In honor of the Browns inexplicable, inexcusable inability to score points in the first quarter this season – three total in seven games – we’re taking the first quarter off and not showing up with a game review until tomorrow.
(Photo by The Plain Dealer)
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein
Kelly Dwyer asks a simple question in his column on Yahoo! Sports: Can Tom Izzo succeed in the NBA?
Let’s save everyone the trouble as the answer is simple: NO!
It’s not hard to figure out: college coaches fail in the NBA. Repeatedly. Every single one hired in the past 30 years has failed.
Why would Izzo, in Cleveland, be the exception?
As usual, Terry Pluto nailed it in today’s PD:
He’s never been in the league in any capacity. He’s never had to surrender complete control of his schedule, as college coaches often have input in picking non-league opponents.
A college coach also selects his own roster. He isn’t stuck with an aging star or a disgruntled talent because of the huge contract and the salary cap — meaning it’s impossible to cut or trade the guy for months.
Most college coaches are control freaks. The pros quickly teach you how little is under your control. If an owner allows a college coach to select players, is that a wise idea? What background does he have in really knowing what players thrive in the NBA?
The history of NBA coaches whose primary experience is college is dismal. The failures include Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery, P.J. Carlisimo and Jerry Tarkanian. You can mention Larry Brown, but first he was a pro player in the old American Basketball Association, then coached in the ABA before making some college stops.
The Cavs went through the NBA wasteland after they fired Lenny Wilkens in 1993. Mike Fratello, Randy Wittman, John Lucas, Keith Smart and Paul Silas all worked together to make the team irrelevant in the NBA.
We’ve rather enjoyed the past five years of Cavs basketball, playoff failures not withstanding. We’d prefer the team not go back to being an afterthought on the NBA landscape.
But that’s exactly where the team is heading if owner Dan Gilbert continues down the road he is currently traveling.
And we are not enjoying the ride.
Red Right 88 