How lessons from the NBA Finals should impact the Raptors’ coaching search

By Andrew Bancroft June 2, 2023 31 mins read 210 Views

Last night, the NBA Finals began in the Rocky Mountains for the first time ever as the Denver Nuggets took on the underdog Miami Heat in Game 1.

It’s a stage the Toronto Raptors and the other teams who made a coaching change this offseason are looking to get back to, which is why it’s worthwhile to look for lessons the Raptors can take away from Miami and Denver to apply to their own ongoing coaching search.

You don’t have to dive too deep to realize Erik Spoelstra and Mike Malone are compelling arguments for thinking long-term and being patient with coaches. The common denominator between these two teams is consistency and continuity.

Spoelstra and Malone are the second- and fourth-longest tenured NBA coaches, with Gregg Popovich (first) and Steve Kerr (third) filling out the top four. San Antonio’s Popovich has coached the Spurs since 1996, Spoelstra took over the Heat in 2008, Kerr was named coach in Golden State in 2014 and Malone became coach in Denver in 2015.

In the modern game, it’s much easier to change the equation for a failing franchise by swapping coaches than overhauling the roster. But Denver and Miami both show that faith and patience can pay off.

There were periods in recent years in which both Malone and Spoelstra could have been handed walking papers — in which they arguably would have if they’d worked for many other teams.

Spoelstra missed the playoffs three times in a five-year span from 2015-2019 and barely made it this year, sneaking in as an eighth seed. The Heat are the first team since the 1959 Los Angeles Lakers to reach the Finals with a negative point differential and are just the second eighth seed to reach the NBA Finals. Well before that latest skid, there was Spoelstra’s infamous hiccup with LeBron James when the “not 4, not 5, not 6” Heat struggled out the gate in Year 1. There was real pressure on the organization to remove Spoelstra then, before he had lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy. Pat Riley even later divulged that James wanted a new coach after just 17 games in South Florida.

Mike Malone also didn’t have the most inspiring start in Denver, after being fired in Sacramento. Malone missed the playoffs in his first three seasons; this is only the second time he’s been past the second round in eight seasons. Every other Western Conference contender has made a coaching change in that span other than the Warriors, the most dominant team in the sport. Denver remained loyal, however, and has now reached the Finals for the first time in franchise history.

The approach for these two franchises isn’t unique to coaching. It starts with ownership, the Arison family in Miami and the Kroenkes in Denver.

The famous Heat Culture wasn’t created overnight, it’s been years in the making. Managing general partner Micky Arison, CEO Nick Arison, team president Pat Riley and GM Andy Elisburg have been with the Heat for multiple decades. Elisberg is a Day 1 Heat employee. Spoelstra has been with the organization since he was 24, when he started as an assistant in the video room, and now he’s leading them in the Finals at the age of 52.

The Kroenkes have had success across multiple sports. Kroenke Sports Entertainment is a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams, two-time Stanley Cup champion as owner of the Colorado Avalanche, 2010 MLS Cup champion as owner of the Colorado Rapids, two-time National Lacrosse League champion as owner of the Colorado Mammoth and have had great success at the helm of Arsenal FC of the Premier League, who just finished second in the table after leading for most of the season. They hire coaches and managers and let them work, maintaining trust in the reasons they hired those leaders in the first place.

Not surprisingly, the two coaches credit the culture that springs from that job security as a prime reason for their teams’ success.

“The most important part of these eight years was their ability to be patient,” Malone said, “and have a big-picture approach and let this thing grow into what it is today.”

“I also think you do have to credit and acknowledge Denver’s culture,” Spoelstra said. “They have a very strong culture. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the two teams have been able to have sustained success and they’ve done a great job of building their culture.”

That patience isn’t commonplace.

This offseason alone, 2019 NBA champion and 2020 Coach of the Year Nick Nurse, 2021 champion and 2019 Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer, 2021 Western Conference champion and 2022 Coach of the Year Monty Williams, and 2008 NBA champion and 2000 Coach of the Year Doc Rivers were all fired. Rivers and Williams were both let go after just three seasons.

The point is, despite the trend of firing coaches who have won Coach of the Year awards as soon as they have a bad season or ugly playoff round, continuity is key. Thus, the Raptors, and everyone else making a hire this summer, should be focused on who makes sense for the job in the long term not who fits the current roster right now.

That doesn’t mean moving on from a coach is inherently a bad choice. We have seen exceptions in recent years. Nurse, Kerr, Frank Vogel, and Ty Lue all won championships in the last decade in their first year as coach. Plus, the two losing coaches in this year’s Conference Finals, Lakers coach Darvin Ham, and the Boston Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla, were first year head coaches. Making a coaching move can, of course, lead to immediate success, but context is important: Nurse and Lue were assistants on staff, so they provided some semblance of continuity. Still, it’s worth noting that of the coaches who won a championship in Year 1 in the past decade, only Kerr is still in the role. Early success doesn’t guarantee you the benefit of the doubt.

At least six teams will have new coaches next season, with Phoenix and Toronto still shopping after Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Houston already made hires. This is on top of the two in-season moves, as Brooklyn’s Jacque Vaughn was hired in November, and Atlanta’s Quin Snyder took the reins in February.

“It’s disturbing,” Spoelstra said of the turnover rate “There’s only so many teams that can advance.”

“This is the nature of this league and I think sometimes it’s the chemistry,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN during the draft lottery. “They don’t go from being great coaches to bad coaches from one year to the next.”

So how should all of this inform the Raptors’ search?

Well first, don’t hire a coach for the team you have now. Far too many organizations overreact to their current roster or the issues that arose with their previous coaches.

Instead, hire a coach for the franchise you want to be over time. This really is a marriage. The benefits of having someone in the role for an extended period are profound. One of the reasons the Heat dress seven undrafted players is because their front office and scouts know what to look for. They know what their coaching staff needs because they have so much shared experience.

The Raptors seem to be taking their time making the choice, which could be a positive sign they resisting the urge to make a knee-jerk decision. There is still a long list of intriguing candidates. Toronto’s next head coach could come from among the inspired names already linked to the job, like Kenny Atkinson, David Adelman, Sergio Scariolo or Jordi Fernandez. It could be one of the more media friendly choices like JJ Redick or Steve Nash. Or, given his history with Masai Ujiri and in the game, it could be Doc Rivers.

But when they make the call, the Raptors shouldn’t be thinking of the next few months but the next few years. Because chances are, if their new coach is going to be successful, it’ll take a while.

Can the Raptors parlay patience into prosperity the way the Nuggets and Heat have?

We’ll have to wait and see.

References:

By: Donnovan Bennett
Title: How lessons from the NBA Finals should impact the Raptors’ coaching search
Sourced From: www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/how-lessons-from-the-nba-finals-should-impact-the-raptors-coaching-search/
Published Date: 06-02-2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did NBA leave Vancouver?

NBA left Vancouver after a dispute regarding arena financing. The City of Vancouver was to contribute $40million towards the construction a new basketball venue. This would include 12 luxury suites as well as two restaurants, a bar and a hotel. The City Council decided to give $60 million to the team owners to help pay off existing debt. This meant the city would have to borrow $200 million to build the arena, while the team owners only had to pay back $20 million in debt. This would make it so that the city's tax payers would be responsible to repay the remainder of this loan.

If the NBA would agree to keep Rogers Arena open until the opening of the new facility, the City Council was willing to approve the plan. But the league refused, saying that the arena wasn’t large enough. They didn't want to play there anymore because it was too small. They felt asking them to continue playing in a smaller venue was unfair when they weren't getting any extra revenue.

The City Council asked the province for financial assistance. The province agreed to provide $150 million towards the project, but the City Council still needed another $100 million. The City then decided to abandon its plans and instead focus on building a new downtown arena.

What does "We The North" actually mean?

The phrase "We The North," also known as We The North Nation, is an anthem used by the Toronto Raptors. It was written by rapper Drake and producer Noah "40" Shebib.

Drake wrote the song while visiting a Toronto friend. With Kanye West, he finished his album Take Care. Drake decided to make lyrics about his hometown while there. Drake wanted it be representative of all Canadians. The song talks about unity, pride, and hope.

Drake began writing the melody for We The North while he was in London filming the video of "Nice For What". The song's instrumental version was recorded in just one take.

Drake was writing lyrics for the song when 40 suggested the chorus. Drake loved the hook and asked to record it. Together, they worked to create the final product.

The official music videos for "We The North Anthem," were released October 5, 2018. The video featured Shawn Mendes from Canada, who performed with Drake and other musicians.

How many Toronto Raptors have had all-stars?

Vince Carter, Antonio Davis and DeMar DeRozan are eight Raptors All-Stars. Apart from Davis and VanVleet they all have made it to other NBA teams like Leonard.

Statistics

As predicted by analysts, the team easily secured a berth in the 2001 NBA playoffs with a franchise-high 47 wins. (en.wikipedia.org)
Thomas named Raptors' GM NBA superstar to have 10% stake in the new franchise". (en.wikipedia.org)
By 2018, estimated the Raptors were worth $1.4 billion, 12th in the NBA. (en.wikipedia.org)
This improved during the 2006–07 regular season to an average of 18,258 fans (13th in the league), 92.2 percent capacity at the Air Canada Centre. (en.wikipedia.org)
In November of the 1996–97 season, Bitove sold his ownership interest in the team to Slaight for $65 million after Slaight had activated a shotgun clause in their partnership agreement,[32][33] giving Slaight 79 percent control of the team, [34] (en.wikipedia.org)

External Links

How To

The best time to go to a Toronto Raptors match

Toronto Raptors' games take place between October and April on weekdays. Weekends are often reserved in advance for concerts and festivals.

Book tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Wednesday is the most common day to attend a Toronto Raptors team game. This is due to the fact that many fans arrive early in order to view pregame warmups.

Fans head to Nathan Phillips Square next to the ACC after the game. They remain there until the final whistle.

It is best to attend a Toronto Raptor home game after 8 pm. Fans leave the stadium before midnight but return to celebrate the team's victory.