Coaching possibilities : Eric Musselman

First of all, I dont know if Van Gundy will be fired, but I think after his performace so far during the season, he should go ( as well as Carrol Dawson).

As a Lakers' fan (2nd) I would love Phil Jackson to come back and coach here in Houston. But I think he's done this time around, so when (if) we fire Van Gundy, I think we should look at hiring Eric Musselman. I thought he had breathed (?) new life into the Golden State franchise only for their idiot management not to realize it.

I think he coached McGrady as an assistant for a couple of seasons as well... Maybe his style of basketball will mesh better.




Eric Musselman
College - San Diego '87

A young, energetic coach with an extremely successful record in basketball’s “minor leagues”, Eric Musselman was named head coach of the Golden State Warriors on July 26, 2002. Just 37-years-old at the time of his hiring, Musselman becomes the youngest current head coach in the NBA. Prior to joining the Warriors, Musselman worked two seasons as an assistant for the Atlanta Hawks after spending the prior two seasons with the Orlando Magic.

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In 1998-99, Musselman was named an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic by then-head coach Chuck Daly after spending the previous campaign as a scout for the Magic. When Daly retired following the 1998-99 campaign, Musselman was retained on the staff of new head coach Doc Rivers for the 1999-2000 season.

Musselman joined the Magic after spending the previous seven years as the head coach and the previous eight years as the general manager of the Florida Beach Dogs (formerly the Rapid City Thrillers) of the Continental Basketball Association. In 1996-97, Musselman led the Beach Dogs to a 38-18 record and a trip to the CBA Finals as his squad held CBA opponents to a league-low 90.8 points per game. As the club’s general manager in 1988-89, he hired current Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders - then a college assistant - to coach the Thrillers.

As a CBA coach, Musselman posted a 270-122 record (.688), marking the second highest winning percentage in league history behind Milwaukee Bucks head coach George Karl, who coached for five seasons in the CBA.

From 1990 thru 1997, Musselman had 24 players called-up to the NBA, the highest number in the league during that span. He holds the distinction of being the only person in CBA history to coach in five league All-Star Games (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997) and was the first coach in professional basketball history to win 100 games by the age of 28. When he was 23, Musselman became the youngest coach in CBA history.

Musselman also served as head coach of the Florida Sharks of the United States Basketball League. In the summers of 1995 and 1996, he coached the Sharks to a combined 53-3 record (.946, including playoffs) and back-to-back USBL Championships. He holds the highest winning percentage in league history.

His received his first NBA coaching experience in 1990-91 as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves on the staff of his late father, Bill Musselman. The Musselmans are now the first father/son head-coaching duo in NBA history.

After graduating from the University of San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1987, Musselman took a front office job with the Los Angeles Clippers before taking on the role of assistant director of scouting.

A three-time member West Coast Athletic Conference All-Academic squad, he played in two NCAA tournaments. Following his college career, Musselman was selected by the CBA’s Albany Patroons in the fifth round (58th overall) of the 1987 Draft.

A graduate of Brecksville (Ohio) High School, Musselman and his wife, Wendy, have two sons, Michael and Matthew. He was born November 19, 1964 in Ashland, OH.

 

Musselman Interview

What kind of player you were?

Eric Musselman: I wasn't very good. I was just smart and I enjoyed working hard.

Your coaching career started very early. At the age of 27, you were already an assistant coach in Minnesota. To what extent did your father Bill Musselman influence your decision of becoming a coach?

EM: When kids my age were having fun watching cartoons, I was watching basketball games. Basketball is the only thing I know and I don't think I would be able to do any other thing. I have no other hobbies aside from basketball. The most important thing for me is basketball and that's what I do all day.

Is it harder to be listened when you are younger that some of the players?

EM: Not at all. It's all about earning respect. When I began my journey in the CBA, most of the players where older than me.

What are the main differences between the CBA and the NBA?

EM: Well, the superstars, the best players, are in the NBA. Besides, now defenses are tougher. In the CBA, meanwhile, you just run up and down the court all the time.

The Warriors' offense was good last year. You were the second-highest scoring team in the league. But your defense was not something about which you can take pride of...

EM: Our defense is the worst in the NBA. We have a lot of players with good offensive talent, but they don't like running downcourt. Besides, we are one of the youngest teams in the league and we lack experience.

Do you think you can win anything without a good defense?

EM: No. And playing good defense is our main goal for this season. We'll spend a lot of hours working on our defense this summer.

Which NBA teams do you like the most?

EM: Dallas and Sacramento. They have a beautiful playing style and it's a pleasure to watch one of their games.
But they don't win titles. Who do you think will be the main favorite this season?

EM: San Antonio. They have the best player in the NBA -- Tim Duncan. And they are the current champions. In my opinion, they are the team to beat. I also like the point guard Tony Parker. He is fabulous. He moves real quick and has really improved his outside shot. He looked comfortable in the championship series.

Golden State selected another French player -- Mickael Pietrus -- in the draft. What will be his role in the team?

EM: I've seen some tapes and it appears to be a very athletic player -- just like Derrick Zimmerman, our second-round pick. But Pietrus does need to improve his jump shot. That's why I don't expect him to contribute this season. Maybe he can be useful in the future. Meanwhile, he is not going to play much.

This year's draft was LeBron's draft. What's your opinion about Lebron skipping college for the NBA?

EM: (Laughs) LeBron doesn't need to go to college because he can buy one. His contract is spectacular. I think it's a problem because there are players that are not ready for the NBA. They need at least two years to make the adjustment.


Alex Gozalbo is a basketball writer for Gigantes. The interview was made last month during the International Clinic of Badalona (Spain).

http://www.**************/interviews/musselman_gozalbo.htm[

 

His team was second in the league in scoring. I dont think Van Gundy's teams have done that. If the problem is his intensity, I dont think that will be a problem...

It's not a negative quality for a coach to expect the best from his players...

Posted on Sat, Apr. 10, 2004





Warriors' Musselman Faces Unsure Future

GREG BEACHAM

Associated Press


OAKLAND, Calif. - Eric Musselman is the Golden State Warriors' most successful coach of the last 10 years, and that might not be enough to save his job.

The same qualities that make Musselman an effective coach could lead to his firing after just two seasons, according to those around the team and the NBA.

Several Warriors have bristled under Musselman's management style, and the team brass seems displeased by his insistence on using veterans at the expense of Golden State's young players.

Musselman has heard the rumblings as the Warriors' 10th straight season out of the playoffs comes to an end, and he appears to be growing weary of the struggle. Yet he has kept up his intense preparation for every game, and he refuses to concentrate on anything but winning, even at this late stage in the season.

When asked before Friday night's game whether he had considered giving more playing time to his young players, the 39-year-old Musselman said calmly: "We're going to finish the season like we started it."

Musselman then gave big minutes to veterans Calbert Cheaney and Cliff Robinson. After the game, he took one question from reporters before bolting, and the rumbling grew.

"It's a crazy business," said Minnesota coach Flip Saunders, who has known Musselman since the younger coach's childhood. "As a coach, all you can do is prepare teams and try to get them to play up to their ability. If someone wants to get rid of you because of that, that's a prerogative that management and owners always have.

Musselman was the league's youngest coach when he led the Warriors to 38 victories last season, their best finish since 1994. Golden State will finish with nearly the same record this spring despite several big roster changes and significant injuries to Troy Murphy, Nick Van Exel, Speedy Claxton, Adonal Foyle and Erick Dampier.

"He has established himself as a coach," Saunders said. "He's going to be able to continue to coach in this league somewhere. You try to get enough respect to establish yourself, and that's what he's done."

Several Warriors have publicly criticized Musselman, who has one year left on a three-year, $4.5 million contract. In private, the players say everybody expects him to be dismissed despite his major role in transforming one of the NBA's most pathetic franchises into a moderately competitive operation.

"We're just trying to finish the season strong," said Robinson, one of Musselman's favorite players. "We're not going to the playoffs, so everybody's future is up in the air. We'll just have to wait and see about everything."

Those who know Musselman often are reminded of his late father, longtime NBA coach Bill Musselman. Before Minnesota beat Golden State 92-74 on Friday night to snap the Warriors' seven-game home winning streak, Saunders rattled off a list of personal and professional similarities between Musselman and his father, the first coach in Timberwolves history.

"Bill always got his teams and his players to play up to their ability, and that's something Eric has done with this team," Saunders said. "If you're a demanding coach - and I know Eric is demanding, because his dad was like that - you're not always going to be the most popular guy.

"Sometimes you have to push the limit with your players, and especially when you've got young players, they might not understand it. But down the road, they'll appreciate it. He's trying to push those guys to their limit."

It's difficult to gauge the front office's opinion of Musselman, partly because it's nearly impossible to tell who's in charge of the franchise. Garry St. Jean still is the general manager, but special assistant Chris Mullin and president Robert Rowell seem to make most of the decisions.

Earlier in the spring, Rowell said the Warriors had "underachieved, period" - an unusual comment given the Warriors' history, the offseason departures of Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison and Golden State's spate of injuries this season.

After employing eight coaches since 1994, the Warriors might decide it's time for No. 9.

"Eric has done a great job when you look at his situation at the beginning of the year," Saunders said. "If they hadn't had those injuries, they'd be right in that mix for the eighth playoff spot. You hear a lot of talk, people saying different things, but I think he's done a terrific job."

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/basketball/8403379.htm?1c

 

I would be one hell of a caoch if I was him. But I think he's busy coaching against his old team right now ( assistant under Fratello in Memphis).

Warriors Preview



Coach Eric Musselman will attempt to re-create his successful first season as sideline general in Oakland. As the league’s youngest coach, he finished second to Gregg Popovich in Coach of the Year voting. With free-agent Speedy Claxton replacing the departed Gilbert Arenas (Washington) and Nick Van Exel arriving in exchange for Antawn Jamison, Musselman will have a new team to work with. The continued development of Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy should give Warrior fans hope, just not playoff hope.



The following story is republished from the Athlon 2003-04 Pro Basketball Preview, available on newsstands now.

What’s Eric Musselman going to do for an encore? The league’s youngest head coach almost did the unthinkable. In his first season, he nearly led the previously woeful Warriors into the playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season.If that weren’t enough, he also transformed the young Warriors into one of the league’s most exciting teams with their run-and-gun style of play . The rest of the league took notice; Musselman finished second in voting for Coach of the Year behind San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich.

There is a sense of optimism permeating the franchise and its fans — a sense that Musselman has the Warriors moving toward the playoffs. The team won 38 games last season, an NBA-high 17-game improvement, and it certainly looked as though the players liked playing for Musselman.

 

You know who else is a "disciplinarian" ? Gregg Popovich, and last time I checked he's won 2 championships and made his team a contender every year withhis pain in the ass style.. You've seen him scream at Manu and Parker...

I dont think the NBA has an overabundance of discipline...