Use caution before diving into this shallow pool

Sporting News, The, May 6, 1996 by Shaun Powell

Last summer, after Pat Riley flew south to Miami, the Knicks had to make a quick hire. They were thirsty for a proven coach but had to sip from a pretty shallow pool of candidates.

The finalists were Cotton Fitzsimmons Chris Ford and Don Nelson. No offense to these capable and knowledgeable coaches but Fitzsimmons had been out of the loop for a while, Ford had been fired in Boston and Nellie-who eventually got the job-was considered a dinosaur and lasted just half a season in New York. They were the best of a very thin crop.

With three jobs currently vacant and as many as four additional openings possibly on the horizon, the question must be asked: Where have all the great coaches gone? And where's the next wave?

The Nets, Hornets and Bucks, who currently are looking for coaches, would love to know. Others who may join the hunt are the Nuggets, Sixers, Mavericks and maybe--though not likely--the Knicks.

This will be a great summer for free agents, but not a banner one for proven, experienced, white-hot coaching prospects.

Two would be hired in a split second: Chuck Daly and Rick Pitino. But don't expect to see either on an NBA bench next season. Daly loves his cushy TV gig and has found bliss on the links. He wisely turned down the chance to coach the volatile Knicks. Pitino won't return to the NBA until someone meets an asking price that includes part ownership, and he won't leave Kentucky for anything less than an ideal franchise. Pitino refused a hefty offer from the Nets because he was leery of team owners.

Teams can look to the college ranks to fill openings, and three coaches have been considered before: Utah's Rick Majerus, Kansas' Roy Williams and Massachusetts' John Calipari. But college coaches usually don't pan out; see Jerry Tarkanian and P.J. Carlesimo's tough start in Portland. Plus, most of the top-line colleee coaches have millinn-dollar financial packages and will demand at least equal compensation, which means they're overpriced for the entry-level positions in the NBA.

Expect a handful of these coaches to get serious looks-and some offers-this summer:

Chris Ford. His stint with the aging Celtics shouldn't be held against him. Ford can be a little tough and seldom shows a sense of humor, but he's clearly in the top crop of potential coaches. He could land with the Sixers.

Jim Cleamons. As part of the Bulls'winning machine, he's probably the most highly regarded NBA assistant. Cleamons rejected the Raptors last season because he wanted twice the money they offered. Instead of pursuing Cleamons again after the firing of Brendan Malone, Toronto hired on the cheap and elevated coaching neophyte Darrell Walker.

Paul Westphal. He isn't a crack-the-whip guy but would be ideal for a veteran team.

Gar Heard. He did a respectable job with the pre-Jason Kidd Mavericks in his short stay. After they fired him, he has received only mild interest. He is an assistant with the Pacers.

Brendan Malone. One season with an expansion team hurt only his career won-lost record, not his chances for another job.

Don Casey. The Celtics are paying him like a head coach just to keep his experienced voice next to M.L Carr.

There are a handful of young assistants (the Timberwolves' Randy Wittman, the Cavaliers' Sidney Lowe, the Celtics' Dennis Johnson) who may be ready in the coming years, while Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers are down-the-line prospects.

Bottom line, though, is that the best coaches already are working.

A good mystery

To steal a phrase from our resident insect: Didn't you used to be Mike Dunleavy;

At the turn of the decade, he was the next somebody, a can't miss coaching prospect who first studied under Pat Riley, then directed the Lakers to the NBA Finals in his first season.

That summer, Bucks owner Herb Kohl stole Dunleavy from the Lakers with an unprecedented offer: eight years, more than $1 million average salary and an additional job as general manager. "It was hailed as a great move at the time," Kohl said last week, when he stripped Dunleavy of his coaching duties.

What went wrong? Maybe the chore of being Mr. Front Office was too much for Dunleavy. Maybe Kohl's patience was too short. Maybe Dunleavy wasn't as good a coach as everyone thought. Whatever the reasons, the Bucks posted three of their four worst regular-season records under Dunleavy and were huge disappointments this season, despite having an Olympic team small forward and an All-Star power forward.

Word is Kohl would've replaced Dunleavy as G.M. too, but still owed him $6 million in salary.

A Stern look

He makes a handsome salary, he oversees a multi-billion-dollar corporation and he has the respect of the sports world.

If your name is David Stern, you live a charmed life. But all is not perfect in Dave's World. There are a few nit-picking things that, if eliminated, would confirm that Easy Dave holds the best job in team sports.

If the following things became reality, Stern would smile even more:

1. The Nets are sold. From his Fifth Avenue office high above Manhattan Stern looks west toward New Jersey and he cannot be too pleased with the view. There is chaos in the Meadowlands-- what else is new?--where the Nets continue their long-running, off-Broadway role as the biggest laughingstock east of Clipperland. One acquaintance of Stern says the commissioner rolls his eyes at the mere mention of the Nets and their seven owners.