THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015
PAGE 13A
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"While I support our team's decision 100 percent and look forward to the upcoming season and future in OKC, Scotty (Brooks) was my coach and a friend for the past seven seasons. We accomplished a lot together, and those times will never be taken away from us."
- Kevin Durant Instagram
FACT OF THE DAY
Only 32 head coaches (out of 545) in NBA history have had a longer employment with one team than Scott Brooks.
NewsOK.com
TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: When was Scott Brooks hired as Oklahoma City's head coach?
A: 2008
— Basketball-reference.com
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THE MORNING BREW
Breaking down the top candidates for Thunder coaching vacancy
Every time an attractive NBA coaching position opens up, Kansas fans expect to see Bill Self in the mix. However, while he may be a top-tier college coach, and may even be considered one of the more likely candidates to make the jump from college to the NBA in general, he isn't exactly best fit for the Oklahoma City Thunder opening for Sam Presti's position. However, for the position, there are certainly plenty of qualified candidates.
BILLY DONOVAN
The Florida head coach has emerged as perhaps the top candidate for the Oklahoma City job. In fact, in a recent article, CBS Sports' Ken Berger wrote about why it's a perfect fit, much of which comes from Donovan's personality.
According to an anonymous source listed in the article, Donovan has become "tired of recruiting," but he didn't want to leave unless he felt he would be entering a winning situation.
Oklahoma City is certainly there.
Oklahoma City is certainly there. While Donovan's Florida squad struggled last year, going just 16-17, his track record is actually quite strong. Prior to last season, Donovan's Gators posted at least 20-or-more wins in each of the last 16 seasons, hitting the 29-win total six times. Florida also won two National Championships under Donovan, while leading the nation in wins on three separate occasions.
Should the opportunity present itself, it seems that Donovan and OKC could be a match made in heaven, and many analysts see the opportunity being one that'd be hard to pass up for any candidate.
KEVIN OLLIE
Connecticut Huskies men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie has one quality that may prove to be the most important in the Oklahoma City coaching discussion: keeping Kevin Durant happy.
Durant's contract will expire in 2016, which has led to talk that he could leave to return home to Washington, D.C., to become a member of the Washington Wizards. Durant was on record as being a big fan of Scott Brooks, and Oklahoma City will definitely look to hire a coach who doesn't upset its star.
In an interview, Durant credited Ollie for changing the "whole culture in Oklahoma City" for in Ollie's lone season, the Thunder's win total improved from 23 games to 50 games, while making the playoffs.
Now, Ollie does have a difficult buyout clause in his contract at UConn, which serves as perhaps the biggest roadblock for the hiring. However, despite this and a public statement by Ollie that he is not looking at other opportunities, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Ollie still has "significant interest."
I think we've learned by now never to doubt Woi.
Current Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is another name that has been thrown around for the position, despite the fact that his team is still playing — and playing quite well, at the moment.
TOM THIBODEAU
Although several key players suffered injuries, the Bulls finished the regular season 50-32, posting the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. Currently, they also hold a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, but Thibodeau's status is up in the air.
Earlier this year, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported that "several league sources" believed the relationship between Thibodeau and
For Oklahoma City, though. it's a perfect match.
the front office was beyond repair, which led many to speculate Thibodeau's tenure as Bulls coach could be all but over.
Additionally, Chicago tied for the third best field-goal percentage defense and second-best three-point percentage defense in the NBA last year. Oklahoma City was worse by a margin of 5-8 percentage points in both areas.
However, it remains to be seen if the Thunder will be patient enough to see how the events turn out in Chicago before hiring the next coach.
BEST OF THE REST
While those three candidates are the leaders at this point, there are certainly others who could emerge as contenders. Should OKC look to hire a current NBA assistant, Alvin Gentry (Golden State) or Chip Engelland
Thibodeau brings a hardnosed defensive style and toughness that the Thunder lacked last year, allowing 101.8 points per game; that number ranked 24th in the NBA, while Chicago clocked in at ninth, 15 spots higher.
(San Antonio) could be on the move. After all, Gentry has had success both as an assistant coach and a head coach, while Engelland has a strong relationship with Presti, according to NewsOK.com's Anthony Slater.
Oklahoma City could also look at Fred Hoiberg of Iowa State, who has implemented a successful NBA-style offense at the college level. Although, at the moment, Hoiberg is being viewed as a likely replacement candidate for Thibodeau in Chicago.
They could also take the unorthodox route and hire current ESPN broadcaster (and former Golden State head coach) Mark Jackson, who last coached in the 2013-14 season.
Regardless, there will be no shortage of candidates for the Thunder position, considering the talented young core that's in place, and there's certainly no need for Presti to rush and hire someone now, especially if the top candidates are unavailable.
— Edited by Mitch Raznick
SUF OGROCKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks gestures to his team during the fourth quarter of a game against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 25 in Oklahoma City. The Thunder fired Brooks on Wednesday.
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