Coaching Changes

Bobcats replace Bernie Bickerstaff with Sam Vincent

It’s not that Sam Vincent doesn’t have a decent resume. He’s an ex-NBA guard, like Doc Rivers, Avery Johnson, Nate McMillan and many other coaches these days. He’s got experience in the Euroleague. The Suns and Raptors will tell you that experience with the European style of play certainly isn’t a bad thing. He paid his dues on the bench with a successful team, serving as an assistant with Johnson’s Mavericks.

It’s not hard to suspect that one of Vincent’s primary goals this season will be to make some of Michael Jordan’s more controversial acquisitions look good. That means he’ll be under additional pressure to find minutes for disappointing No. 3 overall pick (2006) Adam Morrison at the small forward and shooting guard positions, even though Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace are far superior players at this point. The problem is that Morrison simply can’t guard NBA twos or threes at this stage of his career.

Vincent’s resume offers a few other hints as to how he’ll run the ‘Cats. His most extensive coaching experience has been overseas. He has coached men’s and women’s pro and national teams in South Africa, Greece, the Netherlands and Nigeria. He led the Nigerian women’s team to an upset victory over South Korea in the 2004 Olympics and the men to the second round of the 2006 FIBA World Championships. It seems reasonable to expect that he’ll bring some of that international flavor to Charlotte, which could mean a high-octane offense like that of the Suns or Raptors. Richardson and Wallace, as well as big men like Emeka Okafor and Sean May, should thrive in such a system. It could also present a nice opportunity for players Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann, who are both veterans of international play.

(Read the full article in the NBA.com 2007 Fantasy Draft Kit)