Nate-a-Claus is Coming to Town
One of the parting gifts I received as I was moving from Seattle to Portland was a Blazers hat. The people who gave me the hat meant well. They're nice folks who by their gesture were trying to say, "Portland is home for you now," even though I was thinking to myself, "There's a better chance of finding Jerry Fallwell sipping gin and tonics at a poker tournament in Vegas than of me wearing that hat." I was relieved when I tried the hat on and found out it was too big.
But now I'm second guessing myself. If Nate McMillan can pledge allegiance to the Trailblazers, why can't I? Sure they're the Jailblazers. Sure they were 27-55 last season, their worst record in 31 years. Sure the most exciting thing that happens in the Rose Garden when the Blazers are in town is when those creepy guy cheerleaders come out and shoot t-shirts into the crowd with air guns and water balloon launchers.
The Sonics really blew it on this one. Not only did they lose the heart and soul of their franchise, but he wound up in Portland, donning the black and red of their rival to the south. And I can't help but sense the excitement people in Portland must be feeling tonight. Treehuggers are dancing up and down Hawthorne Street. Women with Birks and hairy armpits are raising pints of Bridgeport IPA, celebrating the arrival of a new day in town. Anti-war protestors are setting down their "George W. Bush is a Moron" signs and are lining up at barber shops to get the Nate McMillan flat-top hairdo. This is big stuff in a town where the summer's biggest sports story is the finish of the Seattle to Portland bike ride. November can't come soon enough in the Rose City.
I wonder if it's too late to return that Blazers cap for a smaller size...
But now I'm second guessing myself. If Nate McMillan can pledge allegiance to the Trailblazers, why can't I? Sure they're the Jailblazers. Sure they were 27-55 last season, their worst record in 31 years. Sure the most exciting thing that happens in the Rose Garden when the Blazers are in town is when those creepy guy cheerleaders come out and shoot t-shirts into the crowd with air guns and water balloon launchers.
The Sonics really blew it on this one. Not only did they lose the heart and soul of their franchise, but he wound up in Portland, donning the black and red of their rival to the south. And I can't help but sense the excitement people in Portland must be feeling tonight. Treehuggers are dancing up and down Hawthorne Street. Women with Birks and hairy armpits are raising pints of Bridgeport IPA, celebrating the arrival of a new day in town. Anti-war protestors are setting down their "George W. Bush is a Moron" signs and are lining up at barber shops to get the Nate McMillan flat-top hairdo. This is big stuff in a town where the summer's biggest sports story is the finish of the Seattle to Portland bike ride. November can't come soon enough in the Rose City.
I wonder if it's too late to return that Blazers cap for a smaller size...
posted by Small Fish at 11:06 PM
4 Comments:
I don't believe the Sonics blew it. They gave him a very good offer, would have put him in the top 5 of NBA coaches salaries. This deal will put him at #2 behind Phil Jackson. I think there are better coaches that will make less that Nate.
It's the perfect storm, the Sonics came off an incredible season, Nate was a free agent and there was one owner will to pay boat loads of money. This is very similar to the A-Rod deal. Where the M's dumb not to counter the $250M offer Hicks gave Pay-Rod? No. Nor are the Sonics dumb for not matching the $30M deal Nate got.
Sure I wish Dwayne Casey was still around to take the whistle from Nate, but he isn't.
Prior to the start of last year, if the Sonic head coach wasn't named Nate McMillian, people would have been calling for him job last summer. We need to remember that less Brent Barry and plus Danny Fortson, this was the same team that won 39 games the prior year, with the same coach.
As much as I think Nate is a good coach, I think the biggest difference in the two teams was the leadership Ray Allen took, this team became his and he put his stamp on it.
Nate gets $6M a year to deal with clowns like Zach Randolph and Ruben Patterson.
I think it was a deal that Paul Allen had to make to help rebuild the face of the team, and he can afford it.
The NBA is a superstar league, coaches help, but at the end of the day, it is your personnel. The Supes have it, the Blazers don't
One final note, Steve Kelly is Clown with a keyboard. His last two articles dealt with Nate, Sunday and Today.
His writing style is what I would expect from a supermarket tabloid. All about the headlines, shock and awe, Clown with a keyboard.
2 questions for you...
1. Who are the "better coaches" you're referring to?
2. What personnel are you referring to? The Sonics, contrary to what you say, are a team not made up of superstars but rather one excellent player (Ray Allen) and a bunch of guys who know their roles. Teams like that rely heavily on their coaches, in my opinion.
I agree with your comment about Steve Kelley. I think he says things sometimes that are irresponsible and purely for shock factor. Blaine Newnham is much better.
Better Coachs include:
* Greg Popavich
* Rick Carlisle
* Larry Brown
* George Karl
* Jerry Sloan
I don't think the Sonics have a bunch of superstars, though I think as a group, their personnel is much better.
I would not trade the core of Allen, Vlad, Collison, Lewis, Luke for Randolph, Telfair and Webster. Did I miss anyone on the Blazers?
Don't get me wrong, I think Nate did a great job of coaching the Sonics last year. Likewise, I think he had a great staff, and will be without one of his best generals in Casey - who I think the Sonics would have loved to have given the job to.
I just don't think he is a top 5 NBA coach yet and because of that the Sonics were right not to have offered him a contract accordingly.
It will be interesting to see how he fares in the Rose City.
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