The Grip - MON 1.7.19

The death of the presi-coach

January 07, 2019

Mon, Jan 7th, 2019

An NBA-obsessed newsletter for the info-craved basketball mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written while listening to Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U

So long, Tom

In of itself, Minnesota's firing of Tom Thibodeau is not a groundbreaking development; the timing, after Sunday night’s blowout victory over the Lakers, is a little strange -- and it wasn’t done in the classiest manner -- but the Jimmy Butler saga, and a suddenly bleak outlook for a young and talented team, meant the announcement was likely to come sooner or later.  He is the third coaching casualty of the season, but his termination is a little different, in that it essentially brings to an end a spike in coach-plus-president hirings that briefly became trendy over the last five years.[READ: Three failed gambles led to Tom Thibodeau’s demise with the Timberwolves]Thibodeau was hired as coach of the Timberwolves to start the 2016-17 season, but was also granted complete control over player personnel decisions as team president. At the time of his hire, he became the fifth coach in the league with dual titles, joining Doc Rivers, Stan Van Gundy, Mike Budenholzer, and Gregg Popovich.  Two-plus years later, Popovich is the only one left. Budenholzer is in Milwaukee and not in charge of player movement; Rivers took a demotion; and Van Gundy and Thibodeau have both been fired.Some questionable moves made by these defunct dual-rolers:

  • Rivers signing, then paying, his son

  • Rivers signing any bench player from 2014-2017 (only a slight exaggeration)

  • Van Gundy’s failed home run swing in trading for Blake Griffin

  • Thibodeau’s reunion of the 2011 Chicago Bulls

A coach’s job is hard. A president of basketball operations’ job is hard. These aren’t new sentiments. Just ask Rick Pitino. It’s partly why Red Auerbach, with obvious success holding both roles in a more primitive league, gave coaching duties to Bill Russell in 1966.But the joint job description made a brief comeback this decade, mostly as a way to bait and leverage respected, veteran coaches into joining attractive teams.For Thibodeau, once a spicy coaching free agent, the dangling worked. The results weren’t satisfying. And now he’ll have to take his Luol Deng corpse elsewhere.

Fantasy hoops advice time!

In the valleys of Los Angeles, sitting behind the wheel of his 2005 Jeep Liberty in bumper-to-bumper traffic, loyal reader and friend of the Grip Sean Clampett can always be calmed by one thing: fantasy basketball. If you’re looking for some hot tips, look no further. SC: The noxious fumes from the surrounding cars might actually knock me out, so let’s make this short and sweet. Get on your waiver wire and get ready to round out the end of your bench. The hot pick ups DeMarre Carroll, Brooklyn Nets [SF, PF] - With fellow Nets Allen Crabbe and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson out, and with Rodions Kurucs going ice cold in his last five games, DeMarre Carroll has produced.With six straight double-digit scoring games, including two straight with 20-plus -- he dropped 20 points last night against the Bulls -- and nearly four 3s made per game, he's suddenly become a good source for offensive production.Derrick White, San Antonio Spurs [PG] - White is currently averaging one block and at least one steal in his last eight games. Yes: Over the last two weeks, you could have gotten eight blocks from a point guard off the wire. With a penchant for rim protection, combined with his efficient double-digit scoring in the last five games, THIS MAN NEEDS TO BE PICKED UP!So get him if you can: He is an overall top-20 fantasy player over the last five games, and his ownership has jumped from 4 percent to 48 percent. Drop ‘emAll of the surprise guys on the Denver Nuggets are, not surprisingly, useless again. Your first-place team in the Western Conference has Paul Millsap and Gary Harris back, so it's time to say goodbye to these surprising but soon-to-fizzle no-name bargains: Malik Beasley, Denver Nuggets [PG, SG] -- After 3-of-4 games with 20-plus points and an average of four 3s per game during that stretch, the third-year guard has scored a total of just 11 points in his last two.Juan Hernangómez, Denver Nuggets [PF]  -- Hernangómez was performing when he was getting around 33 minutes a game, but in his last three games, he hasn't reached 20 minutes, with minimal stats to show for his time on the court.Monte Morris, Denver Nuggets [PG] -- Monte Morris is so obscure, his Wiki picture is still of him in college, but he defied the odds during a recent stretch by registering double-digit scoring in seven straight games; he’s failed to do over the last five, however, and figures to see decreased minutes with Harris returning. If you had Morris cranking in your starting lineup at any point during his hot streak, props to you, but it’s time to find a new ninth man capable of getting hot.   No need for any panic moves or blockbuster trades. We still have 10 weeks before the fantasy basketball playoffs.

Defunct NBA teams from the 1940s, ranked

14. Anderson Packers

13. Baltimore Bullets (OG)

12. Chicago Stags

11. Cleveland Rebels

10. Denver Nuggets (OG)

9. Detroit Falcons

8. Indianapolis Jets

7. Indianapolis Olympians

6. Pittsburgh Ironmen

5. Providence Steamrollers

4. St. Louis Bombers

3. Toronto Huskies

2. Washington Capitols

1. Waterloo Hawks

  Quick Hits

 Concrete Reads

  • The Mavericks’ key to keeping players fresh? Blood samples [New York Times]

  • Glen Taylor deserves as much blame as Tom Thibodeau for Timberwolves' problems [Sports Illustrated]

  Podcast Pick

The most recent Open Floor podcast touches on LeBron’s GOAT comments, the 76ers in turmoil, and much more. [Sports Illustrated]

Best upcoming game

Tonight, 1/7