The last thing I want to do is fear monger. We have enough of that in the world today. So, I don’t know if this thought is something that comes from a certain unhealthy level of Orlando Sports “PTSD” or if it actually has merit…but here’s my fear:
Steve Clifford is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the NBA. He’s the only coach in the eastern conference…of the teams eliminated or about to be…who won a game. He was voted prior to the year, 2nd only to Popovich, as the best ‘out of timeout’ coach in the entire league. Stan Van Gundy, his pal, was recently on with Bianchi and said that he can only imagine what Steve would do if he was given an extremely talented roster.
Imagine Cliff coaching a team like the Celtics or the Warriors when healthy. He’s made the most of his situations in Charlotte and Orlando, and he’s had talent, but he’s never had anything close to an elite roster.
So again, here’s my fear. What if he gets poached?
If my math is right, there are currently 5 head coaching jobs available right now. 3 of the 5 are populated with “elite” talent (New Orleans, Brooklyn, and Philly).
As they say in the South, I’m just sayin’…if I were one of these teams, I’d be calling…and I for one, hope it doesn’t happen.