Coach Scott is the REAL DEAL

[abraxas]

After 5 painful years second-guessing and literally screaming at Mike Brown (on the TV), I can't say enough how impressed I am with the job Coach Scott is doing thus far. I don't know what will happen in the future - if the stories out of NJ and NO are true in terms of pissing both vets and rookies off and teams quitting on him - but at this point he's doing nearly everything right...from how he talks to the media to in-game adjustments and rotations to his approach to the game to maximizing the potential of the group of players he has.

Case in point. Many of you, myself included, have been head-scratching about Jawad getting so much burn...with MB, this would've lasted indefinitely. Scott gave Jawad several chances and finally gave Graham a shot, and I'm assuming he'll ride him until he needs to change. Also, inserting Manny last night was the right move at the right time. He lets his players run and especially when they're on a good run he doesn't pull them just to balance the minutes. He can feel the game and makes changes when the movement shifts. He sat JJ at the end of the game last night which made total sense in terms of the flow of the game.

You can also see it in the way he engages with the players during the game. He really knows what it's like to be out there, what they need both in terms of positive support and kick-in-the-ass challenges. He can blast someone like JJ in the media and just days later give him credit for stepping it up (i.e., no dog-houses).

I could go on...but I just thought it'd be an interesting thread to see what other folks on here think about the job Coach Scott's doing thus far.

 

[Gunther]

I agree with everything you said, and I'll add to it that Jamison's days of pouting at the beginning of the season did not seem to last long. The Coach must have had meaningful dialogue with him. Not that Jamison has been a problem child in his career, but he did have a little phase of feeling sorry for himself. Now he at least seems motivated.

It has also been fun for me to watch the team play more of a "pure" game by moving, passing the ball and relying on their basketball instincts more. So far, Coach Scott has exceeded my expectations.

 

[Pyro]

We finally have three coaches in town (Scott, Mangini, Acta) who get it.

 

[Obawan12]

As oppose to being the fake deal...

 

[wuck]

Well, we could talk about his third-quarter woes....but given the talent he has been dealt, I too like what Scott is doing and how he carries himself.

This is the first time in a long time that the team seems to be led by its coach, rather than having the players run the place. Of course, that's partly because of the current players' talent level and personalities, but when I think of the face of the Cavs right now, it seems to be Scott (with Gilbert looming in the background) and not any individual player. I think he's the right coach at this moment. I also appreciate that his encounters with reporters are informative and interesting--not the same thing repeated every single time.

Now if he could get the Cavs to play better interior defense, and if we had more talent to work with, well, that would be something to see.

 

[tn819]

I will be interested to see how Byron Scott and Chris Grant form the team over the next few years. I have to think that a better wing (a given since all of ours suck), a pure distributor at the point guard (see Jason Kidd, Chris Paul), and an athletic post-oriented center (see Tyson Chandler) will be the next three priorities whether through draft or trade. I believe these will be acquired because Scott has a vision for the team in his mind, and these are the pieces our team clearly needs. I am no great basketball mind, but I am sure other fans will concur.
Another interesting thing about Scott is the regret fans and critics had over his firing. In both cases, his firing really seemed to be an ownership based decision based on unrealistic expectations given the talent level present. When you read these articles, it becomes clear that Byron Scott has both a lot to prove, and has been screwed over by ownership with unrealistic expectations:
http://sportschump.net/2009/11/16/new-orleans-hornets-nest-the-firing-of-byron-scott/2260/
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0CE4DB1739F932A15757C0A96E9C8B63&ref=byron_scott

New Jersey and New Orleans quickly realized that his firing was not going to improve their championship prospects. With the players they had those goals were simply unrealistic, but in both cases Scott was the casualty. What does this mean for the Cavaliers? Well, we could not have picked a better man for the job. I think Scott's attitude fits this team and this city perfectly. We will see the results only after a couple of years, which I hope and believe Dan Gilbert will allow for. I also think that given Scott's history, he chose the Cavs because of the management and ownership, which in NJ and NO was a major problem and prevented him from getting to the promised land of a championship. The championship is clearly his only motivation. I think he understands that with Grant and Danny "Comic Sans" Gilbert he has solid financial backing and the freedom to put his imprint on the team. The team we have in place now will pay dividends in the future. The little moves like Scott calling out Hickson, getting Antawn back on board, altering his rotation and riding guys who give damn have me quite optimistic. I won't change my original prediction of 35 wins at this point because I am not so optimistic about this season, but I like the direction this organization is heading in. I guess like a typical Cleveland fan I am watching the team passionately this year, but really waiting for next year...

 

[AvonCavsFan]

I believe Scott has done a good job overall. I still don't get NBA coaches and their rotations at all. At times I am wondering how he could possibly put the combo on the floor that he has. I really want to see Hollins and AV play a few minutes a night together. Mainly when we need to protect a lead, I think our defense would be better. Also not sure why it took so long to stop playing Jawad, it was painfully apparent 4 games ago that Jawad did not deserve to play.

And as I said I don't get NBA coaches. The other night against the 76ers, Thadeus was KILLING us (I know a lot of people are happy Jamison has made a few buckets..but every team goes right at him on the other end and normally with very good success..Young blew right by him time after time). The only thing that could stop him was Doug Collins...and what do you know, he sits him for a pretty long stretch in the 4th. Thank you, Doug.

 

[Connor]

I personally miss Mike Brown's defense, maybe not his character, but his defense. It wasn't just Lebron that won us all those games over the years, its was MB's D.

 

[sjeppe]

I don't miss one thing about MB, im sorry but his lack of offense / adjustments were not enough to make me miss his D.

 

[gregdawg]

yes...i can't say enough about how awesome it is to have a coach that doesn't base all of his rotations off of a pre-determined "minute sheet." I honestly believe Mike Brown may be mildly retarded. The guy had no eye for talent and no sense of what players to put on the floor - he was a dim bulb - a nitwit.

Byron Scott makes all the right decisions - He has yet to frustrate me in any way. He does everything right, from calling out players for poor performance, to picking good rotations, to strategy, to player development...give Byron Scott a 10 year contract...we need to keep this guy as long as possible. Byron knows how to recognize talent - he knows who his best players are and those are the guys who get the minutes. He bases his rotations on performance. If a guy plays well, he gets more minutes. he plays poorly, het gets less minutes - it's a simple concept, but Mike Brown couldn't grasp it.

You can really tell Byron knows the game. You can see him constantly talking to players and teaching them during games - he's always pointing out their mistakes and working to improve them. I always got the impression that Mike Brown knew very little about basketball - he just repeated the same generic sayings over an over again and somehow convinced people that he knew something....Mike Brown punked Dan Gilbert. That's why you never take a chance on an inexperience coach who doesn't come from the NBA. All the best coaches have high pedigrees - they played in the NBA and they know the game inside and out. Mike Brown was an unqualified bum who was given the keys to the castle. It's always best to hire a guy who has coached at least a few seasons in the NBA so you have a sampling to judge his ability.

 

[JAY1977]

MB had a better roster and size for his defensive schemes. Coach Scott has done really well with this team that had no idenity and was crushed by the summer of Lebum at the begining of the season.
If MB had this roster we would be 2-8 right now.

 

[The Voice]

He let Jawad play too long IMHO.

 

[Brizzle]

He seems to be a really good teacher. I love the way he interacts with Boobie during the game. You can tell he really wants him to be good and he seems to be always teaching or giving him tips.

I always crack up though when JJ does something stupid. Coach Scott is usually stoic but more than a few times already I've seen him be visibly flustered with JJ. The camera has picked him up saying "JJ you have got to be kidding me...you can't be serious with that BS." It's even more entertaining when I've gotten to sit near the bench at the games. The assistants seem pretty active in teaching and leading too.

Since I guess they have no intentions on rebuilding right away I can't wait until we get another piece in here. It'll be exciting to see what he can do with a more talented team this time around.

 

[Jon]

Scott seems to be a very solid coach, but while our pace has improved it's still just 19th in the league (same as MB got out of the team his first two years), our defense has slipped to 14th, and so far the new offense isn't coming close to making up for the absence of James (25th).

Jawad may have been the low hanging fruit on the team - what with Graham sitting on the bench and getting 0 minutes, but what about Parker? Did you guys forget all the complaining you've been doing about continuing to see him on the floor? So far Scott has been just like MB in that he trusts his veterans and prefers height, but is willing to go small off the bench.

As for teaching, I'm sure we'll see a difference there - but it'll be more in what they teach. Mike was more about defensive instruction.

btw, Bernie Kosar was on WKNR yesterday talking about his career (does he have a book coming out?), and he mentioned his relationship with his coaches, and said even as a rookie in the NFL - he felt he was farther ahead offensively than the staff and would often just blow them off and call what he wanted on the field. At the end of the season he blew up and apparently got the offensive staff fired? I guess that explains why a control freak like Bellicheck couldn't put up with him, but it just goes to show how much star players do call the shots even in the NFL, and how little coaches can control it. That is unless they're willing to pull a Bellicheck and get run out of town.

 

[Chardon]

Ill wait until All Star break to hold my judgment.