RSS
Home
Hasn't the NBA learned anything from the Boston Celtics?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Doc Rivers has got to be happy.
Not about the big 23-2 start or that he's got a championship ring. Doc's got to be happy that GM's weren't this fire-happy two years ago. If they were, he never would have gotten that Gatorade bath from Paul Pierce. He probably would have been watching it from the front row as a member of the broadcast team
A lot of fans were calling for Doc's head back in 2006. They wanted him out. Fans started web sites specifically advocating his firing. People were fighting over some version of "Fire Doc" nicknames on Celtics messages boards all over the internet. But the Celtics stuck with him. They gave him a shot to get the job done with decent players. There isn't much of that going around these days.
Six head coaches have been fired. That's 20 percent of all NBA teams firing coaches about a quarter of the way into the season. Reggie Theus was canned in his second season with Sacramento. Eddie Jordan's firing in Gilbert Arenas-less Washington is a little baffling. Maurice Cheeks just got a contract EXTENSION in September before being let go. And what in Minnesota can be blamed on Randy Wittman?
I can understand Sam Mitchell's firing in Toronto to an extent. Even though he had two playoff "runs" with Toronto, he never seemed to get the max out of his team. And PJ Carlesimo's firing in Oklahoma City seemed to be more a case of trying to find the right personality to bring a lot of young guys along.
But there is definitely a hair trigger in the NBA right now. And teams that really have no business firing coaches so quickly are doing so. What does Sacramento hope to accomplish? They aren't winning the Finals this year. Neither is Washington. Yet they hit the panic button for what seems like no good reason. Here's a novel idea: How about getting some good players? Hire people who can construct a team. Stop whiffing on so many picks and trades.
The Celtics, on the other hand, not only had a plan, they had a backup plan. They saw past wins and losses to see what Doc Rivers was really doing with his team, and how the losses were often not a matter of poor planning, but poor execution. They got Doc the tools he needed, and he managed them perfectly. He was the right fit. But who knows how well the Celtics would have jelled had Doc not been there to help facilitate it?
The point is, this rash of firings in the NBA is only going to set a lot of these teams back. Not only that, it's a sign of front-office weakness. Compulsiveness and a lack of foresight only hurt you, not matter what your endeavor. Those qualities are especially bad in the high-profile, high-pressure sports world. Patience truly is a virtue here, but unfortunately for fans of many of these teams... few owners and GM's have the proper amount of patience to deliver a winner.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
