Coach of the Year winners often overrated
Mitchell now joins the not-so-short list of guys who have been canned after being honored by the league's writers and broadcasters as the best coach in the league. Indeed, of the past five COY winners, Hubie Brown (2004) was forced to retire 12 games into the following season, Avery Johnson (2006) is unemployed, Mike D'Antoni (2005) was forced to change his address, and only Byron Scott (2008) has held on to his job.
Dipping even further in the record book, Doc Rivers was COY with Orlando in 2000, only to be dismissed four years later. Rick Carlisle won the same award with Detroit in 2002, and was pink-slipped one year later.
Why, then, is this coveted award the kiss of death?
Primarily because the majority of the writers and broadcasters have little idea what transpires in practice sessions, video sessions, in-game huddles and in the locker rooms. The specifics of offensive and defensive systems are likewise beyond their understanding. So they cast their ballots on several suspect principles:
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| Hubie Brown's demanding style wore thin in Memphis. (Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images) |
Notice, too, that none of the aforementioned COYs ever won a championship. The list of other honorees who fell short in the seasons of their content includes Harry Gallatin, Alex Hannum, Dolph Schayes, Johnny Kerr, Richie Guerin, Gene Shue (twice), Dick Motta, Tom Heinsohn, Ray Scott, Phil Johnson, Bill Fitch (twice), Tom Nissalke, Hubie Brown (twice), Cotton Fitzsimmons (twice), Jack McKinney, Don Nelson (twice), Mike Fratello, Mike Schuler, Doug Moe, Pat Riley (three times), Don Chaney, Lenny Wilkens, Del Harris, Larry Bird, Mike Dunleavy, Doc Rivers, Larry Brown, Rick Carlisle, Mike D'Antoni, Avery Johnson, Sam Mitchell and Byron Scott.
On the other hand, here's a list of COYs who have won championships in the seasons in which they were so honored — only Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Bill Sharman, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich.
Do the math and it's obvious that the Coach of the Year award should be renamed the Coach of Most of the Year award.
Why was Mitchell fired? Because:
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| Canada's team now gets a Canadian coach: Jay Triano. (Frank Gunn / Associated Press) |
But there's another reason why Mitchell was dismissed, and it has to do with the identity of his replacement.
Jay Triano is Canadian-born, coached his country's national team from 1998 to 2004 with considerable success, has been affiliated with the Toronto organization for the past seven years, and has been overtly and covertly angling for the Raptors head coaching job for quite some time. And because of his citizenship, Triano is also the people's choice.
For sure, the Raps will undergo a surge of enthusiasm and all-around hustle while the honeymoon lasts. And if O'Neal ever returns to full health — a doubtful scenario — the team will be somewhat tougher than it is without him. But, they still lack an adequate backup at point guard and center, and there's nobody on the second unit who can create makeable shots on his own.
Look for the Raptors to be slightly better than they have been thus far this young season. But the worst thing that could happen to Triano would be to win this season's Coach of the Year award.
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