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Damn, kinda feel bad for Mike. He was the 1st coach I ever watched that looked like a fan of his players, celebrating big plays like he was one of the guys. Maybe it wasn't for the best but it was unique. He'll land somewhere eventually even if it's as an assistant again.
[QUOTE=sdot_thadon]Damn, kinda feel bad for Mike. He was the 1st coach I ever watched that looked like a fan of his players, celebrating big plays like he was one of the guys. Maybe it wasn't for the best but it was unique. He'll land somewhere eventually even if it's as an assistant again.[/QUOTE]
I feel for him, too... Or, at least as badly as you can feel for a man who now doesn't have to work and will still earn untold millions. Just on a personal level, I recall how excited he was to come back and I got the impression he was never comfortable out West.
He quickly enrolled his kids in school, Cameron at Westlake and Elijah at St. Eds and bought a house here. He seemed genuinely happy to be back. I wish things could have worked out better for him.
Seems like a good guy and I hope things work out for him.
[QUOTE=DukeDelonte13]i really hope this is just BS spewing out about Griffin being married to uptempo run and gun styles.
It doesn't work in the NBA, and it doesn't fit with what Gilbert has been saying for years, and it doesn't fit the city.
If they go this west coast route Griffin and his hire will be gone in probably less than 3 seasons. Book it. It just doesn't work.[/QUOTE]
The writing was on the wall the moment Grant was fired, mid-season. I'm not even sure making the playoffs could have saved Mike's job. I'm surprised you seem so surprised.
I think the two of us were MB's biggest defenders on this site. I still like him and think he's a good coach in the right situation. I really don't think this was a great fit for him. That's not to say I'm doing cartwheels over the firing... like I said, I have mixed feelings.
But, I had a pretty good idea that this was the direction they'd go in. Grant put his job on the line for Brown and his firing was a testament of that.
One wasn't going to go without the other.
[QUOTE=RedBlackAttack]I feel for him, too... Or, at least as badly as you can feel for a man who now doesn't have to work and will still earn untold millions. Just on a personal level, I recall how excited he was to come back and I got the impression he was never comfortable out West.
He quickly enrolled his kids in school, Cameron at Westlake and Elijah at St. Eds and bought a house here. He seemed genuinely happy to be back. I wish things could have worked out better for him.
Seems like a good guy and I hope things work out for him.[/QUOTE]
he was planning on moving to cleveland regardless of coaching; he's genuinely in love with the area and St. Eds.
but to your post and the quoted.. MB is a very emotional family-oriented type of coach, i remember Bennett finally had that game where he started to turn things around and MB after the game was giving him a big hug at half court. Sounds corny, but i got the impression the MB genuinely cared and gave a damn about each and every one of his players.
His handling of Waiters this past year was tremendous. He really did a good job with him and didn't give up and say "F*ck it, just take the ball up" like Byron Scott did.
[QUOTE=RedBlackAttack]The writing was on the wall the moment Grant was fired, mid-season. I'm not even sure making the playoffs could have saved Mike's job. I'm surprised you seem so surprised.
I think the two of us were MB's biggest defenders on this site. I still like him and think he's a good coach in the right situation. I really don't think this was a great fit for him. That's not to say I'm doing cartwheels over the firing... like I said, I have mixed feelings.
But, I had a pretty good idea that this was the direction they'd go in. Grant put his job on the line for Brown and his firing was a testament of that.
One wasn't going to go without the other.[/QUOTE]
when grant was gone you knew it was coming..
I though a griffin hire would at least solidify one more year of Brown because Griffin was a part of the same FO that brought him in.
Everybody talks about Brown and Griffin's philosophies not jiving, what about Griffin and Gilbert's?
I know Gilbert wants to create that hard-nosed defensive identity, he's been preaching that since day one as an owner.
I'm deeply concerned that they are going to bring in a throw-away.
[QUOTE=DukeDelonte13]he was planning on moving to cleveland regardless of coaching; he's genuinely in love with the area and St. Eds.
but to your post and the quoted.. MB is a very emotional family-oriented type of coach, i remember Bennett finally had that game where he started to turn things around and MB after the game was giving him a big hug at half court. Sounds corny, but i got the impression the MB genuinely cared and gave a damn about each and every one of his players.
His handling of Waiters this past year was tremendous. He really did a good job with him and didn't give up and say "F*ck it, just take the ball up" like Byron Scott did.[/QUOTE]
I agree with you, which is why I take issue with people who call this a "throw-away" season for the Cavs. Dion alone took some major steps forward in his growth as a player on and off the court. He's better for having worked under MB and his staff.
I'll tell you something else... as much sh!t as Kyrie took this past season, I saw growth with him as well. He really cut a lot of the careless turnovers and dribbling into trouble out of his game and he seemed to start actually giving a damn defensively. While everyone focused on his shooting percentages, those were two pretty big advancements for his game.
Obviously, there was a massive improvement with Anthony Bennett over the course of the season.
The biggest disappointment was undoubtedly Tristan. I'm not sure what his future is with this franchise.
But, all said, there's no doubt the team was far better at the end of the season than it was at the beginning. Improvements were visible... visible in the W/L column, in the statistics, and just with your two eyes.
Still, Grant's dismissal sealed Mike's fate.
I know you're feeling pessimistic about the move, but I do think -- if we could bring in, say, Alvin Gentry, as is being reported -- things could turn out well.
As for Gilbert, I'd prefer his "vision" of the team be kept to himself. He's not a basketball guy. He's a savvy businessman. I love the way he will spend whatever it takes. I love his passion for the franchise and the city. I'm getting concerned about his meddling with basketball decisions.