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| Wednesday, December 26 Users: Changes can be for the better ESPN.com |
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Issel was replaced by one of his assistants (Mike Evans), which is the same route taken earlier this season in New York and Golden State. And on Friday, the Bulls gave the job to Bill Cartwright, who was an assistant under Tim Floyd. ESPN.com asked users what they thought about the recent coaching changes and whether they thought any of the assistants would fare better than their former bosses. Here is a sampling of your responses:
Attention all Nuggets and Bulls fans: Raise that chin, put a smile on that face, and be proud. A coaching change is a good thing. Take it from me, a Boston Celtics fan, who has watched his team struggle to play defense and make the playoffs under a $50 million coach for the past three seasons to now, where we sit atop the Eastern Conference at 17-8 while defending as good as anyone this side of the Baltimore Ravens. So all you Bulls and Nuggets fans, keep going to the games, root your team on, and sooner than you think it'll it be fun again!
David Lynch
Cowens, Issel, and Floyd share one thing in common: they lost the respect of their players. Without that, they can't effectively coach; it isn't entirely their fault but a new coach in each of those cases can only help the team and the franchise.
David Dittell
Hooray! The evil and unliked Issel is gone -- it's about darn time! The same goes for Tim Floyd; his departure is about a year overdue. As far as replacements go, I think either Bill Cartwright or Jim Paxson would be a very wise decision in Chicago. In the windy city, credibility and loyalty to the city is key. I can't say I know much about about Mike Evans, but hell, I think at this point even Carrot Top would be a step up. Chaney and Winters are gone by season's end.
Fez Cadenza
I feel sorry, in some way, for Dave Cowens and Jeff Van Gundy. They are both great coaches, but their teams decided not to cooperate with the coaching staff. On the other side of the spectrum, you have Tim Floyd and Dan Issel. Both men (although Issel bears a closer resemblance to a child) were never suited for the jobs they were given, yet both coaches were forced upon their teams and the cities they represented. Of course, Issel singlehandedly destroyed the Nuggets when he was both GM and coach. Any man who would've traded Shaq for Robert Pack (if given the opportunity) deserves to be slapped.
Ryan Mundie
We've heard that there is no substitute for talent in the NBA. Now we are learning that there is also no substitute for character. It's the players that drive the game, and unless and until they decide they want to play hard, commit to defense, and improve their games (including actually allowing a coach to do his job during both games and practices) we will continue to see coaching meltdowns. All coaches want to win -- not all players do. When they do, coaches can help.
Bear
For the coaches of Chicago and Denver, winning the respect of players fed up with deconstructive criticism and losing will be a victory in itself. If the coaches are willing to be patient, and they are to willing to commit themselves to developing the true assets on these teams, then the result may not be evident in the number of victories, but it will show the players that the coach is willing to do what he can to help build for the future. Spirited practices and never-say-die additudes among players will be the benchmark of success for these coaches this season.
Brian Terpstra
I love how coaches are looked upon as geniuses when their teams win and losers when they don't! No coach could win with the lack of talent and injuries the Bulls currently have. But even Tim Floyd could coach the Lakers to the Finals if Shaq and Kobe are healthy. Rich C
Will the assistant coach fare better than ... James Kung
With the exception of Van Gundy (only Knick player or coach I haven't despised professionally since '84), two words for all the others: good riddance. NBA GMs and owners should really look at the example of Byron Scott and Doc Rivers when thinking about hiring coaches. It helps to have some 'cred', and also be able to relate to an increasingly younger and more immature player base. And for goodness sake, stop re-hiring coaching retreads. Nothing stagnates the growth of players more than having 'old school' coaches yelling at them, and making them look bad in front of teammates. Jeff Saiger
This is absolutely the right move. Dan Issel will never have the same credibility with players or fans as he once had. He's not a bad man. He's a good man who made a bad mistake. Unfortunately that mistake will probably haunt him the rest of his career. Mike Jones
Issel should have come back to the Nuggets. By resigning now, his lasting impression with the majority of the country will be negative and that is just not an accurate image of Issel. Russ Henson
Does it matter who replaces Tim Floyd? Bill Cartwright would be good -- but how could anyone be worse? Matthew Barclift
One of the most important qualities of a good coach is management. It should play a very important role in achieving players' respect and players' efficiency and attitude on and off the court. This is the reason good coaches sometimes fail, because they can't manage the team. The nearest person who knows the ins and outs of all plans and plays is the assistant coach. Alfred Nepomuceno |
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