While the NBA playoffs were going on (congratulations to the Golden State Warriors), some of the teams not playing late into May and June replaced their head coach so I’m going to grade all five head coaching hires of the 2015 offseason. These grades assume that the Cavaliers will not replace David Blatt.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Billy Donovan
Donovan had been long thought of as one as one of the top college coaches in the country and destined for an NBA head coaching job. However, I don’t understand this hire. Donovan brings a lot of the same principles to the Thunder as Scott Brooks so I see this as a lateral move for Oklahoma City. And if they’re going to make a lateral, why fire Scott Brooks in the first place? Brooks, while having his offensive deficiencies, was a good defensive coach and by all accounts was loved by all the players he coached. I just don’t understand the decision to fire Brooks and not hire a guy much better when you want to keep Kevin Durant happy going into his free agency in 2016. Donovan is a good coach, I just don’t think this team is the right team for him, although I completely see why he accepted the job.
Grade: C-
Orlando Magic: Scott Skiles
I don’t think Scott Skiles is a better coach than Billy Donovan, however I do think this is a better hire than the Thunder’s hire of Donovan and allow me to explain. Again, Skiles is not the best coach, but he is very solid and he’s a good veteran coach to lead a young team for a few years and help grow up some of their budding stars. I think he can do wonders defensively with the backcourt of Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. I think this core of the Magic will be a contender in the East eventually and while Skiles probably will not be the coach for them then, he will greatly help develop their young stars.
Grade: B-
Chicago Bulls: Fred Hoiberg
If you read my top five candidates for the Pelicans head coaching job which you can see here then you know how high on Hoiberg I am. While I think he would have been a better fit with the Pelicans, Thunder, or Nuggets, he is still a fantastic hire by the Bulls. He is a great offensive mind who runs a very quick paced offense that gets the team into their sets very quickly and moves the ball a lot. Like I said this would fit the roster of three other teams better, but with guys like Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler probably, and Pau Gasol, there are some players that fit the personnel he will need. He also won’t run the players into the ground like Tom Thibodeau. Overall, there’s not much to dislike with this hire.
Grade: A-
New Orleans Pelicans: Alvin Gentry
I’m going to try to stay as unbiased as possible, but man do I love Alvin Gentry! Just watch the video above and you’ll see why I’m so excited for him to be the Pelicans new coach. Past that, Gentry now brings a championship pedigree to New Orleans, something that only Norris Cole has down here. The offense he runs is going to fit the offense and the personnel he has so well. If you watch the video and have read articles about him since being hired, he also seems to be determined to get the very best out of Anthony Davis, which is a scary thought for the rest of the league. His offense will open up things for everyone on the team, but AD especially. The only knock I have on this hire is age. Gentry is 60 years old and while he seems very youthful and energetic, as evidenced by this I worry if he can be the long term coach of this team assuming Davis stays down here past the extension he’s about to sign. Other than that, I love this hire and have gotten myself way too excited for the Pelicans upcoming season.
Grade: A-
Denver Nuggets: Mike Malone
This is a weird one. Mike Malone is a great defensive coach and really worked wonders with the Sacramento Kings in the early part of this season before they fired him for no reason. Well one reason: Vivek! Malone got off to a great start with the Kings before his firing and he definitely deserves another head coaching job, however is this team the right one for him? The Nuggets are built to run the floor with the athletes they have and play up-tempo which is a lot of the reason they fired Brian Shaw, but Malone isn’t necessarily known as the most up-tempo coach in the league. In his introductory press conference, he did say he would play fast paced so I’ll take his word for it. If they do, that combined with what he can do on the defensive end really makes for a solid hire for the Nuggets.
Grade: B+
What was your favorite and least favorite coaching hire this offseason? How would you grade these hires? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @_the5thquarter! And if you want to call me a homer my Twitter is @branchstephens.
The 5th Quarter 