Re: Frog's NBA regular season thread...
Three teams with huge coaching upgrades so far.
O Brien, Pacers, replacing stiff as a board Carlisle. Team is playing with enthusiasm, running floor extremely well. I watched them 5 or 6 times in preseason and was consistently impressed. That homework sometimes pays off. But I was not the only one impressed, even Agent 0 said after the game, they are a totally different team. They are not robots, like last season. They came back from deficits in almost every quarter, and actually outran Wash at junctures. Even with O Neal and Murphy out, they never gave up. When the remaining bigs got in early foul trouble, they just went deeper. When Gilbert nailed that demoralizing trey to send it OT, O Brien looked at the hanging heads and said, forget that, go out and outplay them for 5 more minutes. Never would have happened last year.
Van Gundy, Magic, replaced Hill. Hill was gone anyway, and they are lucky Donovan balked, they got the better guy. Sure it helps when you get a stud free agent, but still, from preseason on, they look incredibly sharp. Just like Indy, a bounce in their step and are working the new offense well. They just destroyed a decent Bucks team working the ball in, out, midrange. Spacing was excellent. A amazing difference from last season. Could be a real sleeper with monster Howard in the middle. And a coach that knows how to play the game. Stan got railroaded in Miami by throw you under the bus Pat. I am glad to see him back.
Rick Adelman, Rockets, replaced the lesser Van Gundy. Jeff's time just ran out. Plus his slow it down defensive sets suffocated his own offense, just like Indy. Just like Fratello and Memphis. Those guys are tar pit coaches. Rick will install a motion/Princeton influence offense. He is a player's coach. Just look at Bonzi. What a difference from bicycle rider to big contributor off the bench. Plus vets know him, know he is Finals material. If they gel, with rotations and the playbook, they will be formible as they are deep. I know like SVG he stepped into a sweet situation, but you still have to make it work.
I look for all of these teams to improve the first few weeks of the season. Indy could be a real surprise with O Neal and Murphy back. All three have decent depth, and I think there could be worth watching closely. I will have a play for tonight within the hour.
Best Wishes...OF :cheers
