How can you tell if an assistant coach will be a good head coach? I'm not sure you can. Team success is an inadequate measure of head coaches (lack of talent and injuries are often decisive), but even worse for measuring assistant coaches.
Assuming the reports are correct that Porter has an oral agreement with the Suns, his head coaching experience makes it easier to evaluate him than his assistant coaching. But it would be nice to know if his assistant coaching gives us a basis for evaluation. His reputation with PG's is easier to evaluate than his other duites. Porter may not have had much impact on the established Kings PG's, but he developed TJ Ford and Mo Williams in Milaukee and Stuckey in Detroit.
Porter's overall impact on a their team is much harder to measure. Changes may be just coincidence. So I can't say for sure if he is responsible, but my observation is that his impact on defense appaeras to be more than on the offensive end.
Porter's first assistant coaching job was a one year stint with the 2002-03 Kings. That was the team that went 59-23 and lost in that epic battle in the 2nd round with the Mavs, which went the Mavs way where Webber got injured. The previous year the Kings took the Lakers to a seventh game inf the WCF. If Webber had remained healthy, they were given a better chance than the Mavs to beat the Kobe/Shaq Lakers.
In 2002-03 the Kings won a couple fewer games than the year before, but their overall defensive stats were far better. The Kings opponent's shooting percentage was a good 40.3%, but in 2002-03 with Porter on the staff the Kings held their opponents to 42.0%. The year after Porter left it fell to 45.4% (though mostly due to Webber's knee) I'm not sure Porter had anything to do with this improvement in defsense, but it's suggestive.
Porter's two year stint in Detroit corresponded with an improvement in the Piston's defense.
2005-06 (Saunder's first year) opponents shot 45.2%
2006-07 (Porter's first year) oppoents shot 44.5%
2007-08 opponents shot 43.7%
Even his head coaching stint in Milwaukee led to an improvement in opponent shooting defense before his team fell apart with injureis in 2004-05.
2002-03 Under George Karl opponents shot 45.8%
2003-04 Under Terry Porter opponets shot 45.2%
One curious as pect of his 2003-04 team was the year that Brian Skinner had the best year of his career.
There is little doubt Porter was selected due to his ability to continue to the Suns run and gun legacy, but he may much more defense oreiented than people realize. Considering that he plued under Pat Riely for a year and then three years under Pop, perhaps that should not be as surprising as it might.
Assuming the reports are correct that Porter has an oral agreement with the Suns, his head coaching experience makes it easier to evaluate him than his assistant coaching. But it would be nice to know if his assistant coaching gives us a basis for evaluation. His reputation with PG's is easier to evaluate than his other duites. Porter may not have had much impact on the established Kings PG's, but he developed TJ Ford and Mo Williams in Milaukee and Stuckey in Detroit.
Porter's overall impact on a their team is much harder to measure. Changes may be just coincidence. So I can't say for sure if he is responsible, but my observation is that his impact on defense appaeras to be more than on the offensive end.
Porter's first assistant coaching job was a one year stint with the 2002-03 Kings. That was the team that went 59-23 and lost in that epic battle in the 2nd round with the Mavs, which went the Mavs way where Webber got injured. The previous year the Kings took the Lakers to a seventh game inf the WCF. If Webber had remained healthy, they were given a better chance than the Mavs to beat the Kobe/Shaq Lakers.
In 2002-03 the Kings won a couple fewer games than the year before, but their overall defensive stats were far better. The Kings opponent's shooting percentage was a good 40.3%, but in 2002-03 with Porter on the staff the Kings held their opponents to 42.0%. The year after Porter left it fell to 45.4% (though mostly due to Webber's knee) I'm not sure Porter had anything to do with this improvement in defsense, but it's suggestive.
Porter's two year stint in Detroit corresponded with an improvement in the Piston's defense.
2005-06 (Saunder's first year) opponents shot 45.2%
2006-07 (Porter's first year) oppoents shot 44.5%
2007-08 opponents shot 43.7%
Even his head coaching stint in Milwaukee led to an improvement in opponent shooting defense before his team fell apart with injureis in 2004-05.
2002-03 Under George Karl opponents shot 45.8%
2003-04 Under Terry Porter opponets shot 45.2%
One curious as pect of his 2003-04 team was the year that Brian Skinner had the best year of his career.
There is little doubt Porter was selected due to his ability to continue to the Suns run and gun legacy, but he may much more defense oreiented than people realize. Considering that he plued under Pat Riely for a year and then three years under Pop, perhaps that should not be as surprising as it might.
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