Frank Vogel and David Blatt already had a lot to think about in the first place.
The Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, and Indiana Pacers all need a head coach. The New York Knicks’ coaching situation has not been fully or formally resolved, but Phil Jackson is carrying himself in a way which suggests that he’ll keep Kurt Rambis on board. Even then, a Memphis-Houston-Indiana triple opening represents enough of a first-world problem for anyone considering the next head coaching stop in an NBA career.
What commonality do the Grizzlies, Rockets and Pacers share? It’s this: All three franchises have reached the conference finals in the past four seasons. Not too long ago, these organizations were championship contenders.
Yes, Memphis and Houston didn’t have much of a chance in their respective conference finals appearances within the past four years, but they still climbed higher than most pundits expected. The Grizzlies and Rockets became organizations which had to be taken seriously. The Pacers made themselves into a consistent Eastern Conference presence over the past half-decade. No organization more regularly challenged LeBron James in the East than Indiana did from 2012 through 2014.
Memphis. Houston. Indiana. Among all the jobs available in the NBA, those three aren’t merely intriguing; they all carry the promise and prestige attached to organizations which have recently reached the NBA’s final four. Frank Vogel might have been fired by the Pacers, but he still had the Grizzlies and Rockets to choose from. David Blatt had the ability to consider all three options.
Two of the biggest names on the NBA coaching carousel, in an attempt to reshape their careers, had to do their homework.
Now, a wild card has been thrown into the mix. It is — on one hand — an organization which hasn’t been to the conference finals since 2010, and has endured a rather deep depression over the past several years. However, it might be the coach-less organization with the brightest future in the league. One could certainly make an argument in support of such a contention.
The organization is, of course, the Orlando Magic.
Yes, the Grizz, Rockets and Pacers might have authored deep playoff runs in more recent times, but it’s not that difficult to evaluate each franchise in negative terms.
The Grizzlies’ core is old and brittle. Memphis might not yet be ready for a reboot, but that time is approaching. It can’t be avoided forever. It will necessarily and unavoidably arrive before the end of the decade, almost certainly within the next two years. If a coach wants the Memphis job, he must know what the long-term plan will be… and if he can live with it.
The Rockets will almost certainly part with Dwight Howard. Their supporting cast regressed in a big way this past season, and the chemistry on the roster cannot be viewed in a positive light. Houston exists in a state of flux, and a prospective head coach must sort out that clutter in talks with Daryl Morey before agreeing to become the new bench boss for the franchise.
The Pacers want to play faster. Larry Bird has made that point clear. However, Bird’s inability to find the right complementary pieces for Paul George should rate as a considerable source of concern for anyone who aspires to be Indiana’s next head coach.
Warning signs, trap doors, pits of quicksand — they all exist in Memphis, Houston and Indianapolis. Even though all three teams possess star players with some miles left in their legs — Mike Conley, James Harden, and Paul George, respectively — it’s easy to see why a coach would say no to each opening.
Enter Orlando.
It’s true that the Tobias Harris trade was foolish, giving a coach reason to stay away from North Florida. However, this is still a roster with Nikola Vucevic, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, Mario Hezonja, Elfrid Payton, and more. One could credibly and realistically make the case that Orlando has more of a future in the next five years than the Grizz, Rockets and Pacers.
Frank Vogel and David Blatt faced some fascinating choices. Now they have one more to ponder.
