Tibbetts to be new Mercury Head Coach

[EricLA]

Tibbetts takes over as new coach of Mercury

Orlando Magic assistant Nate Tibbetts is the new coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.

www.espn.com

New GM (Nick U'Ren from the Golden State Warriors ), new practice facility on the way, and now a new head coach. NBA to WNBA is HUGE. Great hiring job by the Mercury. Side note - I wonder if he will keep Blue...

 

[cancontent]

Tibbetts takes over as new coach of Mercury

Orlando Magic assistant Nate Tibbetts is the new coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.

www.espn.com

New GM (Nick U'Ren from the Golden State Warriors ), new practice facility on the way, and now a new head coach. NBA to WNBA is HUGE. Great hiring job by the Mercury. Side note - I wonder if he will keep Blue...

Maybe so, but to make him the highest paid coach without the amount of credentials of others doesn't sit well with me.

Ishiba is obviously on a mission to win and as soon as possible. Hope this approach works out for the team.

 

[Dillon77]

Tibbetts takes over as new coach of Mercury

Orlando Magic assistant Nate Tibbetts is the new coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.

www.espn.com

New GM (Nick U'Ren from the Golden State Warriors ), new practice facility on the way, and now a new head coach. NBA to WNBA is HUGE. Great hiring job by the Mercury. Side note - I wonder if he will keep Blue...

Thanks. FWIW, this is also being discussed on the WNBA thread, which has become something of a catch-all for all thing WNBA.
Not all posters are as initially open as you are....

 

[Dillon77]

Maybe so, but to make him the highest paid coach without the amount of credentials of others doesn't sit well with me.

Ishiba is obviously on a mission to win and as soon as possible. Hope this approach works out for the team.

(see my comments on WNBA thread..)

 

[JellyBean]

Maybe so, but to make him the highest paid coach without the amount of credentials of others doesn't sit well with me.

Ishiba is obviously on a mission to win and as soon as possible. Hope this approach works out for the team.

Making him the highest paid coach, does not sit well with me either.

 

[EricLA]

Doesn't sit well? Goodness, it's awesome. IMHO. Luring a high level assistant coach from the NBA over the the WNBA is a home run. At least for now. Obviously we need to see how well he does, but time will tell.

Not sure why anyone would have a problem with this hire. Maybe some forget it's a business, not a sorority.

If it leads to higher quality head coaches I'm all for it. And it it leads to higher pay for the players, even better. Players should be disgruntled if they feel the pay disparity is too high. In the NBA, the best players make way more than the coaches. The W has a long way to go, and hopefully in time they will get there...

Super high profile hire. Someone said the optics don't look good? Disagree. What looked horrible was what Hammon and the Aces did to Hamby.

 

[bballnut90]

Doesn't sit well? Goodness, it's awesome. IMHO. Luring a high level assistant coach from the NBA over the the WNBA is a home run. At least for now. Obviously we need to see how well he does, but time will tell.

Not sure why anyone would have a problem with this hire. Maybe some forget it's a business, not a sorority.

If it leads to higher quality head coaches I'm all for it. And it it leads to higher pay for the players, even better. Players should be disgruntled if they feel the pay disparity is too high. In the NBA, the best players make way more than the coaches. The W has a long way to go, and hopefully in time they will get there...

Super high profile hire. Someone said the optics don't look good? Disagree. What looked horrible was what Hammon and the Aces did to Hamby.

He's a long time assistant with zero experience as a head coach and zero experience coaching women. No direct experience with the WNBA or women's basketball in general. I think it's great that more money is being poured into the sport, but to many the optics don't look great: a women's basketball league that prides itself on being progressive and fighting for women in sports hires a male assistant coach without any direct experience, making him the highest paid coach in league history. It understandably can be perceived as a slap in the face to the likes of Cheryl Reeve (4 titles as a championship coach), Becky Hammon (championship coach, trail blazer in women's coaching), and Sandy Brondello (championship coach, 3 Finals appearances). I don't see this as a slam dunk or bad hire, it's more just unknown at this point how his experience as an assistant in a different league will translate to coaching in the WNBA. I hope his hire leads to other coaches negotiating better salaries as a result.

 

[cancontent]

Doesn't sit well? Goodness, it's awesome. IMHO. Luring a high level assistant coach from the NBA over the the WNBA is a home run. At least for now. Obviously we need to see how well he does, but time will tell.

Not sure why anyone would have a problem with this hire. Maybe some forget it's a business, not a sorority.

If it leads to higher quality head coaches I'm all for it. And it it leads to higher pay for the players, even better. Players should be disgruntled if they feel the pay disparity is too high. In the NBA, the best players make way more than the coaches. The W has a long way to go, and hopefully in time they will get there...

Super high profile hire. Someone said the optics don't look good? Disagree. What looked horrible was what Hammon and the Aces did to Hamby.

The Hamby situation is a different situation that most have noted doesn't look good on the league.

We're all aware it's a business, however just because he's being lured from the NBA doesn't make it a home run decision. I'm sure fans will give him benefit of the doubt, but WNBA fans are allowed to be skeptical in my opinion.

Cleveland thought they had one in David Blatt. LA Lakers thought they did with Voegel. The Sparks thought they had something with Fisher. As I said before, time will tell.

 

[Dillon77]

Doesn't sit well? Goodness, it's awesome. IMHO. Luring a high level assistant coach from the NBA over the the WNBA is a home run. At least for now. Obviously we need to see how well he does, but time will tell.

Not sure why anyone would have a problem with this hire. Maybe some forget it's a business, not a sorority.

If it leads to higher quality head coaches I'm all for it. And it it leads to higher pay for the players, even better. Players should be disgruntled if they feel the pay disparity is too high. In the NBA, the best players make way more than the coaches. The W has a long way to go, and hopefully in time they will get there...

Super high profile hire. Someone said the optics don't look good? Disagree. What looked horrible was what Hammon and the Aces did to Hamby.

OK, let me take a shot at why there could be some legitimate skepticism to match your legitimate enthusiasm.
(BTW, I have no horse in this race in terms of favorite franchises, but I do keep up on the WNBA as most regular posters on the WNBA thread can attest.)

- The Good. New owner Matt Ishbia is putting resources into his purchase of the Sun/Mercury:
From a Bleacher Report story: "This move comes after the Mercury hired Nick U'Ren as the general manager and announced plans to build a modern practice facility as a part of a $100 million investment from owner Matt Ishbia. When announcing that move, Ishbia mentioned a need to invest in people, and the pricey deal given to Tibbetts aligns with that commitment.

- "We want to have one of the greatest sports organizations in the world," Ishbia said, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. "And to do that you have to invest in the people."

- The Questionable:
As you pointed out (see red above), was hiring this particular person the right guy. Once again, from BR:
"Tibbetts has been with the Magic since the 2021-22 season and previously had tenures with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to this, he coached in the NBA G League."

So, that's two years with the Magic as an assistant coach. Last I checked, the Cavs, Trail Blazers and Magic weren't exactly tearing it up during his respective stays with them. And the G League may/may not have any relevance, save for helping to develop young talent. No experience with coaching professional women of any sort or sport.

So, an obvious question: Why this guy?
Remember, this is a team that chose not to renew Sandy Brondello's contract, who is now coaching the team in the championship series and is also the head coach of the Australian national team.

I'd be interested to know -- but will probably never find out -- whom, if any, other candidates were considered. Maybe that process will be explained in the press conference.

- Moving forward:
-- Nic U'Ren has some serious roster construction issues to consider. Do you center the obvious need to rebuild around an aging GOAT (DT) and a getting-up-there-but-still effective center (Griner)? Do you balance that via top stars staying in school for one more Covid year vs. coming out? How about the upcoming CBA in 2025?

- Per that end, great players make great leagues. And the W needs to swing in that direction. Paying a largely unknown assistant coach 4 times what a Napheesa Collier makes? Hmmm.

Stay tuned.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

OK, let me take a shot at why there could be some legitimate skepticism to match your legitimate enthusiasm.
(BTW, I have no horse in this race in terms of favorite franchises, but I do keep up on the WNBA as most regular posters on the WNBA thread can attest.)

- The Good. New owner Matt Ishbia is putting resources into his purchase of the Sun/Mercury:
From a Bleacher Report story: "This move comes after the Mercury hired Nick U'Ren as the general manager and announced plans to build a modern practice facility as a part of a $100 million investment from owner Matt Ishbia. When announcing that move, Ishbia mentioned a need to invest in people, and the pricey deal given to Tibbetts aligns with that commitment.

- "We want to have one of the greatest sports organizations in the world," Ishbia said, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. "And to do that you have to invest in the people."

- The Questionable:
As you pointed out (see red above), was hiring this particular person the right guy. Once again, from BR:
"Tibbetts has been with the Magic since the 2021-22 season and previously had tenures with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to this, he coached in the NBA G League."

So, that's two years with the Magic as an assistant coach. Last I checked, the Cavs, Trail Blazers and Magic weren't exactly tearing it up during his respective stays with them. And the G League may/may not have any relevance, save for helping to develop young talent. No experience with coaching professional women of any sort or sport.

So, an obvious question: Why this guy?
Remember, this is a team that chose not to renew Sandy Brondello's contract, who is now coaching the team in the championship series and is also the head coach of the Australian national team.

I'd be interested to know -- but will probably never find out -- whom, if any, other candidates were considered. Maybe that process will be explained in the press conference.

- Moving forward:
-- Nic U'Ren has some serious roster construction issues to consider. Do you center the obvious need to rebuild around an aging GOAT (DT) and a getting-up-there-but-still effective center (Griner)? Do you balance that via top stars staying in school for one more Covid year vs. coming out? How about the upcoming CBA in 2025?

- Per that end, great players make great leagues. And the W needs to swing in that direction. Paying a largely unknown assistant coach 4 times what a Napheesa Collier makes? Hmmm.

Stay tuned.

Different owner and different GM ended Sandy's contract, not this one. Not really a fair comparison there imo. I definitely think there are some big questions with if this was the right hire to make but not coaching in WBB/WNBA isn't one for me. Personally, there are very few coaches in WBB/WNBA that I think are impressive. Sandy is a good example of a coach that I think is probably one of the better WNBA coaches but not actually a great coach. I'd be looking outside that pool of coaching "talent" as well.

It does sound like Tibbett interviewed for the Sun's open coaching position this summer and they liked him enough to bring him back for this opportunity. I am curious why him, specifically, because there are many other non-WNBA coaching tree hires that would likely have better on paper resume than this guy.

 

[BRS24]

Doesn't sit well? Goodness, it's awesome. IMHO. Luring a high level assistant coach from the NBA over the the WNBA is a home run. At least for now. Obviously we need to see how well he does, but time will tell.

Not sure why anyone would have a problem with this hire. Maybe some forget it's a business, not a sorority.

If it leads to higher quality head coaches I'm all for it. And it it leads to higher pay for the players, even better. Players should be disgruntled if they feel the pay disparity is too high. In the NBA, the best players make way more than the coaches. The W has a long way to go, and hopefully in time they will get there...

Super high profile hire. Someone said the optics don't look good? Disagree. What looked horrible was what Hammon and the Aces did to Hamby.

He's a long time assistant with zero experience as a head coach and zero experience coaching women. No direct experience with the WNBA or women's basketball in general. I think it's great that more money is being poured into the sport, but to many the optics don't look great: a women's basketball league that prides itself on being progressive and fighting for women in sports hires a male assistant coach without any direct experience, making him the highest paid coach in league history. It understandably can be perceived as a slap in the face to the likes of Cheryl Reeve (4 titles as a championship coach), Becky Hammon (championship coach, trail blazer in women's coaching), and Sandy Brondello (championship coach, 3 Finals appearances). I don't see this as a slam dunk or bad hire, it's more just unknown at this point how his experience as an assistant in a different league will translate to coaching in the WNBA. I hope his hire leads to other coaches negotiating better salaries as a result.

IMHO, Eric & bbnut both have valid points. Higher level coaches will promote the league play. The success of former NBA coaches in the WNBA still seems a bit questionable. However, hiring coaches that have experience with the women's game, both college and pro, is something I'd like to see more often, as I don't want the WNBA to be seen as a stepping stone or quick and dirty way for coaches to get to the NBA.

 

[bballnut90]

IMHO, Eric & bbnut both have valid points. Higher level coaches will promote the league play. The success of former NBA coaches in the WNBA still seems a bit questionable. However, hiring coaches that have experience with the women's game, both college and pro, is something I'd like to see more often, as I don't want the WNBA to be seen as a stepping stone or quick and dirty way for coaches to get to the NBA.

WNBA has been a major stepping stone for a ton of coaches to become assistants in the NBA. I don’t like it either, but agree hopefully this helps pave the way for higher salaries and make the W a more desirable landing spot for top coaches.

 

[baggerbob]

OK, let me take a shot at why there could be some legitimate skepticism to match your legitimate enthusiasm.
(BTW, I have no horse in this race in terms of favorite franchises, but I do keep up on the WNBA as most regular posters on the WNBA thread can attest.)

- The Good. New owner Matt Ishbia is putting resources into his purchase of the Sun/Mercury:
From a Bleacher Report story: "This move comes after the Mercury hired Nick U'Ren as the general manager and announced plans to build a modern practice facility as a part of a $100 million investment from owner Matt Ishbia. When announcing that move, Ishbia mentioned a need to invest in people, and the pricey deal given to Tibbetts aligns with that commitment.

- "We want to have one of the greatest sports organizations in the world," Ishbia said, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. "And to do that you have to invest in the people."

- The Questionable:
As you pointed out (see red above), was hiring this particular person the right guy. Once again, from BR:
"Tibbetts has been with the Magic since the 2021-22 season and previously had tenures with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to this, he coached in the NBA G League."

So, that's two years with the Magic as an assistant coach. Last I checked, the Cavs, Trail Blazers and Magic weren't exactly tearing it up during his respective stays with them. And the G League may/may not have any relevance, save for helping to develop young talent. No experience with coaching professional women of any sort or sport.

So, an obvious question: Why this guy?
Remember, this is a team that chose not to renew Sandy Brondello's contract, who is now coaching the team in the championship series and is also the head coach of the Australian national team.

I'd be interested to know -- but will probably never find out -- whom, if any, other candidates were considered. Maybe that process will be explained in the press conference.

- Moving forward:
-- Nic U'Ren has some serious roster construction issues to consider. Do you center the obvious need to rebuild around an aging GOAT (DT) and a getting-up-there-but-still effective center (Griner)? Do you balance that via top stars staying in school for one more Covid year vs. coming out? How about the upcoming CBA in 2025?

- Per that end, great players make great leagues. And the W needs to swing in that direction. Paying a largely unknown assistant coach 4 times what a Napheesa Collier makes? Hmmm.

Stay tuned.

How is Dee going to react to an unproven coach making 5 times as much money as her? They needed to make a hire of someone with some decent track record as a head coach.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

He's a long time assistant with zero experience as a head coach and zero experience coaching women. No direct experience with the WNBA or women's basketball in general.

He has 12 years of experience in the NBA and GLeague.
The last Mercury head coach was a former W player who had head coaching experience ... in high school. She also had less than four years of experience as a W assistant.

True, he has not coached women. But he has been an assistant coach at the absolute highest leave in men's basketball.

More importantly, it shows the W is a viable destination for the best young, up-and-coming coaches. Instead of W talent going to the NBA (James Wade, leaving his HC/GM gig in Chicago for an NBA assistant job in Toronto), the talent is coming to the W. The new Mercury GM was an assistant GM with the Golden State Warriors. And now the new Mercury HC is an NBA assistant. The W is looked at as the desired job/destination. That is a very good thing for the position and viability of the league in the sports marketplace.

Now, if only more women were given consideration for NBA assistant coaching jobs, much less HC gigs ...