Yesterday the New York Knicks made the wise decision to sign Mike Woodson to a reported multiyear deal. Woodson took over the Knicks mid-season after Head Coach Mike D'Antoni resigned with 24 games to go. Woodson took over the reigns of a very talented yet very dysfunctional Knicks team that was struggling to garner any kind of chemistry leading into the post season. Woodson went 18-6 in those final 24 games and in doing so, got the respect of his star players Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler.
Prior to this decision it was rumored that the Knicks were going to look around at some of the top free agent head coaches. Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan were two early names mentioned, but apparently Knicks' GM Glen Grunwald decided not to pursue anyone else and instead go with Woodson who clearly earned the job.
Coach Woodson finished out the year with New York losing in five games to the two seeded Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference First Round. A Knicks club that was treading water with 24 games left, responded to Woodson's coaching and clinched the seventh seed in the East. A very respectable finish given the circumstances Woodson inherited.
Now Grunwald reportedly didn't even contact Jackson or Sloan. Surprising, but now that has lead to the subject of this entry. Who are the top free agent head coaches available right now? For all intent and purposes let's keep Phil Jackson out of these rankings only because he has not given any intention that he wants to get back into coaching. Plus he would be the clear number one free agent head coach, no contest.
Here we go.
1) Nate McMillan: McMillan had spent the last seven seasons in Portland until he was fired by the club mid-season. He has a career record of 478-452 at the helm. McMillan began his head coaching career in 2000 when he took control of the Seattle SuperSonics from Paul Westphal. In 2005 McMillan surprisingly left his beloved Sonics and headed down I-5 to Portland where he was tasked with turning around the then nicknamed "Jail Blazers." McMillan is one of the most respected coaches in the league and quickly made Portland a respected franchise again after his arrival. McMillan demands a lot from his players, but during his time in Portland he helped guide a young and always injury plagued Blazers squad to the post season three times in six full seasons. Maybe Portland Needed a change at head coach, but in doing so they let one of the best go. Coach Nate wants to coach again soon and he would fit well with the Clippers (if available).
2) Jerry Sloan: At age 70 Sloan still wants to coach and who can blame him. He has a career record of 1,221-803. Sloan was the longest tenured head coach with the same team until he resigned from the Utah Jazz last season where he spent the last 23 seasons. Sloan is the master of the "pick and roll" offense and like McMillan demands a lot of his players on both ends of the court. The one big thing missing from Sloan's resume is an NBA Championship. He joins Don Nelson as the only NBA head coach with a 1,000 plus wins to not have won an NBA Title. This clearly does not make Sloan a bad coach. He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and racked up over a 1,000 wins in one of the most difficult markets to attract free agents, (Salt Lake City). Sloan began his coaching career in the NBA with the Bulls in 1979 and wants to keep going in 2012. He recently interviewed for the Bobcats opening, but has not had an offer from them yet. Coach Sloan would fit nicely with the Trail Blazers (if it becomes available) and would give him the best chance to win a title. Imagine Sloan's "pick and roll" offense with Lamarcus Aldridge and possibly Austin Rivers next season.
3) Stan Van Gundy: Coming an off an indefensible firing by the Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy is an interesting free agent head coach. He has a career record of 371-208. Van Gundy is a gamer. He made Orlando's offense unique by surrounding All-Star Center Dwight Howard with three point shooters. Van Gundy has gotten a bad rap as of late especially following the press conference with Magic's CEO Alex Martins. Apparently Van Gundy was hard to get along with if you were a front office executive, but the reality is that Van Gundy helped turn Howard into a special player and guided a mediocre Magic team to the 2009 NBA Finals. Van Gundy can coach and he would be a good fit for the Bobcats. If Charlotte can land Anthony Davis in the draft and continue to build around some of their young talent. Van Gundy would be the guy long term to help turn that organization around.
4) Stephen Silas: My Wild Card to make the top five lands at number four. This might be a stretch, but Stephen Silas is ready to be a head coach in the NBA. Silas, the son son of long time Head Coach Paul Silas, has over 10 years of NBA experience. He first began his coaching career as an assistant under his father with the Charlotte Hornets and had a lot to do with developing a young Baron Davis during his time in the Queen City. He also coached in Golden State under Hall of Famer Don Nelson and this past season was an assistant yet again under his father in Charlotte. The Magic would be a good spot for him to begin his head coaching career. If Dwight Howard stays he would love Silas. Potentially Silas appears to be a players coach and his fresh game plan could help motivate Howard and the Magic back into relevance. Plus, a roster that is loaded with perimeter players only helps Silas; as he has coached up a lot over his 10 years in the league.
5) Mike D'Antoni: Although he dropped the ball in New York, the Knicks didn't do him any favors when they traded for Carmelo Anthony. The trade sent key players like Danilo Gallinari and Raymond Felton to Denver, both of whom were important components for D'Antoni's fast paced offense. Coach D'Antoni has a career record of 388-339. He proved himself on Phoenix with the Suns from 2003-2008 before joining the Knicks. His uptempo style would fit perfectly with the Clippers (if available). Chris Paul and Blake Griffin would be the perfect combo for his system, just like Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire were in Phoenix.
So that's my top five. Brian Shaw (Pacers assistant) just missed out. Shaw needs a little more time under another coach besides Phil Jackson. However, if he does get an opportunity next season he should do fine in the right situation.
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