By Sam Amico
ProBasketballNews.com
What did the Charlotte Bobcats expect?
That’s the first thing you asked yourself after learning the Bobcats fired Sam Vincent as coach after just one season.
According to early reports, the decision was made by Bobcats managing partner Michael Jordan. Of course, it was Jordan’s decision to hire Vincent -- and the longer Jordan tries his hand at this management thing, the more trouble his supporters have defending his moves.
I mean, did anyone really expect the Bobcats to make the playoffs? Did anyone expect them to finish any better than their 32-50 record?
Maybe Jordan did, but those expectations are foolhardy.
This is still a team that‘s supposed to be going through growing pains, one with youngsters such as big man Emeka Okafor and point guard Raymond Felton playing key roles. Jason Richardson was new to the team, Sean May and Adam Morrison were out for the season with injuries, and Vincent was in his first year.
If anything, 32 wins was a downright miracle.
Of course, Larry Brown recently left his position with Philadelphia, and for whatever reason, when Brown makes a move, the rest of the NBA stops. This for a guy who is always seems to be looking for the next train out of town.
So if Brown is hired, you can’t help but believe that maybe all of this had been previously arranged -- he leaves the Sixers, two days later Vincent is fired, and Brown suddenly expresses an interest in the job.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with the Bobcats deciding to hire Brown, if that's what happens. The team will play hard under his direction, and there’s no doubting Brown’s ability to teach.
The crime here is firing Vincent. He spent an entire season of doing nothing wrong. If anything, the Bobcats overachieved.
Reports out of Charlotte say the players gave Vincent less-than-flattering reviews, and that may have had something to do with his dismissal. But if that’s the case, wait until they get a load of Brown -- or any other hard-nosed coach.
Besides that, up until the final month of the season, the players really believed the Bobcats had a shot at the playoffs when no one else did. For that, you have to credit the coach. Vincent convinced his guys they were better than they were.
The one-and-done deal may not stop with Vincent. The status of both Marc Iavaroni (Memphis) and P.J. Carlesimo (Seattle) is questionable, and Jim Boylan of Chicago was let go after half a season.
But look at the situations:
* The Sonics gutted the team before the season, relying on a 19-year old rookie in Kevin Durant to lead them. He was far from ready, but Carlesimo just kept encouraging and teaching.
* Boylan had little chance of saving the Bulls, with players who no longer mesh and seemingly don’t care. Since January, the Bulls appeared to be longing for a summer vacation. Not even Red Auerbach could have repaired that mess.
* As for Memphis, all the Grizzlies did was trade Pau Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown (Jordan’s first dud of a move) and a couple other guys nobody wants. Now all of a sudden Iavaroni can’t coach?
Iavaroni defended himself in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal and what he had to say is worth listening to.
"We have to wait until we've finished what we started with the Pau Gasol trade," he said. "Everyone was on board with that. We understood that it was going to be a tough time this season. We want to work the plan."
But as is the case with most teams that fire the coach after one season, there is no plan. They say they have one, they just have no idea what it is.
So out goes the coach.
Of course, most of these coaching changes have little to do with the teams’ general managers and more to do with the owners. And most owners still aren’t sure whether a basketball is inflated or stuffed. They just know that their team isn’t winning … and they spend millions on the players … and not the coach … so out goes the coach.
None of this is to say that every coach is a perfect fit for every team. Far from it. It’s just that a guy should get more than one measly season to prove himself. Especially in the case of Vincent and the Bobcats.
You tell me, what did Vincent do wrong?
It will be interesting to see how Michael Jordan tries to explain that one, and it‘s doubtful he even will.
Sam Amico is the editor of Pro Basketball News. Contact him or sign up for his free e-mail newsletter at amico@probasketballnews.com.
NBA: April 26, 2008
Firing Vincent makes no sense
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