Why do you question that? He has proven to be a very good coach who has proven that he can coach both superstars and young players alike. Ranking is subjective but he is definitely in the upper echelon.
Hayward to Boston...Really, We Mean It
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Re: Causewayward, if he doesn't sign in Boston, the talking heads and NBA Twitter will kill Ainge but they shouldn't. You sign him because he makes you incrementally better, even knowing that they are likely a few bodies and some years from actually competing for a title. If they cannot get him onboard, the latter phrase is still true.
I was thinking that about "featured scoring role". Spoelstra is a legitimately good coach.
I would like to think that Brad ranks higher than Spoelstra in Hayward's mind but I guess you never know. If lifestyle is a #1 concern then he's probably taking his talents to South Beach. Hopefully playing on a contending team with a fan base that would adore him are also factors.
The Nets should jump in with that type of selling point! All the shots you'd ever want! Live in NYC!
Sure, but if the competition is Stevens, given the player? I can't imagine Spoelstra versus Brad is advantage Miami in this case.
As for how good he is as a coach, I don't know how it's even possible to rank him. The cards were so stacked in his favor for four years, I'm not sure how most coaches wouldn't have fared at least as well.
Snyder is highly respected as well. I think all three of the coaches equally make up part of the tier right beneath Pop.
"Sources say" buzz has had Miami as the front runner for the last week. I don't doubt it. Great organization, great weather, very good coach, no state income tax,
and a team on the rise. The gap between Miami and Boston isn't that large. Celtics/Heat probably would have gone 7 games if Miami had gotten the 8th spot.
and a team on the rise. The gap between Miami and Boston isn't that large. Celtics/Heat probably would have gone 7 games if Miami had gotten the 8th spot.
Spoelstra has multiple rings. Stevens does not. And I understand that Stevens and Hayward have a relationship but its not like the delta between the Celtics and the Heat is huge. Both are well run teams that have stable management and are on an upward trajectory.
Gee, I wonder why.
Come on, I'm not saying Spoelstra is a bad coach. Rather, given the competition it's hard to believe it's a clear win for Miami, despite the rings. Weather? Definitely. Feature scorer? Eh, I guess.
He only has rings because of LeBron James. I do agree that he is an upper echelon coach. I mean Tyronn Lue has more rings than Stevens too; is he a better coach?
Edit - beaten to it by the post above.
Perhaps I am not being clear. It doesn't matter why. The guy has coached teams to a championship and the top of the Heat house is run by NBA royalty. My point is that even if Stevens and Hayward love one another, the Heat have a pretty impressive selling point with their coach and management.
It's not that large now, but it's hard to argue with a straight face that both franchises are on an equal trajectory. We're the one seed that added the #3 overall pick with more on the way next year. The heat can't add much beyond GH (no pick next year) other than praying that they can attract someone else next year if they dump Dragic (I think that's a required cap casualty). I buy the weather, I don't buy much else.
Ok, that's fair. This is probably my fault for not being clear originally. I have nothing against Spoelstra as a coach, but that part of the Tweet doesn't make much sense to me because it implies each of those three things are advantages over the competition and head coach doesn't seem to compute. The other two coaches are no slouches and Hayward has years of experience with them vice Spoelstra.
Door 1: Team up with the guy that recruited you when you were unsure of yourself. Together you made it THIS CLOSE to an NCAA championship and you can reunite on the team with the most history in the NBA to bring them back to glory
Door 2: It's sunny
Door 2: It's sunny
Pops only has rings because of David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Phil only has rings because of Jordan, Shaq and Kobe. You can say that about literally any coach. They are only as good as their players.
To argue Miamis side: best record in EC during 2nd half last season, you are added to a core of Whiteside, Dragic, and Winslow, and management has done and will do what it takes to win.
I'm genuinely curious about this part of this. I agree with the city and coach stuff-- I've been more impressed with what Spoelstra has done since Lebron left than what he did with him. But part of that is because when I look at that team, I see a team that should be in the mix for a high lottery pick, not in/around the playoffs. I see a team that missed the playoffs last year with an aging core of 29-31yo's, and very few top tier young assets, outside, I guess, Winslow? I liked the Bam Adebayo pick this year, but that's far from a sure thing, they have no 1st round pick next year (unless they're awful, which seems not totally unlikely to me). If you're looking at signing there for 4 years, what's the on-court sell? They have cap space post-Bosh, Winslow and Adebayo. What am I missing?
edit: I guess I'll answer myself based on the last couple posts. the sell is that the core, while old, is still there for now, and when they're done, MIA will be an attractive destination for future FAs, meaning they have a chance to stay good. That seems like way more of a stretch than what BOS and Utah can offer in terms of on-court product. Even putting Celtics blinders aside, Rubio/Hood/Gobert is a way better and younger core to have around you than what Miami can offer.
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Amazingly, Zach Lowe threw out Dipo for George on a podcast. But, I fully support your larger point that we simply don't know much of anything right now
Spoelstra has shown post-Lebron that he's an excellent coach, the East is weak, and Miami has interesting young talent at positions that really complement Hayward (especially if you believe in Whiteside) and Riley has shown an ability to go out and get the guys he wants. Also, the weather is great, it'll probably make his wife happy and it's more money.
Miami is to me the bigger competitor than Utah.
Miami is to me the bigger competitor than Utah.
Maybe it's just me, but I always wonder whether the banners, celebrity meetings, etc. wouldn't backfire as much as they would help. If it was me I would be a little weirded out by all the hoopla, which smacks of desperation.
Then again, I am not an NBA player deciding where to spend the next (X) years of my life, and Riley has a proven track record of attracting free agents so maybe I'm off base.
Then again, I am not an NBA player deciding where to spend the next (X) years of my life, and Riley has a proven track record of attracting free agents so maybe I'm off base.
Maybe I'm confusing her with someone else, but I thought the rumor was she preferred warm weather. (Though who doesn't).
Spoelstra is a great coach. But to say he has rings but Stevens doesn't as a way to argue that he is a better coach or a more highly thought of coach is really fucking stupid.
Basically all 3 of the finalists for Heywoodjablowme are great coaches. To say reason #2 for him preferring Miami is that Spo is the coach there is dumb.
Quite frankly, the only reason why Stevens can be used as a selling point is because of their history together and just how unique it is (Adam Himmelsbach wrote a great article about this. It's not just that Stevens coached him in college, it's that he showed faith in Hayward before any other coach ever really did)
I wonder how prominently Boston highlights the fans in these presentations. Miami vs. Boston is akin to Trump's inauguration vs. Obama's.
Everything Miami can boast is pretty much something Boston also can, weather/nightlife aside.
Everything Miami can boast is pretty much something Boston also can, weather/nightlife aside.
Weather and nightlife is such a big factor though. I know which city I would choose if I was a 27 year old multi-millionaire, and it wouldn't be Boston
How did Riley get this reputation as a world-class recruiter? The media dudes say this all the time too. Who has he recruited?
The Lebron, Bosh, Wade signings weren't from Riley recruiting them, they chose Miami. He didn't have to talk them into it. Who's the next best guy he's signed that wasn't already on his team, so he didn't have the built-in Bird rights advantage? Goran Dragic? Ray Allen?
If anything, I'd say over 20 years in a market like Miami where players want to come play, he's been average at best.
Well I won't deny being really fucking stupid nor will I deny being dumb. I am both of those - but I wasn't arguing that Spoelstra was a better coach than Stevens because of his rings. I think Stevens is the better coach but its debatable. I was simply pointing out that he has a championship pedigree and a proven track record of being in the top tier of NBA coaches after another poster scoffed at Spoelstra as a selling point for the heat.
Gordon is married and not a big party guy. Not sure the nightlife means much to him.
Sure. Or just be able to go out at night in the middle of winter and be outside and not have to deal with lousy weather
I honestly loathe Florida and I am perplexed by anyone who chooses to live there.
And I know it's warm but I don't get why the weather there is hyped up so much...then again I'm from tropical island so maybe people who aren't used to it find Florida fascinating?
But seriously that state is garbage.
And I know it's warm but I don't get why the weather there is hyped up so much...then again I'm from tropical island so maybe people who aren't used to it find Florida fascinating?
But seriously that state is garbage.
Yeah but Hayward is already married and has two young kids, which really takes the women/nightlife thing down a couple of notches.
If I was a single 27 year-old must-millionaire it would be a no-brainer.
If one is talking about a better place to raise a young family, I am sure Boston seems much more attractive compared to Miami than it would for someone who is still single.
Nope, Miami is garbage too unless your only loves are rude strippers, snakes and meth, then sure, Miami is great.
At the end of the day, all this shit boils down to playing basketball. In my opinion, Boston gives him the best chance to win short term and certainly mid/long term. If he wants to win, we're the best positioned to make that happen. Because of that, Danny did all he could so whatever happens I'm fine with it.
It is, but it's not like he'd be buying a condo on South Beach. As noted, he's married with two small kids. He's likely buying a mansion in the suburbs of wherever he ends up. So, while Miami is a great city, that's not where he'd likely be living or raising his kids.
Some people don't like the snow and cold of Boston, but it's also not like he'd be shoveling his own driveway or putting out a lawn chair to save a parking space. Some people don't like stifling heat and humidity either.
We obviously don't know how GH feels about these, but he seemed perfectly content in Salt Lake with the weather and nightlife he has now. Im not sure it's the slam dunk you think it is.
Missing from this list: winning
Yeah they had the best record in the Eastern Conference during the second half last year...and STILL missed the playoffs.
The sell to Hayward and his family has to be the chance to win now and for the foreseeable future with multiple picks and a decent salary cap situation. Great situation for this family with great schools for his kids and the best medical care in the country if God forbid anything happens. Familiar coach and system, where he will know what his role will be and knows that it can be/is successful in the NBA.
And re: the folks predicting Miami is in the lead, Woj tweeted yesterday how confident Utah was that they they were going to be able to re-sign Hayward.
I'm not sure how much it will play into his decision, or if at all, but signing with BOS is "easier" for Hayward than signing with MIA. Not as easy as resigning with UTA, but the whole "Brad Stevens saw something in me when nobody else did and I respect him yada yada yada..." plays pretty well in regards to leaving the only franchise he has been a part of. It certainly plays better than I want to go to South Beach cause its warm and shit.
I didn't realize that at least two of of Pop, Carlisle, Stevens, Kerr, Budenholzer, and Clifford all died.
(Spoelstra is a good to very good coach. The above are very good to excellent.)
I'm glad I'm not the only person in this thread that's spent time in Miami.
