Lakers aint winning s*** whether they played or not so I would rather they play and win the Gold. USA first.
i do think their motivation for playing in the olympics was that they knew it was going to be an accolade--and those aren't forthcoming in the nba. i actually wondered if the IST wasn't the same thing last year--this is a thing we can win, so we should go all out. problem for both guys (especially lebron) is that it's hard to commit to the daily grind that it takes to put you in position to win an nba title these days. in the west, you can't take random games in december off. you'll be in the play-in, facing the defending champs in the first round without home court advantage.
In their defense, I think there would also have been backlash had they not gone coming off us losing with the 2023 World Cup team Maybe not AD, but certainly Lebron who I'm sure USA basketball worked to get on board along with Steph and Durant. It's not a championship but the league definitely does care how we do in those.
There is no f***ing way that Reddick is worse coach.. Tier 9: We don't know enough 30. JJ Redick, Lakers 29. Brian Keefe, Wizards 28. Charles Lee, Hornets 27. Jordi Fernandez, Nets 26. Darko Rajakovic, Raptors Tier 8: I wouldn't be enthused 25. Chauncey Billups, Trail Blazers 24. Billy Donovan, Bulls 23. JB Bickerstaff, Pistons 22. Doc Rivers, Bucks Tier 7: You look promising, but it's still a tad early 21. Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers 20. Willie Green, Pelicans 19. Jamahl Mosley, Magic Tier 6: Middle of the road 18. Jason Kidd, Mavericks 17. Taylor Jenkins, Grizzlies 16. Quin Snyder, Hawks 15. Michael Malone, Nuggets Tier 4: Obvious floor-raisers 13. Mike Brown, Kings 12. Chris Finch, Timberwolves 11. Joe Mazzulla, C Bags 10. Tom Thibodeau, Knicks 9. Mike Budenholzer, Suns 8. Ime Udoka, Rockets Tier 3: The Wunderkinds 7. Will Hardy, Jazz 6. Mark Daigneault, Thunder Tier 2: The elites 5. Ty Lue, Clippers 4. Steve Kerr, Warriors 3. Rick Carlisle, Pacers 2. Nick Nurse, 76ers And Tier 1: The undisputed king 1. Erik Spoelstra, Heat P.S.Pop in his own tier 4 Living legend number 14 Go JJ .Shock the f***ing NBA media https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
I really don’t see that as a shot at Redick, he’s literally the only coach on the list that hasn’t had a single minute of pro coaching experience, not even summer league. He could end up a fantastic coach, but as of now he’s entirely an unknown entity, it would probably be insulting to rank him above any other NBA coach, even Ham were he eligible, because one guy coached in the NBA playoffs and one has never coached.
i feel like jenkins has proven more than a lot of guys. he was someone that i'd had my eye on as we cycled through coaches. he's getting blamed for memphis's injuries when instead he should have been praised for their pre-injury overachievement, imo. btw, five years ago, everyone would have had doc in the top 5 and mike brown in the bottom 5, so maybe it's more complicated than "this guy is just a great coach". i do agree that pop, spoelstra, and, imo, rick carlisle all had very long track records of doing more with whomever they've got. but i think steve kerr has no data without curry, so i can't really judge. pop's so/so results post-duncan are also kind of a ding for me. nick nurse has been more hype than results for me, as has ty lue. both guys got an early ring from one player's freak dominance and have basically been meh since.
In JJ's favor, he does have a great mind on the court in LeBron and can take a step forward from Ham by just trusting the analytics and playing his best guys. His inexperience and the health of the roster are legit concerns right now though.
I also really like the fact that we added some legit NBA HC’s to the coaching roster in Brooks and McMillan. They can be leaned on for help in tough situations such as the playoffs. And just in advising in general during the regular season. Ham did not have that at his disposal nor would he have listened I think even if he had. He was way too stubborn.
