Nancy Lieberman being hired as assistant coach
- Thread starter sdballer
- Start date
Apparently Vlade is going to or has offered an assistant coaching position to Nancy Lieberman and will make an announcement Monday. A good move. She has experience with the big boys back in the early days of Summer Leagues in the mid-80's in Salt Lake City as well as some coaching experience with a D-League team under the Mavericks. Very much a no BS type, very knowledgeable and understands the game. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
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Ailene Voisin @ailene_voisin 2h2 hours ago
Kings expected to hire Nancy Lieberman as assistant coach. VP Divac plans to offer job next week and Hall of Famer said she will accept.
EDIT:
Ailene Voisin @ailene_voisin 2h2 hours ago
Kings expected to hire Nancy Lieberman as assistant coach. VP Divac plans to offer job next week and Hall of Famer said she will accept.
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As a woman in a man's world sort of thing, I would be more than a little surprised if she actually pushed that too hard.
Still, much as I like to see gender lines broken, I don't really like us experimenting with it as a kind of keep up with the Spurs thing when we've already got so many other things that could go wrong. We should just be focused on solid, solid, solid, try to eliminate every potential; fracture point we can. The Spurs are dealing from strength and tradition as they try to break that line. And if this were 2002 we could have made the move for the same reason. Right now though things are delicate as is.
Still, much as I like to see gender lines broken, I don't really like us experimenting with it as a kind of keep up with the Spurs thing when we've already got so many other things that could go wrong. We should just be focused on solid, solid, solid, try to eliminate every potential; fracture point we can. The Spurs are dealing from strength and tradition as they try to break that line. And if this were 2002 we could have made the move for the same reason. Right now though things are delicate as is.
I agree with you on many things.... But experimenting with breaking gender lines? What is there to break? We are all equal and I hold each person in high regard (unless you prove to me otherwise). She has experience it's not her first go round. If she can help to provide direction, then by all means sign her up. Never underestimate the perspectives that other people bring. If anything, she can talk about the difficulties of entering the NBA as a woman with all odds against her. A lot of our roster is from less than modest backgrounds, Cousins included. He can relate to hardship and he will respect her all the more for it.
Whether or not she pushes too much is not related to her gender. There has to be a line that can't be crossed and if she was new to the NBA I would be more worried. However, she was in the NBA before most of these guys were even born. I'm not worried and I'll choose to trust in Vlade.
Whether or not she pushes too much is not related to her gender. There has to be a line that can't be crossed and if she was new to the NBA I would be more worried. However, she was in the NBA before most of these guys were even born. I'm not worried and I'll choose to trust in Vlade.
She's got an amazing resume as both a player and a coach. I have no reservations at all, I'm happy to have her aboard. I think she'll bring a lot of positives to the team with regards to player development.
Here's an article from 2010 when she started coaching the Dallas Mavericks' D-League team. It talks a little bit about her background and has some quotes from NBA players about her coaching style:
Lieberman Is Back in Men’s Game, in New Role
Here's an article from 2010 when she started coaching the Dallas Mavericks' D-League team. It talks a little bit about her background and has some quotes from NBA players about her coaching style:
Lieberman Is Back in Men’s Game, in New Role
I thought about this myself. He could have done it at Karl's request, or he could be sending another message to Karl ... "I'm the boss and you either deal with it or get out" sort of thing. All of the people Karl wanted, and things that Karl wanted, never came to be. Cousins is still here (thankfully), Andre is gone, PDA is gone, and so are Karl's media rights. Karl is going to have to coach within Divac's guidelines, and if not, I am sure Divac already has a plan B. He may be setting up Karl for failure here, in order to introduce a coach that he wants.
because in non-idealistic world these things have potential consequences.
Now I'm not going to go too far into my feminist creds or whatever, but suffice it to say that Kayte would be sitting in Jerry's spot if it were up to me, and while I think what Vlade has been able to accomplish here is something maybe only possible for a former NBA player, you wouldn't even had made me blink if we had interviewed a woman for his spot. Women are rampantly underrepresented around NBA front offices and media boards for no other reason than sexism/good ole boy assumptions.
But coaching is a tougher alley, because coaching isn't just about analysis of the game, which anybody of any gender can do equally well. Its also about, even primarily about, interpersonal relationships. About reaching guys and making them listen. About knowing who to press and how to press, when to be a friend when to be a taskmaster etc. All things which a woman could be really good at too, but now you make this a woman coaching men in a testosterone laden sport fool of rich young dudes with huge egos who have never been coached by a woman...and it just adds in a level of uncertainty of result that I'm not sure is warranted right now. We're fighting for our lives, we've got a brand new team with totally unformed chemistry and a potential head coach issue, now is not the time I want to introduce an extra element that may not work. Like I say, do this in 2003, back when it should have been done in the NBA btw, and there's no risk at all for us. Our culture and chemistry is established, just as the Spurs is. You can afford to take a chance and open this door and there is no down side.
Thing is too, we have to be clear: Nancy Lieberman is being hired BECAUSE she's a woman. She's got almost no coaching resume at all. She's a legendary player from back in the day and a talking head, but this is not a woman who has spent decades coaching. Her grand total of coaching experience appears to be: 3 years in the WNBA from 1998-2000 in which she went 46-48 and made the playoffs 1 of 3 years. And 1 year in the NBDL where she went 24-26. That's it. She apparently played Kayte's role for OKC last year, would have liked to have heard her. I assume she knows the sport very well indeed. But there's really not much proof she's much of a coach, and obviously the NBA is a whole new landscape. Who knows, maybe that's better. If we had say brought in Tara VanDerveer you'd be 100% convinced she could coach, but there could have been ego clashes that maybe won't be there with Lieberman. Nancy has a lot less to be arrogant/this is how I do things and its always worked, about.
Chances are it doesn't matter much at all. She's just an assistant coach, and basically the last one added to an already full staff. She could be more of an observer than anything else.
Now I'm not going to go too far into my feminist creds or whatever, but suffice it to say that Kayte would be sitting in Jerry's spot if it were up to me, and while I think what Vlade has been able to accomplish here is something maybe only possible for a former NBA player, you wouldn't even had made me blink if we had interviewed a woman for his spot. Women are rampantly underrepresented around NBA front offices and media boards for no other reason than sexism/good ole boy assumptions.
But coaching is a tougher alley, because coaching isn't just about analysis of the game, which anybody of any gender can do equally well. Its also about, even primarily about, interpersonal relationships. About reaching guys and making them listen. About knowing who to press and how to press, when to be a friend when to be a taskmaster etc. All things which a woman could be really good at too, but now you make this a woman coaching men in a testosterone laden sport fool of rich young dudes with huge egos who have never been coached by a woman...and it just adds in a level of uncertainty of result that I'm not sure is warranted right now. We're fighting for our lives, we've got a brand new team with totally unformed chemistry and a potential head coach issue, now is not the time I want to introduce an extra element that may not work. Like I say, do this in 2003, back when it should have been done in the NBA btw, and there's no risk at all for us. Our culture and chemistry is established, just as the Spurs is. You can afford to take a chance and open this door and there is no down side.
Thing is too, we have to be clear: Nancy Lieberman is being hired BECAUSE she's a woman. She's got almost no coaching resume at all. She's a legendary player from back in the day and a talking head, but this is not a woman who has spent decades coaching. Her grand total of coaching experience appears to be: 3 years in the WNBA from 1998-2000 in which she went 46-48 and made the playoffs 1 of 3 years. And 1 year in the NBDL where she went 24-26. That's it. She apparently played Kayte's role for OKC last year, would have liked to have heard her. I assume she knows the sport very well indeed. But there's really not much proof she's much of a coach, and obviously the NBA is a whole new landscape. Who knows, maybe that's better. If we had say brought in Tara VanDerveer you'd be 100% convinced she could coach, but there could have been ego clashes that maybe won't be there with Lieberman. Nancy has a lot less to be arrogant/this is how I do things and its always worked, about.
Chances are it doesn't matter much at all. She's just an assistant coach, and basically the last one added to an already full staff. She could be more of an observer than anything else.
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Thanks for posting this article, it was a very good read. In addition to her vast Basketball knowledge, she seems like a straight shooter who has the balance to really reach and relate to players. I found that part of the article to be the most encouraging. From everything I have ever heard about her, she is tough, but fair and honest, just the style that DeMarcus, for one, most appreciates and respects (even though she is just and assistant)
From Voisin's article, it's pretty evident that this was Karl's hire, but blessed by Vlade. And Cuz apparently has already bought in to her hire. Now that the coaching staff is fully staffed, Vlade will be looking for a GM. We probably won't hear anymore about it until the deal is done. At least Vlade keeps us guessing.
GO KINGS !!!
GO KINGS !!!
Ailene Voisin @ailene_voisin 26s27 seconds ago
It's a done deal. Nancy Lieberman is a Kings assistant. The Hall of Fame inductee confirmed the move a few minutes ago.
It's a done deal. Nancy Lieberman is a Kings assistant. The Hall of Fame inductee confirmed the move a few minutes ago.
Carmichael Dave @CarmichaelDave 45s46 seconds ago Antelope, CA
I love that this organization's attitude is now simply: "Will it help us? Cool, let's do it".
I love that this organization's attitude is now simply: "Will it help us? Cool, let's do it".
