The search for the next Pacers Coach
By ALEX GOLDEN (@AlexGoldenNBA)
With the Pacers relieving Nate McMillan of his coaching duties, they have a major hole to fill as their franchise player, Victor Oladipo, enters the final year of his contract. The timing of this firing came as a bit of a surprise, since the Pacers just announced a few weeks ago that they had extended Nate McMillan back in July. The truth of the matter is, Nate McMillan’s inability to have playoff success and key players (Oladipo and Turner) displaying frustration with the way the series ended, played a major factor in why the Pacers let him go.
Now, Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Prichard is tasked with finding the right coach for the present and future of this current team. Finding that right replacement will take time and research, but the Pacers front office knew that a change was needed. The future of this team relies heavily on who is brought in. There have been rumors floating around about possible candidates, but here is the list of candidates that I think could be suitable for an interview.
•Mike D’Antoni – In early August, Jonathan Tjarks from The Ringer mentioned that Indiana would be interested in D’Antoni if he was relieved from his duties in Houston at the end of the season. On August 26, 2020, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that D’Antoni was a potential candidate for the Pacers head coaching vacancy if relieved of his duties in Houston. So, there are two rumors that point to D’Antoni as a series candidate. It is believed that D’Antoni’s camp has been floating his name around for months, knowing he will more than likely be on the move. As far as his connection with the Pacers, he was the coach under Donnie Walsh in New York and he and Pacers President, Kevin Pritchard, have the same agent.
This is a drastic change from how the Pacers have been playing for the last decade. It would be a breath of fresh air to see an Indiana Pacers team run a modern style of offense. With this hire, personal would have to be altered as well. I do not envision this current core of the roster being athletic enough, nor do I think they have enough consistent shooting from deep.
In 16-years, D’Antoni is 672-527, with a playoff record of 51-51. D’Antoni has made the playoffs 10-times and has made it out of the first round in six (current year is still to be determined) of those ten years. D’Antoni has appeared in three Conference Finals, three semifinals and has been eliminated in the first round three times. He has also won the Coach of the Year Award twice (2005 and 2017).
With stops in Denver, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles and Houston, D’Antoni has a lot of basketball experience. At the age of 69, D’Antoni does not have a long road ahead of him. Hiring him as head coach would mean the Pacers are in “win-now” mode.
•Kenny Atkinson – a protégé of Mike Budenholzer’s staff in Atlanta, Atkinson went on to be the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2017-2020. Atkinson was fired March 7th of this NBA season. His overall record is underwhelming at 118-190, but it is his ability to develop young players that is enticing.
The Nets rebuilt their team this offseason, signing Kyrie Irving and trading D’Angelo Russell to the Golden State Warriors for Kevin Durant. The Nets made a handful of other signings, but with significant injuries to Brooklyn’s new core, the Nets struggled to get off the map. Atkinson had a lot pressure from the front office to play some of the veterans they brought in, over the younger talent that had been a part of his core the last few seasons. Atkinson’s firing came as a surprise, but the top players felt they wanted a different voice, which led to management moving on.
Atkinson makes sense for Indiana, because of his style of play and because of the culture he built in Brooklyn. Although his underwhelming Nets rosters didn’t finish atop the league in offensive rating (20th, 20th and 22nd), they play a more modern style that would benefit a more talented group in Indiana.
I like the potential here with Atkinson, but I will admit that he does have a small sample size as a head coach. If the Pacers are eager to win now, this might be a bit of a lateral move. It is hard to gauge what Atkinson could be with a healthy roster full of veteran players since he was not given the proper chance with Brooklyn.
•Dave Joerger – At just 46-years old, Joerger has had quite the interesting career. In 2013 he took over as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies until 2016. In those three years, Joerger went 147-99, taking Memphis to the playoffs all three seasons, going 9-13. Memphis only advanced past round one once, but took the Durant led Thunder to a 7-game series in his first season.
Joerger then went on to be the head coach of the Sacramento Kings, after seeking permission from the Grizzlies to talk to another team. Joerger was reportedly unhappy with his low salary and wanted more of a voice within the organization. So, the Kings were eager to get a solid coach in hopes to turn the franchise around. Well, like most of you know and expected, Sacramento’s front office and Joerger butted heads and it led to the dismissal of Joerger after just taking their promising young core to a 39-43 record.
The bad here, he has shown that he isn’t the easiest coach to deal with. Having two different instances where he didn’t see eye to eye with the front office should be alarming. The good, when his rosters were fully healthy in Memphis, they were amongst the top ten defensive teams in the league while also ranking in the top half of the league in offense as well. His final and best season in Sacramento led to a top 15 offense in the league, with an extremely young core.
All in all, Joerger is a guy that I think could have success with this Pacers franchise. He has been a part of small franchises throughout his career, so he would be able to relate to the disadvantages that come with that. He is a solid, all-around coach, that has proven success, and overachieved in a competitive Western Conference.
•Jerry Stackhouse – The Toronto Raptors (D)G-League Team, the Raptors 905, were coached by Stackhouse for two seasons, posting a 70-30 record. In those two seasons, the Raptors 905 won the G-League Championship and finished as the runner-up. Stackhouse was a pivotal part of developing the young talent on the Toronto Raptors, and was interviewed for their head coaching job before Toronto went with Coach of the Year, Nick Nurse. Stackhouse was also awarded the Coach of the Year award for the (D)G-League in 2016.
Stackhouse then went on to be an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies for one season, before signing a 6-year deal to be the head coach of Vanderbilt. In his first season at Vanderbilt, the team went 11-21 as they try to rebuild the struggling program. Stackhouse has had success developing and mentoring young players, which is why Vanderbilt was keen on acquiring him to restore their program. Since Stackhouse is just one year into his contract with Vanderbilt, it could be hard to pull him away from there.
We all know that Stackhouse was a heck of a ball player, who played in the league for 19-seasons. His ability to relate with players could be a huge selling point to any franchise looking for a new coach. While coaching the Raptors 905 G-League team, the team was first in defense and dead last in pace. Doesn’t that sound just like grit and grind Pacers basketball we all love? But seriously, if the Pacers are wanting a coach that fits the culture they are used to and wants a more relatable coach to a younger generation, Stackhouse has the background of a coach who would be a highly intriguing candidate.
•Darvin Ham – Ham is the top assistant of the Milwaukee Bucks. We mentioned earlier that Kenny Atkinson is a protegee of Mike Budenholzer, but so are head coaches Quin Snyder and Taylor Jenkins. The jobs that these three coaches have done, after leaving their assistant roles under Coach Bud, has helped elevate Ham in the coaching rankings for potential candidates.
Ham has no experience as a head coach, but he has been with Budenholzer since 2013-2014. Budenholzer’s teams are known for their defense and are well versed in their ability to play a modern style of offense. The last two seasons in Milwaukee, Budenholzer’s team has ranked number one in net rating, and has been in the top two on defense.
Ham’s name continues to be atop the list for potential candidates, and with six possible job openings this offseason, he will likely land a head coaching job. The Pacers could be intrigued by his success with Coach Budenholzer, and he also has a relationship with Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon.
•Adrian Griffin – Griffin is the Associate Head Coach of the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors are the defending NBA Champions and have the NBA Coach of the Year in Nick Nurse. Griffin will be a name that starts floating around the more Toronto has success. Similar to Coach Budenholzer, Coach Nurse has created a culture where he develops young players, while being both efficient on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Nurse is one of the hardest working coaches in the entire league, and if Griffin is able to absorb the coaching knowledge of Nick Nurse, many franchises will have interest in his services.
The Pacers could benefit from finding a diamond in the rough, similar to how Toronto found Nurse. When it comes to gaining knowledge as an assistant coach, Griffin has had multiple stops under some terrific NBA coaches. Griffin has been an assistant for Milwaukee under Scott Skiles, Chicago under Tom Thibodeau, Jacque Vaugh in Orlando, and Billy Donovan in Oklahoma City, before Nurse courted him to Toronto. All of those coaches are well respected, and it is important to note that these highly respected coaches have sought him out to be on their coaching staffs.
Interesting note, Griffin is working on his doctorate in leadership studies, which would be huge for his coaching career. With roughly ten years of experience, Griffin has to be chomping at the bit to become a head coach, and I think Indiana would be a great place to start his career.
•Becky Hammon – Hammon is a 6-time WNBA All-Star, and current assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs, under one of the best basketball minds, Gregg Popovich. Her name has been hot in the rumor mill for potential coaching vacancies. She has been a part of this coaching staff since 2014 and has been the coach of the Spurs Summer League team, where they won the championship in 2015.
She is well respected by her players and fellow coaches. In an open letter, former Spurs forward, Pau Gasol, wrote about Hammon’s ability to coach, stating: “I’ve played with some of the best players of this generation…and I’ve played under two of the sharpest minds in the history of sports, in Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. I’m telling you; Becky Hammon can coach. I’m not saying she can coach pretty well; I’m not saying she can coach enough to get by; I’m not saying she can coach almost at the level of the NBA’s male coaches; I’m saying: Becky Hammon can coach NBA basketball. Period.”
With a ringing endorsement like that, and spending six seasons under Gregg Poppovich, the Pacers would be smart to give her at least an interview for the job. Poppovich has produced multiple head coaches in the NBA, most notably, Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams, Brett Brown, Taylor Jenkins, Jacque Vaughn and Quin Snyder. Why couldn’t Becky Hammon be the next successful head coach from the Poppovich tree? She is an incredible basketball mind, that has played overseas, here in the WNBA and has been around the game of basketball her entire life.
Other names will surely appear in the rumor mill over the next few weeks. The Pacers could end up with someone who isn’t on anyone’s radar. No matter who gets this job, this off-season will be a lot more exciting than first expected.
