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Old 05-06-2023, 03:38 PM   #524
pilight
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Almost all coaches start to lose effectiveness over time, leading to their dismissal. This often brings condemnation from irate fans, saying the coach is being made into a scapegoat for larger team problems. Coach Weeble was a good coach a few years ago, wasn't he? He just won coach of the year the season before last! If he was a good coach then why isn't he a good coach now?

There are a number of reasons why this happens, but the overriding principle is that successful coaches change the needs of their organization and in doing so make themselves obsolete. When a coach takes over a team the first thing she does is determine what changes need to be made. Over time, coaches tend to lose the ability to see what changes need to be made.

Coaches (and teams) can be measured along many different lines….offense/defense, use the bench/iron five, young players/experienced players, high pressure/low pressure, fast break/half court set, and so on. New coaches are effective because they pull the team out of the rut caused by over-emphasis on any one category.

For example, if a team doesn't use its bench, the subs won't be sharp and the team will be vulnerable to injuries. If the bench is overused the team won't be able to develop stars. If a team loads up on veterans then age will catch up with them quickly, but if they use too many young players then they probably won't be able to make a title run until a new coach brings in some veteran leadership.

Another issue is that of loyalty of a coach to his players. If a new coach comes in, he doesn't owe anything to anyone. He can bench or release players who aren't getting the job done without apology or explanation. An established coach can't do that as easily. He would have to break faith with players who have given her their best effort. This can affect the whole team. When the established coach decides to release a long time teammate, the remaining players feel betrayed. Coach can't be trusted anymore. Johnny Jumpshot gave all he had and look what happened to him. When a new coach does the same thing the reaction is more like Nobody's job is safe here. I better get my butt in gear or I'll be out on the street. Free agency can make this a little easier on the coach, as they can sometimes say that the decision was out of their hands.

Generally speaking, coaches are hired for good reasons and they're fired for good reasons. A team brings in a coach to fill a need. Once that's done, the team will have a different need and most likely will need a new coach to fill it. Getting fired doesn't mean someone is a bad coach. It just means the team needs a different kind of coach.


That having been said, if Giannis really wanted Budenholzer to be the coach he would be the coach.
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