In the past two decades, there have been Chuck Daly, Butch Beard, John Calipari, Don Casey, Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Kiki Vandeweghe, Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo and now …
That is the $1 million question around the Nets these days: Who’s next? Candidates abound — depending to whom you listen — and names go round and round for the man to be the 17th head coach in the franchise’s NBA history who lasts for more than like a week.
Several sources maintain Memphis’ Lionel Hollins is not the odds-on choice he appears to be in some circles. The Nets had to wait until the Grizzlies’ playoff run concluded. Hollins has said his preference is to return to the Grizzlies after his contract expires at the end of June and has stated his belief Memphis execs will not allow suitors to chat with him before then.
If there is an overwhelming front-runner right now, the Nets are guarding it closely, so figure there is a surprise candidate out in left field. General manager Billy King, the guy at the forefront of the hunt, isn’t talking publicly. Suffice it to say the new coach needs to have “development” skills, which repeatedly and endlessly was the knock on Carlesimo and the source of his downfall.
But if the Nets indeed have waited to this point for a coach such as Hollins, maybe they are also waiting to the end of the playoffs, when Jeff Van Gundy re-enters the mix after he calls the last NBA Finals game for TV. For as many folks who say “maybe” as many say “no way.”
The waiting process also may signal interest in Brian Shaw, the highly-regarded Pacers assistant. Indiana president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh indicated at the start of the playoffs he would not prevent teams from talking to Shaw. He fielded several calls and asked that teams wait until the end of the playoffs.
An Indiana source stressed the Nets were not among the early callers, but there is a strong connection between King and Walsh (King was an assistant under coach Larry Brown for Walsh in Indiana). One league source though, strictly on speculation, said his “gut” said the Nets wanted an “established” head coach.
“I think they have high regard for [Shaw], but with that roster and owner, my gut says they would want an established guy,” he said.
But an exec with another team waved off that notion and offered the success of Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau, Indiana’s Frank Vogel, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Golden State’s Mark Jackson as guys who found impressive success without prior head-coaching experience.
“[Experience] is overblown. You get the right staff and it doesn’t matter. It’s all about what is the best fit for your ball club,” the exec said.
One name who surfaced and has disappeared is Scott Skiles, whose history includes walking away from a previous job.