Reggie Theus Lacks Hang Time

As I wrote immediately after Musselman was fired, how this decision is made will reflect on whether the Maloofs are actually handing the keys back to Geoff Petrie.  There are a lot of great basketball minds available, so at least they’ll have a talented pool of potential coaches from which to choose.

Reggie Theus’ firing serves as yet another cautionary tale of a college coach not being able to cut it in the NBA.  College coaches just don’t have the right attitude and mentality to lead an NBA team.  For every Larry Brown there are ten examples just like Mike Montgomery.  You can have a dictatorial relationship with college players because you make more money than they do and your job is much more secure, but that just doesn’t translate to the pro game.

Coaches have to deal with different players that have different motivations in college than in the pros.  In college it is all about the team and winning games as opposed to getting your stats in spite of victories. 

The NBA is all about getting paid, and getting paid is directly proportionate to what statistics you accumulate.  There are exceptions to this rule in both college and the pros.  There are plenty of players in college that are only out to get their stats and don’t care what their coaches have to tell them, and there are also plenty of players in the NBA that could care less what stats they put up as long as they win. 

Players in the NBA know that their guaranteed contracts mean they can do and say whatever they want and only be on their best behavior in a contract year, and that more often than not the coach will take the fall because he is much easier to replace.  College coaches have to answer to boosters and their Athletic Director, but once again the AD and boosters care more about winning than anything else.

It appears that Reggie Theus had already planned his exit from Sacramento, and he has hinted that he had been planning on heading back to the college ranks.  Hopefully his style continues to translate well to college, and he is able to find success again.

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