Becky Hammon silences doubters

[SVCBeercats]

Becky Hammon has grit!

Aces' Hammon silences doubters, becomes first rookie coach to win WNBA title

As a player, Becky Hammon overcame the odds and became an All-Star. And after stalling in the NBA coaching ranks, she took over the Aces and led them to a WNBA title.

www.espn.com

 

[oldude]

First off, I think Hammon was a great player and is a great coach. But I must say that this article bothers me a great deal. Voepel cites absolutely no one who doubted Hammon’s ability. She simply employs vague references like, “they said” to imply, among other things, that Hammon should have been a HC in the NBA after 8 years as an assistant. Who exactly are “they?”

There are a lot of long time assistants in the NBA who have put in more years than Hammon and are still assistants. Notwithstanding his current problems, Ime Odoka put in 9 years as an assistant before finally getting the head job in Boston, and subsequently taking them to the championship series in his first season.

I have no doubt that Hammon will do great things as a coach, whether she decides to stay in the W or moves back to coach in the NBA. But Voepel’s article is just click bait imo.

 

[Cuango]

You beat me to it (and said it better than I would have) I’ve never heard any doubts or questions regarding her qualifications/abilities as a coach. She spent 9? years learning her trade from one of the all time great organizations/coaches in addition to her stellar career as a player! On top of that, (not to belittle her accomplishment) she was handed the reins of what is certainly one of the top two or three most talented teams in the league. The question was not, would she win, but rather how many will she win! As for the NBA, she simply needs to wait her turn. She doesn’t get to go to the front of the line simply because she’s a woman. She did a fine job, handled her business, and can now rightfully bask in that success. That’s enough, there’s no need to cheapen it with embellishments!

 

[oldude]

Another very good, long time assistant coach in the NBA that comes to mind is none other than Adrian Griffin, our Aubrey Griffin’s father. An undrafted free agent out of Seton Hall, Griffin was a basketball journeyman who played in the G-League, Europe and bounced around with several NBA teams as a player.

After his playing days were over, Griffin started his coaching career. He’s been an assistant with several NBA teams for 14 seasons, including as a top assistant with the Raptors when they won their championship a few years ago.

As I indicated, there are a lot of very good NBA assistants, who have been at it for a long time, that are still waiting for their opportunity to become a HC.

 

[bballnut90]

Agree with what other posters have said--literally everyone has been excited for Hammon and thought she'd do a great job in the WNBA, never saw anyone doubt her abilities as a coach, plus she was handed a championship ready roster. If Voelpel wants to write an article about doubters, he should revisit his piece on Banghart from a few years back. That said, Hammon revamped the offense in Vegas and made her mark, but her situation in the WNBA wasn't some huge underdog/come from out of nowhere situation, nor were haters/doubters present anywhere.

All that said, in regards to her situation in the NBA, I don't buy the argument that she needs to wait her turn, I think she's proven she's as well rounded a candidate as they come and would be a fantastic hire for any NBA franchise. In terms of experience, 8 years is plenty even if others have more, and there are also a LOT of coaches who've gotten jobs with less experience:

Steve Nash-no coaching experience
Jason Kidd-no coaching experience
Taylor Jenkins-5 years NBA assistant experience before getting a head coaching job
Willie Green-5 years NBA assistant experience
Chauncey Billups-1 year NBA assistant experience
Will Hardy-7 years NBA assistant experience
Steve Kerr-no coaching experience


Usually the coaches who get head coaching jobs with no experience are former players who have name recognition and were point guards or commentators.

When you look at Hammon, she's the total package. At this point she has name recognition, she has top level playing experience (as a PG no less), she has rave reviews from players and coaches about her work as an NBA assistant, and she just won a championship as a head coach in the WNBA. Others having a couple more years of experience of assistant coaching in the NBA doesn't make them better candidates IMO. I don't think anyone else has the complete package that Becky does, and at this point I think she's proven her ability on every level and would be a slam dunk pick for any franchise.