College coaches struggle with NBA demands

By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
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Updated: May 20
11:47 AM ET

There was no surprise Wednesday when the Warriors fired head coach Eric Musselman. The writing had been on the wall for months, and the minute the team officially hired Chris Mullin as GM, Musselman knew it was time to pack his bags.

The only real mystery is why it took them so long to pull the trigger. I've been saying for months that firing Musselman was a terrible idea. He got more out of the Warriors than any coach in the last decade. His players didn't always agree with his methods, but it was hard to argue with the results. Musselman never led the Warriors to the playoffs, but Mullin & Co. are fooling themselves if they believe any coach could have reached the postseason with that roster.


Eric Musselman got the most of a thin roster. Will Mike Montgomery be able to do more?
The surprise, though, came when word leaked that Mullin had targeted Stanford coach Mike Montgomery to replace Musselman. You'd think Mullin would've fired Musselman only if he had another, experienced head coach waiting in the wings, a coach he believed could get more out of the team. Instead, it looks as if Mullin is tapping Montgomery, a very experienced college coach with a great reputation in the Bay Area.

The problem? A number of "highly respected" college coaches have fallen flat on their faces when making the jump to the NBA. Rick Pitino, Lon Kruger, Tim Floyd, John Calipari and Leonard Hamilton were just the latest in a long and ugly line of top college coaches unable to make the transition to the pros. What makes Mullin think Montgomery is different?

The way Montgomery turned Stanford into a consistent national power has been amazing. He truly is one of college basketball's finest coaches. But so were Pitino, Kruger, Floyd and Calipari. His hiring will be popular in the Bay Area, but so was Pitino's hiring in Boston.

The NBA game is so different these days. Relating to good players on bad teams in the NBA is an area in which most former college coaches struggle. The losing gets to them. The demands from front offices to develop and play young players at the expense of winning wears on them. They often flame out within two seasons. Given the direction Mullin seems to be leading the Warriors, and the current trend of firing a coach the second things start going poorly, you've got to wonder if Montgomery would last even one season.

Musselman's future
Don't be shocked if Musselman resurfaces soon somewhere in the Eastern Conference. The Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Hornets and Toronto Raptors are all looking for new coaches, and several other jobs could open up this summer, especially now that someone as respected as Musselman is available.

Look for the first buzz about Musselman to come out of Atlanta. The Hawks already have interviewed John MacLeod and Del Harris, but they likely will talk to Musselman. He was a very popular assistant there and is the type of young head coach who could get the most out of a very young squad in Atlanta next year.