Five teams have already found a new coach for next season while the Finals have not even started yet. And three others are still looking.
They found a new coach (5/30): Atlanta (Lloyd Pierce), Charlotte (James Borrego), Milwaukee (Mike Budenholzer), New York (Dave Fizdale), Phoenix (Igor Kokoskov)
This is the ransom of success, a successful method. Each season, Gregg Popovich, indefinable president and coach of San Antonio Spurs, sees several of his assistants apply for a head coach position in another franchise. All do not find takers but those who make it commit to long leases, pledge of quality, like Brett Brown, left for Philadelphia in 2013 and still at the head of the Sixers today. This time, “Pop” will lose James Borrego, snapped up by Charlotte for, he said, accelerate the game of Hornets.
Before deciding, Charlotte had received another assistant from Popovich, the Nigerian Ime Udoka. At the same time, two of their colleagues, Becky Hammon and Etorre Messina, were seeking to replace Milwaukee interim coach Joe Prunty. The Italian was even one of the two finalists for the job but Mike Budenholzer was his favorite. Three weeks earlier, “Bud” had reached an agreement to leave Atlanta, where he emerged in five years as one of the most respected tactics in the NBA after spending 17 years at … San Antonio.