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Is Doc Garnett a Future NBA Head Coach?

KG will sure make a GREAT coach someday. He brings so much energy to the court as a player, just imagine what he’ll be like as a coach. Would KG really be a good coach one day?I’m going to analyze the qualifications for a coach if I were running the team. Judging him on five distinct coaching characteristics, does KG’s resume fit the application?


1. Experience

• Prior coaching experience obviously helps, but Garnett can get that if he’s an assistant for a couple years, much like the Mavericks’ Avery Johnson. Johnson played for the Spurs in the mid-late 1990’s, then got a coaching gig on Don Nelson’s staff in the early part of this decade.
• KG is entering his 13th NBA season, and is in the first year of a five-year contract with the Celtics. By the time his career is done, he will have amassed an unbelievable amount of minutes played…and hopefully championships won.

2. Game Knowledge

• KG may not have gone to college, but that doesn’t mean he’s an idiot. He has a great basketball IQ. He’s a tremendous passer and shooter for a man his size, and it’s obvious that he knows what he’s doing on the court.
• If he’s playing this game at such a high level, he should have some idea about the game of basketball (i.e. when to call a timeout, how to draw up plays, which player should go in which rotation, etc.) These skills are also learned with experience.

3. Energy

• Remember, this is KEVIN GARNETT we’re talking about. He has an amazing intensity when he’s on the court. He’s always amped when he gets a big block or a slam dunk. Hell, even when he’s on the sideline, he’s standing up cheering and coaching his teammates on.
• Oftentimes, players feed off high-energy coaches. Red always coached with fervor. Even Jim O’Brien showed a pulse when need be.

4. Media Relations Skills

• This is a part of the job not many people realize/understand. A coach also has to deal with the media, especially in larger sports markets like Boston or New York. This means answering questions about game plans, starting lineups, contracts, chemistry, and especially about player injuries.
• This is more noticeable in football because they have rosters of more than 50 players. In the NBA, with rosters from 12-15 players, it is less common but still a necessary component of coaching.

5. The Look

• Antoine Walker would sure fit this qualification. Remember, all coaches wear suits on the sideline. Does Garnett look great in a suit? Does Garnett even look normal? You be the judge.
• Personally, I think KG will have the look of a coach when he retires. He’s tall, and looks as if he would command respect. That’s what you want in an NBA head coach. Pushover head coaches (Rick Pitino ahem ahem ahem) don’t get it done in the pros.

Final Verdict?
Of course KG would fit the bill. I think he has it written all over him. Do I think he’ll be a head coach when he’s done? No way…he’s got plenty of money to rely on and a wife to go home to. (Again, you be the judge.)

Tags: Celtics, Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett

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