By Chad Ford
Wade not sure about Riley as a coach
Heat president Pat Riley said earlier this week that he would consider becoming the club's head coach again if a top free agent, like LeBron James or Chris Bosh, made that a condition of coming to South Florida.
When asked, Heat free-agent-to-be Dwyane Wade didn't really give Riley a ringing endorsement about becoming the head coach again.
"Let me say it like this, I've won a championship with Coach Riley, and I've won 15 games with Coach Riley," Wade told the New York Post. "So it all depends on what year it is. We've had success. We've had turmoil. So it all depends."
Wade wasn't surprised to hear Riley talk about returning to the bench.
"If you know coach, you know he's never lost the passion," Wade said. "He stepped aside to run the organization, but he never lost the passion to coach. I wasn't surprised at all. I understand where his mindset is, but at the same time Erik Spoelstra is still our coach, so I'm not putting much into it."
Calipari chatter persists
John Calipari denied interest in the Bulls' head-coaching gig to ESPN's Andy Katz earlier this week.
And Kentucky has stated that it would like to work on a new deal with Calipari, one that would keep him locked up "until he retires."
But among Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Garry Parrish of CBS Sports and K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the case is mounting that Calipari does indeed have interest in the Bulls' head-coaching gig.
And just because he says he's happy at Kentucky doesn't mean he's staying. Don't forget, he was saying similar things about Memphis last spring before bolting for Kentucky.
As Jim Rome argues: "I think he is happy at Kentucky. Just not as happy as he'd be coaching Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. Or coaching LeBron James, for instance. Cal's not spending his career coaching at Kentucky. He'll do what he's always done: recruit like a mother, win a ton of games, and then bust out when he finds a situation he likes better than the one he has. UK is great, but it's not the NBA."
So if Cal is interested, the question then becomes: Are the Bulls?
Looks like that's harder to define.
Writes K.C. Johnson: "Whether it's reciprocal is unknown. General manager Gar Forman said he won't give updates, and team sources didn't shed any light on the matter. Typically, Calipari would seem to represent the kind of slick candidate that turns off the Bulls. But this summer's free-agent class adds a unique dynamic to this coach search, one where Calipari's friendship with both Roses [Derrick Rose and LeBron's agent, Leon Rose] and James can't be ignored."
Adds Sam Amick of FanHouse: "But while Calipari could indeed wind up being given the position and perhaps maybe even luring the likes of LeBron James to the Windy City, a source close to the Bulls said that storyline hasn't even started yet. According to the source, the Bulls are unaware whether Calipari has interest and neither he nor his representative nor even back-channel colleagues had made his interest known as of earlier Wednesday. … The source close to the Bulls indicated their search will be a slow one, with every reason to think the pace is the team's intentional attempt to either wait for candidates like Calipari or get a better sense from prospective free agents what they might want -- or who -- in a coach."
As Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal writes, it may come down to money.
"As a long-time Chicago White Sox fan who has watched Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf reach for pennies like they're man-hole covers, I can't see the Bulls paying Cal what he'd like. So expect the talk to stir for a few more days and then subside," he writes.
Yet, Bulls GM Gar Forman did say money wouldn't be an issue in the search, so there's a chance if it means landing James, the Bulls may actually pony up, something they weren't willing to do last time around with Mike D'Antoni before settling on Vinny Del Negro.
[h5]If Del Negro's out, who's in?[/h5]Teams can speak with Thibodeau
- Dallas assistant Dwane Casey. Before Del Negro's firing, Ken Berger of CBS Sports wrote that Casey "would receive serious consideration" if Del Negro was let go.
- Byron Scott. He's had success with an All-Star point guard already in Chris Paul, and says he'd be open to Chicago.
- Former Nets coach Lawrence Frank. When Del Negro was on the outs in December, his name was mentioned.
- Boston associate coach Tom Thibodeau. He could bring a defensive mindset to the team.
- Doug Collins. Would he leave his TV gig to coach in the league again?
- Kevin McHale, Maurice Cheeks. The Chicago Tribune reports these two could be in the mix.
- John Calipari. Yahoo! Sports is reporting Cal is intrigued by the job and would listen to a pitch from management.
- Phil Jackson. Would he really leave the Lakers? Looks like no
According to The Boston Globe, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said assistant coach Tim Thibodeau can interview for coaching positions during the playoffs.
The Clippers and Hornets have already asked for permission to speak with Thibodeau. He may also be a candidate for the Bulls vacancy.
Ian O'Connor of ESPN New York thinks he could be a good head coach for the Nets.
[h5]Ian O'Connor of ESPN New York[/h5]
Thibodeau has left mark along the way
So what is it? Perhaps the Hawks and Blazers have just had some bad games against some pretty good defenses. But between the two, we've built up a 31-game sample showing that something more nefarious might be at work.
Obviously, this has important implications for Atlanta's Game 2 in Orlando on Thursday. Iso-Joe has had its moments; Game 4 of the 2008 Boston series, for instance, when Johnson single-handedly tore apart one of the best defensive teams in history. But in the aggregate, its failures have been far greater than its successes, and it's notable that the most similar offensive team has faced similar troubles.
Is there something about iso-heavy offenses that makes them vulnerable in the playoffs? We can't say it with certainty yet, but the case is building rapidly. The Hawks have three games left to show that Iso-Joe can be as effective in May as it is between November and April.
Dude typed for two hours to tell me that the Hawks and Blazers can't win in the playoffs.
Thanks for the heads up Hollinger, where would I be without you?
@#$%^& @#$ clown.ESPN need to fire their entire NBA dept in the .com area.
DLo, thanks for the articles in the Ben thread, no thanks to you though on this garbage.
I don't have the stats at the moment (OKB?
He wasn't this year.Originally Posted by I NaSmatic I
I don't have the stats at the moment (OKB?) but I'm pretty sure Roy is waaay more clutch than JJ is. Plus Roy is younger (but then again he has the shaky knees).
Originally Posted by CP1708
Roy is hyped cuz he's a Blazer, their fans go crazy over anybody above decent.
Dub, I agree with you. When Orlando plays it's game, and they are on, I think they can beat anybody. Inside, outside, defense, clutch, 3's, ball movement, PG, C, wings, depth, they have everything. They are one tough team. And not a single "expert" out there is talking about them. It drives me nuts. Everyone and their Spurs love, or the Suns are the flavor of the month, or the Bron's, and on and on about diff teams, and the Magic just keep on playin and winning. Their next series is gonna be epic, no matter which team it is.
