Spurs' Carlesimo scheduled to interview today for SuperSonics opening

[ducks]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b....18efc2a5.html

Spurs' Carlesimo scheduled to interview today for SuperSonics opening

Web Posted: 06/19/2007 12:21 AM CDT

Express-News

Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo will interview today for Seattle's head-coaching vacancy, said an NBA source with knowledge of the meeting. Carlesimo is expected to meet with SuperSonics general manager Sam Presti, who was the Spurs' assistant general manager until two weeks ago.

Given Presti's familiarity with Carlesimo and Seattle owner Clay Bennett's desire to use the Spurs as a blueprint to remake the Sonics, Spurs officials think Carlesimo has a good chance of getting the job.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also has recommended Carlesimo to Bennett.

Johnny Ludden

[Strike]

I don't want to see him leave, but I think he could do well in Seattle.

Funny how the west gets stronger while the east seems to get weaker. :lol

[Anakin Skywalker]

Man The Sonics Are Gonna Be Able To Shut Down The Spurs Next Year

[Strike]

Man The Sonics Are Gonna Be Able To Shut Down The Spurs Next Year

Uhhh, no. Honestly, what do the Sonics have to shut down the Spurs?

[TheTruth]

The Sonics will be able to score with anyone if Ray Ray stays healthy next season. If PJ gets hired, and can get them to play some Defense, they could be tough.

[Spurs Brazil]

Spurs top assistant Carlesimo looms as favorite to take over Sonics

FRANK HUGHES; The News Tribune Published: June 19th, 2007 01:00 AM



The Seattle SuperSonics will interview San Antonio Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo today as their search for a new head coach gets into full gear.
The interview was supposed to take place on Monday afternoon, but it was delayed a day for an unspecified reason.

Carlesimo has spoken with Sonics general manager Sam Presti by phone a few times, but his sitdown interview will take place five days after the Spurs won their fourth championship in nine years. It was unclear if Carlesimo would interview with Presti in Seattle or with Clay Bennett elsewhere.

It is believed the Sonics also will speak this week with their other candidates – Dwane Casey and Rick Carlisle – though exactly when is not known. Neither Casey nor Carlisle returned phone calls on Monday.

The Sonics have not given a timetable for the hiring, though presumably they would like to have it completed before the June 28 draft.

It appears for now that the job is Carlesimo’s to lose, and the Sonics were briefly worried that they could lose Carlesimo to the Sacramento Kings, who pondered interviewing the former Portland and Golden State coach for their coaching opening.

But a league source said the Kings have at least momentarily cooled on Carlesimo, paving the way for the Sonics to hire him to replace Bob Hill if they so choose.

The hiring of Carlesimo, Gregg Popovich’s lead assistant on three of San Antonio’s title teams, would give the Sonics franchise philosophical continuity, a significant part of the Spurs’ long run of domination.

The Sonics hired Presti on June 7, in part because of his intimate knowledge of the way the Spurs conduct business, which Bennett partly owned in the mid-1990s.

“I view the San Antonio Spurs as the premier franchise in our business,” Bennett said at Presti’s news conference.

Whomever the Sonics hire will be the team’s fourth head coach since 2003, when Nate McMillan departed for Portland.

But Bennett is hoping that Carlesimo can provide a semblance of stability on the basketball side of the organization, something noticeably absent in recent years.

The question Carlesimo must answer, however, is how much has he grown since his last head coaching stints in Golden State and Portland, when he was a combined 183-222 in six seasons?

His tenure in Golden State was marred by the Latrell Sprewell choking incident in which Sprewell attacked Carlesimo for 15 seconds before teammates pulled him off Carlesimo.

Carlesimo joined the Spurs in 2002 and has said publicly that he thinks he has grown as a coach and an individual and has learned from Popovich how to manage different personalities.

The Sonics also spoke with San Antonio about Spurs assistant Don Newman, an assistant coach at Washington State for five seasons. It is unclear if Newman would join Carlesimo’s staff if Carlesimo is hired.

blogs.thenewstribune.com/sonics

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/sonics/story/90650.html

[Gros Membres!]

PJ seems like a nice guy and has been a good assistant for Pop but I would not be sad to see him go. He wants another head coaching shot and has certainly paid his penance for the Sprewell incident. He has studied under Pop for a number of years now and can bring his savy and experience to a new organization that has a Spurs guy at the top (Presti).

On the Spurs side, I think it is time to bring in some new blood. The league and rules have changed substantially in the last few years and sometimes I feel like we're watching early 80s offensive sets (not that watching the Suns is any better, see early 90s Kings). Spurs have excellent weapons and I'm sure there's more the be had out of our Big 3. I'd like to see an offensive minded asst. brought in to replace PJ if he goes.

[AFBlue]

It seems like he has the inside track, though I would say Carlisle has the more impressive track record. If he goes, I have faith that the Spurs will backfill accordingly and move on with little to no effect.

[leemajors]

cue the carlesimolooms troll!

[ducks]

Carlisle seems to be a better coach then pj
doubt carlisle would accept an assistant job though

[dbreiden83080]

I don't want to see him leave, but I think he could do well in Seattle.

Funny how the west gets stronger while the east seems to get weaker. :lol

I do want to see him go because he has earned another shot at coaching. He has done a great job in SA assisting all these years he has paid his dues for something that was mainly Spreewells fault, he deserves another shot.

[BigBeezie]

P.J. will not be leaving the Spurs. Book it.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

^^ are you kidding? PJ has been wanting a head coaching job for years. Popovich wants him to get it, too. He's so gone.

[dbreiden83080]

I know about the Sprewell incident...

but what caused it to happen...?

Sprewell is a nutcase, the Warriors were losing, he got yelled at and flipped out in practice. It was 95% his fault.

[IceColdBrewski]

P.J. will not be leaving the Spurs. Book it.

PJ is gone. Book it.