Nine coaches eager to be getting fresh starts
Overhauled rosters, pandemic add to challenge
New Orleans first-year coach Stan Van Gundy was hired less than two months before the Pelicans first preseason game.
Never mind that he’s taking over a roster that is loaded with young players and has been entirely overhauled since New Orleans hired David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations in 2019.
So when Van Gundy was asked whether he expected to have a clear vision for players’ roles for the preseason, he didn’t hesitate to say he did not even expect to know that when New Orleans’ regular season slate opens on Wednesday.
“I’m not sure I’ll be there on Jan. 15 either. It’s going to take some time,” Van Gundy continued. “I want these guys in a mindset of competing and having to produce for minutes.”
While coaches with overhauled rosters face similar challenges trying to navigate a compressed timeline that is loaded with uncertainty, it’s even more difficult for Van Gundy and the eight other NBA teams with new coaches this season.
A look at the nine coaches starting fresh with new teams during this unusual season:
Steve Nash, Brooklyn Nets
■ NBA coaching experi
ence: None. Spent five seasons as a player development consultant for Golden State.
■ The team: Unlike most first-time coaches, Nash starts with a team ready to win. Superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are back from injuries, and the Nets have enough quality depth around them that they made the playoffs last season even with Irving limited to 20 games. If they stay healthy, they will be one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks
■ NBA coaching expe
rience: Eight seasons with Chicago and Minnesota. NBA coach of the year in 2011. Assistant coach on 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics.
■ The team: The Knicks are a young team that struggles to score, so Thibodeau will hope they grasp his defensive schemes quickly. He was an assistant with the Knicks from 1996-03, the last time they had any sustained success.
Stan Van Gundy, New Orleans Pelicans
■ NBA coaching experience: 12 seasons with Miami, Orlando and Detroit. Led Orlando to the 2009 NBA Finals.
■ The team: The Pelicans have a young and promising core led by 2019 top overall draft choice Zion Williamson at power forward and 2020 All-star Brandon Ingram on the wing. Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe comprise the backcourt, and newly acquired 7-footer Steven Adams gives New Orleans veteran savvy and a physical presence at center.
Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls
■ NBA coaching expe
rience: Five seasons with Oklahoma City.
■ The team: The Bulls underwent a makeover after finishing 11th in the East. They hired Arturas Karnisovas to lead their basketball operation and Marc Eversley as general manager. Chicago then fired former coach Jim Boylen and replaced him with Donovan, who led Oklahoma City to the playoffs in each of his five seasons.
Nate Bjorkgren, Indiana Pacers
■ NBA coaching experience: Phoenix assistant, 201517; Toronto assistant 2018-20; part of Toronto’s title-winning team.
■ The team: Bjorkgren inherits a team that overcame major injuries each of the past two season to reach the playoffs — and then make quick first-round exits. He can build around two All-stars, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis; one of the league’s top rim protectors, Myles Turner; a rising star in Malcolm Brogdon; and high-scoring forward T.J. Warren.
Tyronn Lue, Los Angeles Clippers
■ NBA coaching experience: Parts of three seasons with Cleveland, winning an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.
■ The team: Led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers are favorites to win their first NBA championship after bowing out in the second round last season under coach Doc Rivers. Leonard and George were hampered by injuries in their first year together. Lue has experience managing a big name, having guided Lebron James and the Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA title.
Stephen Silas, Houston Rockets
■ NBA coaching experi
ence: It’s his first season as a head coach after spending 20 years as an assistant with various teams. Silas began his career working as an assistant for New Orleans in 2000 under his father and longtime NBA coach Paul Silas. Stephen Silas has worked for the Mavericks for the last two seasons.
■ The team: Silas inherited a veteran team when he took over for Mike D’antoni, who chose not to return after his contract expired. But the 47-year-old faces a tough task as he tries to settle into his first head coaching job while dealing with the distraction from persistent rumors that superstar James Harden wants to be traded.
Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder
■ NBA coaching experi
ence: First head coaching job, one year as Thunder assistant, five years as coach of Thunder G-league affiliate.
■ The team: The Thunder reached the playoffs last season, but most of the players who got them there are gone. The team has some young talent, led by Shai Gilgeous-alexander, who averaged 19 points last season.
Doc Rivers, Philadelphia 76ers
■ NBA coaching experi
ence: 22nd season. Coached Orlando, led Boston to the 2008 NBA title, spent last seven season with Los Angeles Clippers
■ The team: Rivers takes over a franchise that underachieved under former coach Brett Brown. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are All-stars and expected to carry to the franchise for years. It’s up to Rivers to unlock their potential. If he can, the Sixers should be perennial contenders in the Eastern Conference.