. Some coaches are good for long-term development, bad for short-term title success.”
Jenni Carlson wrote something: “The Warriors are a much better defensive team now than they were when Jackson took over. No doubt the current coaches deserve some credit — assistant Ron Adams prime among them — but Golden State was fourth in total defense last year under Jackson. Fourth. The Thunder needs to get back to a defensive disposition, and Jackson has a proven track record of not only winning but also coaching up defense. Count this as a vote for Mark Jackson.”
TrueHoop TV talking about things.
Zach Harper of CBSSports.com: “This isn’t the same situation as what the Thunder are going through with Durant’s impending free agency, but it’s an example of how a coaching/regime change can provide more stability to retaining its player. The Thunder are hoping a new coach will inspire a new season of winning and success that will prove to be too difficult for Durant to leave. The next coach is going to be part of a plan to pair with Durant, Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka to keep the core together for good and compete for championships again. It’s only natural to wonder what will become of this decision with the coaching change and how it will affect Durant’s decision-making in the summer of 2016. Unfortunately, we may not know what to expect until he finally makes his own decision, which may or may not fall into line with what the Thunder plan on doing.”
