While the transaction market is just heating up, the NBA coaching carousel has been spinning for weeks. The group of new hires has been an interesting mix, especially if you go back to the Sacramento Kings' hiring of George Karl in February.
You've got successful college coaches moving to the pros (Billy Donovan, Fred Hoiberg), the future Hall of Famer (Karl) and a typical group of second-chancers (Alvin Gentry, Scott Skiles, Mike Malone).
All of these coaches are trying to reach the much ballyhooed "next level." The definition of that is different for every team, and let's not forget that those levels can fluctuate. But before we see how the moves work, front offices need to tweak rosters to fit the coach. In the NBA, this is typically a subtle process, as the coaches are usually deemed to be more replaceable than the players. Nevertheless, what do these teams need to do to help their new coaches succeed?
Chicago Bulls
New coach: Fred Hoiberg
What he likes: Transition offense, spacing, do-no-harm defense
The next level: Eastern Conference title
What they need: more money, veteran floor spacer
The Bulls are pretty much hamstrung by the impending restricted free agency of breakout star Jimmy Butler and existing contract agreements. Retaining Butler probably will take the max, which in his case means a salary next season around $15.8 million. That would push the Bulls' cap number to upwards of $78 million for nine players, including veteran Kirk Hinrich, who has a player option for $2.85 million. Just filling out the roster would push Chicago perilously close to the tax line that the organization has generally been reluctant to cross. That also leaves precious little money to re-sign veteran floor spacer Mike Dunleavy. Barring a salary-clearing trade of one of Chicago's big men, Hoiberg will have to improve the results with what's already on hand. Or owner Jerry Reinsdorf can extend into tax territory, but for now we'll assume that's not an option.
There are worse fates than the status quo, as the Bulls have one of the league's best rosters. They can hope for a second-year leap from Doug McDermott to fill Dunleavy's role. And Hoiberg will bring his uptempo brand of hoops to shore up the offense. For all of this to work, which in Chicago's case means advancing farther than Tom Thibodeau took them, the defense has to remain on par with past performance.
That's not Hoiberg's forte, but he might already have compensated by hiring former Spurs assistant Jim Boylen as his associate head coach and presumed defensive coordinator. Boylen preaches a similar brand of defense as Thibodeau, with an emphasis at cutting off the lane and protecting the corners while underscoring an almost manic need to hit the defensive glass. It looks like the Bulls could have a drama-free summer, unless the front office shakes up the roster with a trade. Right now, it's all about installing Hoiberg's system and getting Derrick Rose ready to play a full season.
New Orleans Pelicans
New coach: Alvin Gentry
What he likes: free-flowing offense
The next level: a playoff series win
What they need: bring back Asik or a legit 3
Gentry was busy helping the Warriors win a championship as one of Steve Kerr's assistants, so we don't know for sure if he's going to install an offensive system similar to the one he oversaw in Phoenix or like what Golden State runs. Either way, he needs shooters on offense, especially a wing with length who can guard small forwards. Gentry also has reportedly tabbed former Warriors assistant Darren Erman to shore up the Pelicans' shoddy point prevention. Like Boylen, Erman also is an advocate of the Thibodeau school of defense, which makes you wonder how it might fit with what we envision Gentry doing on the offensive end.
It also might play into the key decision of the offseason: Whether to re-sign center Omer Asik. Asik was arguably the most important member of New Orleans' defense, if only because of the rim protection and board helped he provided for Anthony Davis. At the same time, New Orleans' defensive unit simply wasn't very good. Keeping Asik eats up New Orleans' potential cap room, and the Pellies need to finally fill its longstanding need for a legitimate 3. That was true before Gentry was hired, and it's especially true now. Can they do that and keep Asik?
Oklahoma City Thunder
New coach: Billy Donovan
What he likes: defensive pressure, ball movement
The next level: winning it all
What they need: cheap veteran playmaker
Donovan will bring a different spin to a Thunder team hoping to make a championship run during the final season of Kevin Durant's contract. That's not to say Durant is going anywhere, but nevertheless OKC should be approaching this season as if he might. After last season's in-season additions of Enes Kanter, Dion Waiters and Kyle Singler, the Thunder have a win-now roster that can play just about any way Donovan wants.
Hallmarks of his style at Florida included consistent ball movement on offense and the high-percentage shots that went with the successful execution of that approach. According to kenpom.com, half of Donovan's 14 Gator squads ranked in the top 10 nationally in effective field-goal percentage. At the same time, Donovan was usually able to adapt his philosophies according to the talent on hand.
We can expect the Thunder to be an in-your-face defensive team that tries to get out and run. We can expect a more ball-sharing approach than we were used to under Scott Brooks. OKC has a fully stocked roster, a mid-first rounder in the upcoming draft and an expensive payday coming up for restricted free agent Kanter. You'd like to see general manager Sam Presti find a way to wriggle a veteran playmaker out of the minimum-salary market for the bench, but most of what seems new to Thunder fans next season will be what Donovan brings to the table.
Orlando Magic
New coach: Scott Skiles
What he likes: defense and discipline
The next level: a run at .500
What they need: shot blocker
The Magic finished 27th in offensive efficiency last season and have ranked in the bottom four on that end three seasons running. But Orlando also fell to 25th on defense, and given what we know about Skiles in past stops, this is where we will see the initial bulk of his attention. Fortunately, he's already got a lot to work with. His young core of Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo and Aaron Gordon all have the raw tools to become top defenders. And Mo Harkless himself has declared a desire to become an all-league specialist on that end. But while Nikola Vucevic is a skilled center whom the Magic have locked up for the foreseeable future, the roster really needs a veteran rim protector behind him. That will be especially true if the Magic end up with Kristaps Porzingis with the fifth pick in the draft.
You can make a case Willie Cauley-Stein might be the better target, but the Magic are still at the point where they have to target their top-evaluated player instead of drafting for need. Besides, it might take a veteran butt-kicker to help Skiles install the defensive mentality he needs from all these young pieces. Still, there are some young shot blockers who might be interesting, like Ekpe Udoh and Charlotte restricted free agent Bismack Biyombo.
A lot of teams will salivate over the rapidly improving Biyombo. Alas, the Hornets' miracle jettisoning of Lance Stephenson to the Clippers via trade might have freed up enough money for them to keep him. But if Charlotte isn't willing to over-invest in Biyombo, the Magic are in a position where they can afford to overpay, to an extent.
Sacramento Kings
New coach: George Karl
What he likes: Pressure on both ends of the floor
The next level: Playoff contention
What they need: veteran point guard
Since former Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro returned to Denver and current head of basketball operations Vlade Divac -- largely out of the league for a decade -- has pretty much zero front office experience, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Kings. Who is calling the shots? Who is qualified to do so? This is not the time of the year to be asking these questions about a team's front office.
Sacramento has the makings of a decent offensive team. Built around DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, Karl's Kings play fast and are the best foul-drawing team in the league. Young guards Nik Stauskas and Ben McLemore offer hope of legitimate 3-point threats who also have some waggle to their games.
The defense fell off under Karl, who focused on offensive improvement initially, but that could be helped via the draft if the Kings end up with Cauley-Stein. The offense coughed the ball up far too often, and you'd like to see a veteran playmaker come in to take charge of the attack. And Karl teams feast on turnovers. So, yeah, this is yet another suggestion that the Kings kick the tires on Rajon Rondo, who might not have many other options.
Denver Nuggets
New coach: Mike Malone
What he likes: defense
The next level: Out of the middle, either direction
What they need: wing defender
It's easy to pick on the Nuggets, who announced the hiring of former Kings coach Mike Malone on Monday. As Kevin Pelton wrote, the decision is problematic for a team that plays its home games in Colorado. Nuggets basketball is fast-paced and, at its best, puts pressure on opponents on both ends of the floor. Does that mean it's impossible for the Nuggets to win with a low-risk defense and slowish offense? No. If you get the right personnel, any team can win that way. The mistake comes in that bringing in someone who does not echo the frenzied playing styles of past Denver coaches like Doug Moe and Karl undermines the inherent advantages of playing at high altitude.
These are not aesthetic preferences, though the best Denver teams have been a gas to watch. The Nuggets have now spent 39 seasons in the NBA. They've won at least one playoff series in just eight of those seasons -- four under Moe, two under Larry Brown and once each under Karl and Dan Issel. The common denominators on those top Denver teams: Overwhelming home success, fast pace of play and pressure-based defense. The Nuggets elite eight won 80 percent of their home games and finished seventh or better in tempo all eight times. They finished in the top seven in forcing turnovers in five of those seasons, including four in the top two. That's the formula in Denver.
Perhaps Malone will elect to push the tempo, --and he says he will -- but his defensive system is unlikely to change. The Kings finished 25th in forcing turnovers under Malone last season and were dead last when he was fired last December. During Malone's last season as an assistant in Golden State -- just two years ago -- the Warriors were 28th in opposing turnover rate. Golden State was seventh in that category under Steve Kerr and his staff this season.
A lot of coaches, and Malone seems to be one, believe you can't win in the NBA by emphasizing turnovers. NBA players are too good for you to overplay the passing lanes, and if you gamble, you end up out of position. It's a justifiable set of preferences, and one that has proven especially successful over the last decade or so. However, you can also win at the highest level by forcing turnovers if the circumstances warrant it, as the Golden State Warriors proved all season. Can you imagine what the Warriors would have done to teams playing at high altitude?
Anyhow, the Nuggets ranked 26th in the league on defense last season, and Malone should help that. However, he could use a wing defender to help that cause while he hopes that Gary Harris develops quickly from a shaky first pro season.