NATE MAC to coach portland RAY ALLEN STILL AVAILABLE ?

[PIP]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2101994

thank god ray's contract is verbal

Former Seattle SuperSonics head coach Nate McMillan is the new head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. ESPN.com Insider Chad Ford reports that McMillan agreed to a five-year contract.

McMillan will be introduced at an afternoon press conference Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

McMillan was believed to be the Blazers' No. 1 choice all along, with the team also talking to former Blazers player and Bucks ex-coach Terry Porter and Phoenix assistant Marc Iavaroni.

The Blazers appeared close to offering the job to Iavaroni in late June, with the caveat that they first wanted a shot at luring McMillan away from the SuperSonics. The New York Times reported Sunday that Portland is offering McMillan an annual salary of $6 million.

McMillan had been given a deadline by the Sonics to decide his coaching future by the middle of this week.

McMillan had served as Sonics coach since November of 2000, building a 212-183 record in Seattle.

This past season, he led the Sonics to a 52-30 record and a Northwest Division championship. The Sonics made it to the Western Conference semifinals before losing to the eventual NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.

 

[joma]

i posted it in nba section already but


so can Ray allen back out of his verbal agreement?

 

[Mac]

He hasnt signed anything, and the coach being there was probably a big choice in the matter.

Hopefully he re-considers our offer.

 

[Glen Infante]

Well nothing is in paper yet. So I do believe he can back out of his verbal agreement. That's what Boozer did.

 

[ChicagoCavFan]

A win-win for us - Flip may go to Seattle now, leaving Redd available because maybe he wanted him. If not, maybe Allen bolts because he thought Nate would stay. I love uncertainty. Chad Ford's connection just died on espn.

 

[Karma]

Surely Cleveland were his second choice.

 

[RichOne]

nate is on the same level as boozer with this move. played his whole career with seattle. only knows seattle and now he bolts for the money after his star player agrees to stay. i would be irate if i was supersonics fan...

 

[RichOne]

all this news about jj receiving less than max offer. now maybe allen wont be with supersonics makes me think if ferry and gilbert are out to eat with redd and watch sports center. see new news. look at redd and act like they are going to the bathroom to get on cell phone to see if allen changes his mind or if johnson could be had. my mind changes daily on who the cavs should pick.

 

[Glen Infante]

Yeah really. I thought Nate was very loyal to the SuperSonics, especially after making it deep into the playoffs. Now he has to play "Coach Carter" and try to straighten up this Blazer team.

 

[TheAdmin]

Ray Allen and Nate McMillan never really got along. The day after Ray Allen verbally commits Mr. Sonic takes another job.

That sounds like to me that part of the reason Ray resigned is he was assured Nate wouldn't be back as head coach.

 

[joma]

yea i was just watching espn news. They were saying ray never had a strong relationship with nate. i doubt this will change rays mind.

 

[E-Light]

Don't get your hopes up fella's. There's been rumors nate mcmillan and ray allen didn't get along, and so with ray allen agreeing to resigned, mcmillan moved on.

 

[Karma]

Oh well. Nate must enjoy a challenge. Will be interesting to see who the Sonics secure as coach.

***Focus reverts back to Redd***

 

[LyXo]

Ray Allen and Nate McMillan never really got along. The day after Ray Allen verbally commits Mr. Sonic takes another job.

That sounds like to me that part of the reason Ray resigned is he was assured Nate wouldn't be back as head coach.

Is it true or is it speculation? This is a recent article (May 17th) regarding the playoff series:

Article

Judging from what is written there, it seems that they have a fairly good relationship.

I've been reading around the news a lot: once Ray Allen verbally agreed, nearly every sports writer and journalist pinned Nate McMillan as a lock to return.

Ray Allen should have liked McMillan as a coach. Ray is a bit of a slacker on defense, so Nate's defensive approach might have caused conflict. But they salvaged and got along, as Nate brought out the best in Allen this season. All-star selection, career high scoring, and Northwest division title. Why would Allen want a change? Start with a new coach that might not even mesh as well? Ray wants to win, and Nate should be the coach that would fit into the mold and provide the most success.

Nate's return would be one of great expectation. High salary needs to yield high return. He's been in the organization for longer than anyone can remember. It would be the perfect scenario for him, especially since his star player was re-signed. What was holding him back. Sure, the 10+ million was enticing. Money is usually the most important reason. But there might be a grain of truth to what he's saying: a new direction.

Think about it: there were 9 players with expiring contracts in Seattle at the beginning of the season. Nate was about to get released/fired if he didn't produce, and he knew it. He experimented, to much success. He, along with the other 9 players, were playing for new, large contracts, wherever it may be. He figured that the extra effort was put in by each player and personnel because of the money; he probably feared that he wouldn't be able to repeat the same success. Didn't seem likely. So, why stay and sink down when you can bolt, get more money, and have less pressure from the management? Seattle probably wouldn't win much more anyway, as all the players would either bolt or re-sign and achieve less than this season.

Ray Allen, on the other hand, is in his prime and is on the brink of winding down. He wants to win, no matter where. He saw the success bred from last season and wanted to continue it. He knew he was the most important piece in the puzzle. So maybe he wanted to make the decision much easier for everyone by agreeing to the contract, in hopes that all the pieces could be retained, Nate McMillan included. Besides, I'm sure he should have recognized that it was McMillan's genious experimentation that changed everything.

Would he sign because he was assured McMillan was going to bolt? I don't know man, that seems fishy. Wouldn't you want to know who your coach would be before you play for a team? Maybe it will be Saunders, maybe Iavaroni, or maybe some no-name past-assistant that could work or could not. Or maybe Paul Silas. But that big question mark is too large to ignore. The very thing that melded everything together last season is gone with potential disaster in the future.

Ray wants to win. Now that McMillan is gone, then you can say goodbye to half of Seattle's free agents. Let's hope Ray wants to win and have him change addresses to America's heartland.