Mid-term Coaching Grades - WEST

Dallas Mavericks, Avery Johnson: A
The Mavs are playing great ball, right on the heels of the Spurs with a
record of 29-10. That means they are one game out of home court
advantage for the playoffs. And that is huge for Dallas. Lil' Man
Avery has them playing tougher and leaner. Dirk is now in "not to be
fucked with" territory. Also, they have the best road record in the NBA
next to the Pistons.

Denver Nuggets, George Karl: C+
Karl is a real Jekyl & Hyde. One minute he seems smart, the next minute
he seems like a moron. Last season he was a "genius" but this season he
has been, well, bearable. The Nuggets played above their heads last
season and are underperforming this season. Karl has not figured out
how to combat the injuries properly nor has he addressed the shooting
guard dilemma firmly. But he's doing alright. The shitty division
helps him, too.

Golden State Warriors, Mike Montgomery: C
The Warriors were the "hot" pre-season pick for some but no coach is
going to change the essence of that squad easily. Still, Montgomery has
been unable to get wins from a squad with good talent. In his defense,
I do not think Baron Davis or Jason Richardson are "winners" at all, and
changing their styles is impossible. But he needs to play better role
players and instill a sense of urgency. Fast.

Houston Rockets, Jeff Van Gundy: F
Admit it, he sucks as a coach right now. His style and stringent
approach to the game is not right for the Rockets or really the NBA
anymore. Yes, injuries have not helped but with Yao and McGrady, this
team still underperformed. Basketball is not football-- every play
should not be controlled by the coach. 3-13 at home? Shit, my 7th
grade hoop coach could get more wins. A lousy, lousy job.

LA Clippers, Mike Dunleavy: B+
The Clippers have been doing it. The rotation has been solid, the
players have been balling in roles that work for them, and the Clips
have the wins to show for it. The Maggette situation (always injured,
not a team player) is still there, as is the Livingston experiment (he
does not help the team when on the floor but he has to learn sometime)
but Dunleavy has kept it all together.

LA Lakers, Phil Jackson: B
Maybe Kobe should be listed as the coach because Phil cannot do much
except watch Kobe go off each night. Phil is not the master anymore
because, surprise, Jordan or Shaq is not on his team. But he lets his
team play and does not get too involved, which is wise with Kobe & Co.
Say this, I would not want to face the Lakers in the playoffs. So give
Jackson some credit.

Memphis Grizzlies, Mike Fratello: A-
The Grizz are winning: one the road, in tight games and with injuries.
Fratello, with his bizarre dyed hair that is strikingly gay, has been
the coach to finally let Pau be the man. If he just developed a
functioning center to deal with Western big men, he would be an A+.

Minnesota Timberwolves, Dwane Casey: C
Does anyone even know anything about this guy? He is so under the radar
he must be a genius! Look, the T-Wolves have Garnett and garbage. So
playing .500 ball in the Western Conference is not so bad, is it? But
Casey has handled the center position horribly and is faced with the
problem that Jaric and Hudson, now both playing OK, are at the same
position.

Oklahoma City Hornets, Byron Scott: A-
Wow. I'm not sure how Scott went from being voted as the worst NBA
coach 2 years ago by NBA players to getting this wreck of a team to
.500, in the Western Conference no less. So give them man his due. He
has played Chris Paul to be the man and basically scrapped his way with
NBA journeymen who can ball when given the chance.

Phoenix Suns, Mike D'Antoni: A
Uh, yeah, the guy can coach. The anti-Van Gundy: his team scores, moves
the ball, and wins. With supposedly limited talent. How many other
teams could turn Boris Diaw and Eddie House into studs? It is a joy to
watch his team play basketball.

Portland Trail Blazers, Nate McMillan: C-
Poor Nate, I hope Paul Allen's money was worth it. Sure, Portland is a
hodepodge of talent but some key pieces are there to form an OK club
(see the Bucks or Hornets for how to do it right). But McMillan has
been tinkering too much for his own good. Injuries have hurt but
spreading out all the minutes has given this team no identity or
reliable forces. Weak.

Sacramento Kings, Rock Adelman: C-
Maybe it's just been too long. Maybe it's just time to move on. The
Kings have been in a slow downward spiral ever since losing Game 7 to
the Lakers in 2002. Adelman now has less overall talent but many key
pieces. The players are bitching, the losses are piling up at home, and
the Kings are struggling to make the playoffs.

San Antonio Spurs, Greg Popovich: A
The Spurs are a machine right now. Parker is coming into his own in a
major way, the well-known reserves are doing as asked, and Duncan is
Duncan. The Ginobili floundering (start or 6th man?) needs to stop and
the center position is still a joke. But that won't stop the Spurs.

Seattle Sonics, Bob Hill: D+
Well, so much for Walt Weiss. He earned a "D" anyway. Bob Hill is not
much better. How another over-the-hill coach with a spotty record gets
another head coaching job is typical NBA ownership stupidity. Hill has
tried to fix the line-up and failed. And he was exposed as a joker when
Ray Allen was suspended for 3 games, and Hill's squad lost all 3 games
by an average of 18 points. Next!

Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan: B
Sloan is a tough motherfucker. The Jazz are in the thick of it because
he has them balling well. AK-47 and Boozer still miss tons of games but
the Jazz are winning, not losing like last year. His team is playing
hard and beating teams they really should not defeat.