Without a superstar in his corner, a winning tradition at his
back or a resume pleading a convincing case on his behalf, he is a
coach on trial with the odds stacked against him.
OAKLAND
Without a superstar in his corner, a winning tradition at his back or a resume pleading a convincing case on his behalf, he is a coach on trial with the odds stacked against him.
Given one season to impress his new employer, first-year Warriors coach Keith Smart is four months into a six-month walk on a tightrope.
Through 55 games, though, the rookie has not stumbled. To the contrary, Smart seems comfortable on the high wire, moving with assurance, exhibiting growth and promise.
More to the point, he’s doing the most potent thing any probationary employee in any line of work can do.
He’s making it hard for the new boss to justify firing him.
And it’s more than the seven wins in the last nine games, or the 17-11 record over the last 28. The numbers provide a convenient snapshot of the team’s progress and results under Smart but don’t fully convey his impact.
He has taken a dreary atmosphere and demoralized roster and pumped it with energy and spirit. He has all but erased the memory of his predecessor, Don Nelson, who spent his last two seasons detaching himself — mentally and emotionally — from the team and the demands of the job. For the first time in nearly three years, the Warriors look like a team, and no one is more responsible for that than Smart.
There remains, however, the question of whether Smart is meeting the expectations of ambitious new owner Joe Lacob. Indeed, the Warriors enter the post-All-Star portion of the season two games behind the stated goal Lacob set a month ago.
The owner wanted to see them at 28-27; they’ll be at 26-29 when they take the floor Tuesday night at Oracle Arena to face Boston.
Does 26-29 thus far translate to success for Smart? It should.
He’s coaching a roster that continues to be defined by its shortcomings, specifically the lack of size and quality depth in the backcourt, the absence of a moderately reliable low-post scoring threat and, of course, the Warriors’ seemingly congenital allergic reaction to the concepts and execution of defense.
It’s largely because of Smart’s pleas that the Warriors show flashes of defensive ability, an improvement noticeable largely because the bar for this franchise has been set so low for so long.
David Lee, the power forward acquired from New York and handed an $80 million contract, has been solid, but his impact so far is no greater than that of Antawn Jamison a decade ago. Center Andris Biedrins, as likable as he is mentally fragile, is making quite the effort to be the most disappointing player in the league.
Then there is the bench, quite frankly among the weakest in the league. That much is evident when the most anticipated subs are a rookie, Ekpe Udoh, who missed the first six weeks, and a backup point guard, Jeremy Lin, who bounces between the Warriors and the D-League.
Truth be told, the Warriors don’t have 45-win talent. They don’t even have 40-win talent, at least not in the deep and talented Western Conference. Yet Smart somehow has them believing they do.
Smart is starting his coaching career in a fashion not dramatically different from the way Doc Rivers began 11 years ago in Orlando, where he averaged 42.5 wins over his first four seasons. The Magic missed the playoffs in Doc’s rookie year, then signed a free agent named Tracy McGrady and went the next three seasons.
Rivers wasn’t a revelation. He was a solid coach who needed more players. He arrived in Boston in 2004, where he spent three seasons going nowhere — until Celtics management signed off on trades that added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
Doc’s 24-58 Celtics of 2006-07 became Doc’s 66-16 title-winning Celtics of 2007-08.
Lacob witnessed the transformation, having joined Boston’s ownership group during the ’06-07 season. That he limited to one year his initial commitment to Smart doesn’t mean Lacob didn’t believe in the coach, at least not any more than the owner’s refusal thus far means he’s committed to replacing Smart after the season.
What it means, to be fair, is that Lacob is evaluating Smart in a process that likely will, as it should, consider the full season.
Smart has been very good through 55 games. I give him a B-plus.
An A isn’t a realistic grade for any coach not on a pace to win at least 50 games or reach the playoffs — levels I’m not sure Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich or Rivers could reach with these Warriors.
To look at the Warriors coach and his roster is to plainly see the area in greatest need of an upgrade. And it’s not the coach.
— Column by Monte Pool, The Oakland Tribune
