Nate McMillan is going to Portland..

[whottt]

Blurb on ESPN.


Must be the Ray Allen effect.

Seattle was able to keep Ray Allen in town. But the Sonics couldn't keep head coach Nate McMillan from leaving. ESPN.com's Chad Ford reports McMillian has agreed to a five-year deal to coach the Portland Trailblazers.

Former Seattle SuperSonics head coach Nate McMillan has agreed to five-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, league sources told ESPN Insider Chad Ford.

McMillan was believed to be the Blazers' No. 1 choice all along, with the team also talking to former Blazers player and Bucks ex-coach Terry Porter and Phoenix assistant Marc Iavaroni.

The Blazers appeared close to offering the job to Iavaroni in late June, with the caveat that they first wanted a shot at luring McMillan away from the SuperSonics. The New York Times reported Sunday that Portland is offering McMillan an annual salary of $6 million.

McMillan had been given a deadline by the Sonics to decide his coaching future by the middle of this week.




tlong, your team has just gotten better.

[jcrod]

link (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2101994)

Former Seattle SuperSonics head coach Nate McMillan has agreed to five-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, league sources told ESPN Insider Chad Ford.

McMillan was believed to be the Blazers' No. 1 choice all along, with the team also talking to former Blazers player and Bucks ex-coach Terry Porter and Phoenix assistant Marc Iavaroni.

The Blazers appeared close to offering the job to Iavaroni in late June, with the caveat that they first wanted a shot at luring McMillan away from the SuperSonics. The New York Times reported Sunday that Portland is offering McMillan an annual salary of $6 million.

McMillan had been given a deadline by the Sonics to decide his coaching future by the middle of this week.

[Jimcs50]

Seattle was able to keep Ray Allen in town. But the Sonics couldn't keep head coach Nate McMillan from leaving. ESPN.com's Chad Ford reports McMillian has agreed to a five-year deal to coach the Portland Trailblazers.

Former Seattle SuperSonics head coach Nate McMillan has agreed to five-year contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, league sources told ESPN Insider Chad Ford.

McMillan was believed to be the Blazers' No. 1 choice all along, with the team also talking to former Blazers player and Bucks ex-coach Terry Porter and Phoenix assistant Marc Iavaroni.

The Blazers appeared close to offering the job to Iavaroni in late June, with the caveat that they first wanted a shot at luring McMillan away from the SuperSonics. The New York Times reported Sunday that Portland is offering McMillan an annual salary of $6 million.

McMillan had been given a deadline by the Sonics to decide his coaching future by the middle of this week.




tlong, your team has just gotten better.

[constantstate]

thats great news for portland...

[Chris]

Seattle is fucked. Nate got that team to the playoffs.

[ChumpDumper]

Must be the Sonics ownership acting like they have leverage when they don't.


What now? Doug Collins?

[E20]

Ooooh sorry Jim but, Whottt beat you by one minute.

[Jimcs50]

Ooooh sorry Jim but, Whottt beat you by one minute.

I had the official story, he just had an oral report which I heard at the same time, but I went to ESPN to copy and paste it for you guys to read.

:smokin

[TwoHandJam]

This just makes Seattle weaker which is fine with me. I hate that group of thugs.

[SilverPlayer]

great for Portland I can't believe how bad this is for Seattle. They couldn't keep the best coach they have ever had. They suck, I can't believe you would pick Portland's jailblazer's over Seattle.

I wonder how this will affect SAR to SA?

[Jimcs50]

Chad Ford said that Nate just did not like working with Rick Sund, the GM who signed an extension earlier in the year.

I was wondering what could have made him leave a team that he spent his whole career with leave for a team that is building.

[Ginobili_20_gold_medalist]

At least McMillan doesn't have to move far lol. Portland and Seattle are so close he probably won't even have to sell his house.

[Jimcs50]

great for Portland I can't believe how bad this is for Seattle. They couldn't keep the best coach they have ever had. They suck, I can't believe you would pick Portland's jailblazer's over Seattle.

I wonder how this will affect SAR to SA?

Um, I think Lenny Wilkens is the best coach they ever had.

[SilverPlayer]

^ good insight he must really hate the guy or something. Seattle and Portland probably have the same level of talent but this is still wierd.

[midgetonadonkey]

Seattle was lucky enough to make it to the playoffs with Nate. Now they are fucked.

[whottt]

Jim ripped off my original post, right down to the tlong comment :smokin

[2centsworth]

all about that jack, 2mm/yr diff last i heard.

[Jimcs50]

Jim ripped off my original post, right down to the tlong comment :smokin



You edited...your original post only said that there was a blurb on ESPN about it....

You lie like TPark!!!!

:flipoff

[Guru of Nothing]

I'll bet Seattle signs Terry Porter on the cheap.

[Jimcs50]

I scooped you!!!!

You stole my thread, you bastard....just because you are an ass kissing mod, you get preferential treatment....everyone knows that I beat you to the story...the truth will be known to all.

[timvp]

Portland just got a lot better. Seattle just went back to the lottery.

[Jimcs50]

Portland just got a lot better-timvp

damn, is there an echo in here?

[timvp]

-timvp

damn, is there an echo in here?

Yeah, sorry I accidentally copied what Whottt posted.

:smokin

[Jimcs50]

Yeah, sorry I accidentally copied what Whottt posted.

:smokin


alright, I will leave you two homos alone.


:flipoff

[xcoriate]

Wow thats huge for the Jailblazers. Nate is the best thing that could happen to that team in a while. He should be be able to instill some discipline in them and get them on th right track.

Great move by Portland. For the above reason and for destroying the sonics.

[milkyway21]

great for Portland I can't believe how bad this is for Seattle. They couldn't keep the best coach they have ever had. They suck, I can't believe you would pick Portland's jailblazer's over Seattle.

I wonder how this will affect SAR to SA?that too bad news for Sonics. Nate is a great coach.

well, they can try seaching for Miami's Van Gundy, i read from Miami news Riley is going to oust him...this move made me wonder, too...Why? :rolleyes

[baseline bum]

Haha ... Fuck Seattle (except for Rashard Lewis who I've been a huge fan of since he played at Elsik and strangely, Ray Allen who's becoming one of my favorite players in the league). Actually, just fuck Seattle, but not the Supersonics. Tough blow for the team, but a bitter pill to swallow for their puto fans. Man, I'd hate to lose a coach that good.

Congrats to Portland.

[DDS4]

Seattle's front office has no one to blame but themselves. They should have hammered out an extension rather than waiting to the last minute. Serves them right.

Maybe they can get Flip Saunders. Who knows.

[ducks]

I think what hurt the sonics is that they would not let nate talk to anyone before his contract ran out even after they were out of the playoffs

[Chris]

Say goodbye to Ray Allen Seattle.

[ducks]

would ray bolt now though
that would really suck for the sonics

[exstatic]

I think Seattle knew it was coming. They were dicks about not letting him talk to anyone before 1 July. Then, their front office supposedly pressed him for a decision by the middle of the week. Well, they got one, didn't they? :lol

[Solid D]

I wonder if Nate takes all of his staff with him. Probably not since Jack Sikma is a lifer in Seattle. The reason I wonder is that their defensive asst. coach, Dean Demopoulos, is excellent. He was at Temple under Chaney for years and years.

The Sonics defended the Spurs very well...most of the time. The Sonics ran a lot of matchup zone this year.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/multimedia/slideshows/show_584/SPURS-SONICS-D-KMH-2.jpg

[Sense]

I think McMillian is overrated..

He had done nothing before this season....how is seattle missing out? for all you know they get Sanders or something....


You have to see the impact, I'm thinking anything going to Portland has to be an impact, nothing's worse than last season..

Seattle won't go down.

[DesiSpur_21]

I think McMillian is overrated..

He had done nothing before this season....how is seattle missing out? for all you know they get Sanders or something....


You have to see the impact, I'm thinking anything going to Portland has to be an impact, nothing's worse than last season..

Seattle won't go down.

Umm.. Flip in Seattle could be interesting... but don't expect Ray to have a break-out season again - The guy was playing for his contract.

[mavsfan1000]

It was strange that the same team from the year before didn't even make the playoffs. Is this how great Mcmillan was this year or how bad he was last year?

[runningman37]

At least McMillan doesn't have to move far lol. Portland and Seattle are so close he probably won't even have to sell his house.



Completely ot here but just had to tell ya that I checked out your website link and your Manu "Manic" remix kicks ass! :music Not enough cool Manu remixes out there imho ...

[Sense]

It was strange that the same team from the year before didn't even make the playoffs. Is this how great Mcmillan was this year or how bad he was last year?
Do you really believe that McMillian was the cause of their improvement?
Personally I think Ray and Rashard got tired of losing..
and they decided to practice their 3 pointer a few more hours ... every day.

[mavsfan1000]

I didn't think he was that good of a coach before but I think he learned some things about how effective the 3 pointer was in the Olympics and used that same strategy this year. Seattle I feel overachieved because they don't have an inside game and coaching might be part of it.

[Sense]

I didn't think he was that good of a coach before but I think he learned some things about how effective the 3 pointer was in the Olympics and used that same strategy this year. Seattle I feel overachieved because they don't have an inside game and coaching might be part of it.
They have Ray Allen and Rashard... what does coaching have to do with no inside game..


These guys made the team what they were period..

[mavsfan1000]

The coaching part had to do with good screens to get these players open. They don't just go one on one all the time. I don't think Seattle was a great defensive team but Mcmillan got them trying hard. He didn't do that last year.

[CalsonicKansei]

What a dumbass, had a chance to go far in Seattle but had to go for the extra buck. sad...

[mattyc]

What becomes of TP?

[Gerryatrics]

Ah, the Sonics rose from the ashes long enough to take another nose dive straight into the ground. I can't help that small voice in the back of my head calling "Mr. Sonic" a rat bastard traitor, but I can't really blame him for basically getting his paycheck doubled while getting out from under the oppressive shadow that is the Sonics' managment.

The front office kept Nate handcuffed and forced him to run the team Rick Sund and Wally Walker's way, not McMillan's way. He finally got himself some slack last season since nobody expected him to be there past a month or two anyway, and ended up taking the Sonics to the second round of the playoffs. The managment tried to tighten up the leash again and Mac-10 took off for Portland. His family gets to stay in Seattle while he can just commute to work. And you know Portland is going to leave a lot more of the decision making in his hands instead of forcing it on him.

I'm thinking there might be another "Go Sonics - Trade Wally" banner being towed around over Seattle again this year. Too bad there's not really much else that can be done to get the douchebags in managment out. ::sigh::

At least there's still the Mariners... oh wait, they suck too. The Seahawks? Maybe? They were pretty decent last season, not that they've made any solid moves to improve... And they might not offer Shaun Alexander a long term contract so he might not play at all next season... Oh crap...

Seattle sucks.

[Horry For 3!]

haha Sucks for Seattle, they lost their coach. I didn't think Ray Allen would re-sign but he did and he fucked up. haha You loser Ray "cry baby" Allen.

[timvp]

Ah, the Sonics rose from the ashes long enough to take another nose dive straight into the ground. I can't help that small voice in the back of my head calling "Mr. Sonic" a rat bastard traitor, but I can't really blame him for basically getting his paycheck doubled while getting out from under the oppressive shadow that is the Sonics' managment.

The front office kept Nate handcuffed and forced him to run the team Rick Sund and Wally Walker's way, not McMillan's way. He finally got himself some slack last season since nobody expected him to be there past a month or two anyway, and ended up taking the Sonics to the second round of the playoffs. The managment tried to tighten up the leash again and Mac-10 took off for Portland. His family gets to stay in Seattle while he can just commute to work. And you know Portland is going to leave a lot more of the decision making in his hands instead of forcing it on him.

I'm thinking there might be another "Go Sonics - Trade Wally" banner being towed around over Seattle again this year. Too bad there's not really much else that can be done to get the douchebags in managment out. ::sigh::

At least there's still the Mariners... oh wait, they suck too. The Seahawks? Maybe? They were pretty decent last season, not that they've made any solid moves to improve... And they might not offer Shaun Alexander a long term contract so he might not play at all next season... Oh crap...

Seattle sucks.

Any idea who they will bring in? For your sake, I hope not Doug Collins.

[DieMrBond]

Correct me if im wrong, but Ray Allen has only given a verbal commitment, and hasnt put his signature down on anything (which would be against NBA rules, right?) - doesnt that mean he could completely change his mind and decide to go elsewhere... therefore, further putting the sonics into the can?

[kskonn]

Correct me if im wrong, but Ray Allen has only given a verbal commitment, and hasnt put his signature down on anything (which would be against NBA rules, right?) - doesnt that mean he could completely change his mind and decide to go elsewhere... therefore, further putting the sonics into the can?

that is the way I understand the rules. And I think ray is that kind of guy, one that would back out of a deal, unless ray wanted McMillan out? I don't know just throwing it out there.

Gerryatrics did Ray and Nate ever clash?

[Sense]

The coaching part had to do with good screens to get these players open. They don't just go one on one all the time. I don't think Seattle was a great defensive team but Mcmillan got them trying hard. He didn't do that last year.

They have the good ol Thug Defense...

I guess that's great coaching..

[DDS4]

Correct me if im wrong, but Ray Allen has only given a verbal commitment, and hasnt put his signature down on anything (which would be against NBA rules, right?) - doesnt that mean he could completely change his mind and decide to go elsewhere... therefore, further putting the sonics into the can?

True.

Sonics can possibly be Boozer-ized.

[bigzak25]

if i was nate, i'd try to sign and trade SAR for Jerome James and get Randolph some help down low.

[ambchang]

Perhaps my bold prediction of the Sonics not making the playoffs is not that bold afterall.
It's now downgraded to just another prediction.

[CosmicCowboy]

Damn...Daddy Starbucks is an idiot for not getting a deal done with Nate...They've got what? 9 free agents to decide what to do with in the next month? KaBoom. That team is blowing up bigtime.

[SenorSpur]

Sonics management screwed it up - as usual. Here's a good article on the Nate McMillian departure, courtesy of the Seattle Times.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002364003_kell07.html

The Sonics blew it.

They blew it last summer when they wouldn't talk to him about a contract extension.

They also blew it last summer when they ignored his request for another puzzle piece.

Although he hid it well all season long, Nate McMillan coached angrily last season. He felt like he won despite the front office, not because of it.

The Sonics blew it.

They blew it last November and December when they wouldn't re-open talks early in the year when the team shocked the NBA with its quick start. When they treated McMillan like some wayward son who needed a carrot in front of him to assure he would work hard.

And they blew it this summer when they low-balled McMillan, opening the door for another team to swipe him from Seattle.

In a very public ceremony, in the beautiful Washington Park Amphitheater, overlooking downtown Portland this afternoon, the Trail Blazers will be stealing a celebration away from Seattle.

They, not the Sonics, will be announcing Nate McMillan as their head coach. They, not the Sonics, have shown how much they value McMillan.

Nobody in the NBA did a better job of coaching last season than McMillan. He took a team of free agents and unproven kids to the NBA's Northwest Division championship.




He won 52 games, beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the playoffs and took the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs to six games in the Western Conference semifinals.

The way the team was configured was a formula for disaster. Eight free agents, a second-year point guard, no quality centers. Somehow McMillan, with the help of free agent Ray Allen, put it together.

He should have been rewarded in December. The Sonics should have called a news conference and celebrated McMillan's success.

They should have announced an extension in front of a big crowd before a game and shared the moment with their fans.

But they didn't. They allowed McMillan, a Sonic for the past 19 years, to coach as a lame duck.

And late yesterday, they allowed him to walk.

Terms of the five-year deal were not announced, but it is believed McMillan will make at least 50 percent more than the Sonics' best offer.

Some fans will feel betrayed by McMillan, thinking he took the money and ran to Portland. They will feel the man whose uniform hangs from the KeyArena rafters chose greed over loyalty.

They will be dead wrong.

It is the Sonics who weren't loyal to McMillan. They didn't get him players when he asked for help. They didn't honor his success at the end of this season. They played up his love for Seattle and figured they could lowball him because of that love.

They blew it.

Because they let his contract expire last week, the Sonics allowed McMillan, 40, to become the hottest, youngest, available coach on the market.

They did everything but enter him in this weekend's Seattle-to-Portland bike race. They did everything but nominate him to be the Grand Marshal in Portland's Rose Parade. They practically bought him a first-class, one-way ticket out of town.

McMillan had to take the money. No coach this side of Phil Jackson can turn down an offer that is expected to be in excess of $6 million per year, especially a young coach coming off the best season of his career.

The Trail Blazers offered him what the Sonics wouldn't — respect.

He can stay in the Northwest. He can keep his family in Seattle and he occasionally still can watch his son Jamelle play his junior season at O'Dea.

All the good will from Tuesday's signing of free agent Allen evaporated with this shocking news last night.

Now the Sonics are faced with the coaching search they absolutely didn't want to make.

Who will replace McMillan?

The logical choice is Phoenix assistant Marc Iavaroni. He has been ready to become a head coach for several seasons. He was groomed by Miami's Pat Riley and he coached an up-tempo style in Phoenix that was similar to the Sonics.

He is a friend of Sonics president Wally Walker and, like Walker, played his college ball at Virginia. And because this would be his first head-coaching job, Iavaroni would come relatively cheaply, which means the money the team saves on coaching salaries could be plowed back into the roster.

Iavaroni should be at the top of the list.

Others to consider are former Minnesota coach Flip Saunders, who probably would be too expensive; San Antonio assistant P.J. Carlesimo, who probably would be too combative; and a longshot, TNT analyst Doug Collins.

Today will be a great day for Nate McMillan, as hard working a player and coach as the league has seen. He has earned this moment in the sun among the roses in Portland.

And it will be a sad day for Seattle, which lost one of its own yesterday to the dreaded enemy 180 miles to the south.

[Jimcs50]

Nate is now the 2nd highest paid coach in the NBA right behind Jackson...that is unbelievable.

[CubanMustGo]

Others to consider are ... San Antonio assistant P.J. Carlesimo, who probably would be too combative

Pure BS. But you fools keep thinking that way, we like PJ here in San Antonio.

The guy gets choked by that selfish loser Spree and for some reason it keeps him from being considered seriously for the kinds of coaching positions he deserves.

Go ahead, hire Iavaroni from Phoneyix, and make both Seattle and the Suns that much weaker next season.