What percentage of our current problems do you all put on Nate?

[JayBirdHawk]

From his Indy Firing. We are experiencing the same thing.

Quote

that McMillan’s rigid offensive philosophies were “at the heart of McMillan's firing.” This was a complaint that was common from fans; year-over-year, it appeared as if the Pacers ran the same, stagnant offense that didn’t have the necessary deception or complication to be elite.

 

McMillan often encouraged his guys to take open looks, even if they were from areas that aren’t statistically efficient. That limits the ceiling of an offensive unit, even if the players are talented. Indiana has ranked near the bottom of the league in three-point attempts per game throughout McMillan’s tenure as a results of this; they traded three-point looks for mid-range shots more often than most teams.

 

The simple nature of McMillan’s sets combined with his outdated, low three-point attempt philosophy meant that the Pacers scarcely were a dangerous offensive team. The blue and gold ranked 16th, 11th, 18th, and 19th in offensive rating during the McMillan era. The bland offense was simply never good enough.

 

The McMillan years were instead defined by impressive defense and unwavering effort. The Pacers often out-worked opponents in regular season games under their former coach, which gave them an advantage. But in the postseason, when teams are giving it their all on every possession, that edge went away, making it harder for the Pacers to gain enough other advantages to win games. Without the postseason success, and other issues at play, the front office decided to go in a different direction with their head coach.

 

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Nate is a 'get guys to play hard' coach.  Doesn't know how to coach up talent to go with that.

[macdaddy]

One thing i'll say is his Pacer teams were middle of pack offensive teams which were attributed to his outdated offense.  As soon as he has a star player in Trae that outdated offense was first in the league so....Although that first has a huge * since we sucked in the fourth quarter. 

[AHF]

The other thing I'd add is that Nate's teams suffered more than their fair share of key injuries and tough playoff matchups.  You can't say they were favorites and got upset in any series.

For the Hawks offense, Nate inherited a top 10 offense and gave it more precision by slowing the pace a bit.  Last year was great in the regular season (#2 by ORTG) but with JC, Bogi, CC, etc. hurt in the post-season we really had no answers for Miami (which I don't blame Nate for since we couldn't run the PnR our offense was built around).  

This year, I am disappointed with what I've seen from our offensive design.  Obviously, we are middle of the pack in terms of ORTG so it isn't something where the design is unappealing to me but we are killing it.  The issues I have are the ones Jay quoted from media coverage in Indiana and probably none more than the amount of time we spend with Trae and DM taking turns as the primary scorer in too many 1v1 situations.  That will not age well into the post-season.

[Diesel]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

The other thing I'd add is that Nate's teams suffered more than their fair share of key injuries and tough playoff matchups.  You can't say they were favorites and got upset in any series.

For the Hawks offense, Nate inherited a top 10 offense and gave it more precision by slowing the pace a bit.  Last year was great in the regular season (#2 by ORTG) but with JC, Bogi, CC, etc. hurt in the post-season we really had no answers for Miami (which I don't blame Nate for since we couldn't run the PnR our offense was built around).  

This year, I am disappointed with what I've seen from our offensive design.  Obviously, we are middle of the pack in terms of ORTG so it isn't something where the design is unappealing to me but we are killing it.  The issues I have are the ones Jay quoted from media coverage in Indiana and probably none more than the amount of time we spend with Trae and DM taking turns as the primary scorer in too many 1v1 situations.  That will not age well into the post-season.

I agree with this... 

I don't like what we have now that we have two guys who can run the offense.   I realize that we probably won't (and shouldn't) move away from PNR.  But we need to add more to it.   More movement.  More options.  This is where I'm not satisfied. 

 Go find the old Jerry Sloan books. 

[Wretch]

After 3-4 games, I was concerned about Nate's ability to use Trae and DJM together - for all the reasons we have beat into the dirt, so I'm not going to rehash.  At the end of the day, I think this is 50/50.  I say that because I don't think this is about blame.  I've seen a good team that is just all over the spectrum in terms of efficiency and execution, with a record that speaks to the same.

We have no identity.  This used to be a problem because we didn't have a star.  Now, it's just like...we don't know which team is going to show up.  You look under the hood and there's a great machine there, but the car isn't moving as fast as it should.  Something's wrong. 

I think it's just about the fit.  There may be a generation gap both in style and attitude - who knows.  Nate's offense doesn't inspire me.  It looks one-dimensional and predictable.  It may be the players that are holding Nate's offense back or vice versa.  I can't honestly say, but I do think we would be an amazing team with Nate's leadership and the right X's and O's guy designing our offense.

Side note - I've sort of casually mentioned it over the last couple of weeks, but I have seen enough of Dejounte to say with high confidence that he's a skilled enough 3pt shooter to space the floor with Trae.

[Hawkmoor]

Nate, like Pierce before him, is in a no win situation.

[macdaddy]

Trae never liked LP.   He supported the hiring of Nate publicly.   It was said at the time that Nate's rapport with Trae was key to him getting the job permanently.   Things can change but there is a foundation there.

 

[Gray Mule]

What % do I put on Nate?

If the Hawks win - - 0%

If the Hawks lose - - 100%

That's the way it's suppost to work, isn't it?

[Diesel]

2 hours ago, Wretch said:

Nate's offense doesn't inspire me.  It looks one-dimensional and predictable.  It may be the players that are holding Nate's offense back or vice versa.  I can't honestly say, but I do think we would be an amazing team with Nate's leadership and the right X's and O's guy designing our offense.

 

The thing about Nate's offense is that it does accentuate our players.   I mean, Trae works very well in a PNR.  I don't know how Clint would score otherwise.  The problem is that when we go to the 1-5 PNR, nobody else is moving.  We have to have some motion in this offensive scheme and use it. 

If you bring in say... Snyder.   Here's what will happen...

He's going to try to make Hunter or JC the ball handler and he will run Trae off of picks trying to get him the ball going downhill. 

or

He will try a double staggered screen for Trae and run a pNR out of that (something that Nate should go back to doing).   

However, it's going to be a lot of misses that will end up bringing him back to PNR with double stagger or single stagger.

or he will do what loss him every playoff series...  Isoball.

 

[Peoriabird]

None

[Spud2nique]

53% Nate’s fault… possibly higher..

 

Sam I am!

2. Sam Cassell

There's something to be said about continuity, which is what gives Cassell a leg up on most other potential candidates for the Sixers job.

Cassell followed Rivers to Philadelphia in 2020 after spending six seasons on his staff in Los Angeles. Cassell has yet to earn a head coaching job in the NBA but during every cycle is a hot name on the interview circuit. If he were to take over in the interim, Cassell would be a familiar voice that could implement some minor changes with hopes of a different result.

[Wretch]

On 12/5/2022 at 12:51 PM, JayBirdHawk said:

From his Indy Firing. We are experiencing the same thing.

 

I don't know how I managed to miss this. 

Just wow.