A surprisingly large number of respected head coaches are on the market. Assuming Gregg Popovich steps away, which coach currently without a team would you like to see the Spurs target?
Marilyn Dubinski: I’m leaning towards Taylor Jenkins. That might sound weird since Mike Malone helped guide the Nuggets to a championship, but it sounds like Jenkins has a better resume in terms of developing young talent, plus he has Spurs ties. (Not to mention, he’s also young at just 40 years old.) I also find it ironic that an alleged reason for Jenkins’ firing was Ja Morant didn’t like his offensive scheme. That could be the case, but I have PTSD from playing the Grizzlies the last few years and being flat out unable to stop them. Morant may not like the pick-and-roll, but the Spurs and Wemby do.
Mark Barrington: I think the top names would probably be Mike Malone or Taylor Jenkins. Malone has a title and he’s got a reputation as a good strategist and leader. Jenkins has a Spurs connection and he did pretty well in Memphis, until he didn’t. My guess is that the Spurs will not hire an established coach, but will go with a relatively young candidate, and hire experienced assistants to handle the strategic end of the job. If they could convince Bud to come back as an assistant, he would be a great fit.
Jeje Gomez: Mike Budenholzer seems like a good candidate for several reasons. Beyond his connection to the franchise, he’s coached an emerging superstar before in Giannis Antetokounmpo, so he could be a good guide for Wemby. He also coached a Hawks team that played an unselfish brand of basketball and had an identity. He’s not the best at making adjustments on the go, and some of his teams have struggled in the playoffs, but he won a championship when he had the talent. He seems like a safe bet that could keep the Spurs on an upward trajectory.
J.R. Wilco: I love Malone and the job he’s done during his time in Denver speaks volumes for his ability to win around a generational big man, and for many years I’ve cast longing sideways glances at Budenholzer as he’s moved from ATL to Milwaukee etc. But I’ve currently got the biggest coach crush on Taylor Jenkins, and I don’t think it’s just a phase. Beyond the parallels between Memphis’s young roster and what the Spurs are putting in place around Wemby, beyond the way Jenkins oversaw a complete team that played hard in both sides of the ball, there’s this: he’s young! It might be a bit shallow, but I’m enamored with the idea of the Spurs next coach (whenever that day comes) being in place for a good while, and even though it’s practically asking for lightning to strike twice, I can’t help it. I like that he seems like a great fit for the the organization, but I am ecstatic at the chance that he’d be able to stay put and add to the stability the Pop has provided for so long.
If Pop decides to come back, would you feel more comfortable with an addition to the coaching staff that can take over if needed, or do you think Mitch Johnson should continue to be the interim?
Dubinski: I wouldn’t have a problem with Mitch remaining in an interim position. I honestly think he has taken too much flack from Spurs fans who always need a fall guy, and he was the easiest target because he was the “inexperienced” face of the bunch. Many forget that he had the Spurs sitting with a winning record in January while navigating complicated rotation situations due to players being in and out with injury, and it was only when the schedule got absurdly difficult and road-heavy and Wemby stopped being himself (from what we now know was deep vein thrombosis) that the Spurs started struggling. Not all of that is on him, and I have no problem with him getting another chance.
Barrington: If Pop decides to come back as a full-time coach, because of the rigors of travel and the length of the season and playoffs, he will need some backup. Pop has shown that he’s already comfortable with Mitch Johnson, so I don’t see Pop making a switch. Mitch should get more help on the bench this year, and I don’t see them motivated to move past him in the upcoming season, especially since he did a solid job this season under difficult circumstances. A lot depends on how the players feel, and as far as I can tell, the players really like Mitch and play hard for him. It was telling that in the final game of the season, Chris Paul went out of his way to credit Coach Johnson for a good motivational speech that spurred the team to their second-half comeback against the Raptors.
Gomez: Johnson seems perfectly capable of taking over intermittently for Pop if he needs short breaks, and the Spurs already have a veteran consiglieri in Brett Brown in place. Bringing in someone else, especially someone with a high profile, could cause more trouble than it’s worth. You don’t want too many cooks in the kitchen. If Pop and the front office have picked a potential replacement and want them to spend some time acclimating while Popovich is still around, that’s another story. But if Pop is back, the current staff seems more than adequate.
Wilco: I don’t feel any need for the team to bring someone into the org specifically to spell Pop when Mitch was thrown into the fire last year and showed no issues taking the reins. And I agree with Gomez concerning Brown, who has plenty of experience with the way the Spurs do things for me to be comfortable running it back if PATFO decide that Pop’s good to return.
Speaking of coaches, who do you think will be the next to get fired?
Dubinski: Considering who has already been let go, it could be anyone. I don’t imagine the Grizzlies will stick with Tuomas Iisalo, but does he count since he’s an interim? You could pick just about anyone on cellar-dwelling teams, but in terms of shock factor, I’ll go with Doc Rivers. He was a bad hire to begin with and hasn’t been able to turn around the Bucks despite having a super team (at least on paper). With Damian Lillard possibly out most of not all of next season with a torn Achilles and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the franchise in doubt, Doc may be the first domino to fall for that franchise.
Barrington: That’s a tough one, because I feel like everyone who deserved to get fired has already been fired. And even a few who didn’t deserve it. Maybe Nick Nurse will be let go after the Sixers imploded, but that seems like it was more driven by a fragile roster than a coaching issue. I think Will Hardy will survive because the Jazz are terrible by design, and I don’t think you can fire a coach for an intentional tank job. Maybe the Mavericks will fire Kidd because they seem committed to making the worst possible management decisions?
Gomez: Most of the guys in the hot seat have already been fired, but I think Doc Rivers could be on the chopping block if the Bucks lose in the first round. At that point, you have to show Giannis that you are willing to make changes, and in those situations, coaches are often the first to go.
Wilco: Dubinski is right about how it’s nearly impossible to predict where the axe will fall next with how many surprising firings we’ve already seen, but whenever I’m giving in to pure speculation about coaches about to be let go, my standard answer is Doc Rivers, mostly because I can’t believe he continues to get one offer after another considering his track record since the Celtics. That said, I’ll also throw some love to Kidd because I think he knows what he’s doing and Dallas is clearly no longer a place for someone like that.